He's Always Watching

Epilogue

*A/N: I just posted the sequel, guys! It's called Forever His. Go check it out!* It's officially over, ladies and gentleman. I'll be starting something new, but maybe not until I get caught up on Addicted to Mr. Know-It-All. Enjoy <33 :="">

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One Year Later

“Check mate!” Jenny cried victoriously as she slammed her checker on the board. Her blue eyes were sparkling with excitement as she looked up at me, all smiles.

            I huffed and glared at the board. “You cheated.”

            She rolled her eyes and swung her legs over the side of my bed. “You’re a sore loser, Cass.”

            I jutted out my lower lip, pouting. “Am not.”

            “Are so,” she sang as she left the room. I grudgingly got up and followed her down into the kitchen. My parents were sitting at the table having coffee when we got down there. I pecked my dad on the cheek and swung into the seat in front of him. He sat the newspaper he was reading down in front of me and waited as I scanned the headline.

            “So, I’m guessing this means the press has figured out that Colby and Ralphie are being sentenced tomorrow,” I sighed, pushing it back at him. I slumped my head down in my head and felt someone rub my back.

“Are you ready to face them again?” Jenny asked softly, slipping into the chair beside me.

I shrugged and dropped my forehead to the table. Ralphie’s soulless blue eyes flashed behind my eyelids and I shuddered involuntarily. Colby wasn’t my issue, it was his not-so-little henchman. Going through that trial and testifying with his ice cold glare on me was possibly one of the hardest things I’d ever done in my life. The only thing that got me through was getting some justice for Toby, not just myself.

“We’ll all be there supporting you, girl. It’s going to be alright,” Jen promised, earning hums of approval from my parents. I knew they’d shield me from anything I couldn’t handle, but I only wished they could protect me from the nightmares too. After those three long weeks of being kidnapped, I didn’t think I’d ever be the same again.

“Just one more day,” I murmured to myself, “It’s almost over.”

The next morning, I woke up at six a.m. to get ready for court. I curled my hair so it fell in loose, inky ringlets down my back, and went with minimal makeup. My black pencil skirt fell to my knees, and came up to my waist, covering a majority of my pressed white blouse. I slipped my feet into black heels and assessed my appearance in the mirror. A scared, young girl trying to play grown-up looked back at me. Her emerald green eyes were terror stricken, frown lines creasing her otherwise flawless face. She drew in a shaky breath and let it back out, just as I did. It was hard to believe that that girl was me.

It was hard to believe that a mere twelve months before, I’d been strong and unshakable. Colby had broken me, just like he said he would. I could hardly sleep without waking up with animalistic screams draining my lungs of oxygen and hot tears pouring down my face. But I wouldn’t let him win, wouldn’t let him have the last laugh. He was going to be put away for a long, long time. At least, I hoped.

“Cass, come on! It’s time to go!” My mom called up to me.

I took a deep breath to try and keep myself from falling into a full-on panic attack and bounded down the stairs. The ride to the courthouse was a blur, full of deep breaths and fighting tears. Bare trees blurred past the car windows as we drove by, probably a little faster than we should’ve been. I didn’t care, I was ready to get the whole mess over with.

“Do you think you can do this one more time?” My dad asked as we stepped out of the car and made our way up the courthouse steps.

“I don’t have much of a choice, do I?”

He didn’t respond, only wrapped his arm around my shoulders and gave them a reassuring squeeze. My parents knew how hard this whole thing had been on me; they practically begged me not to testify at all when I had a mental breakdown the night before the trail began. But, if I didn’t testify, there wouldn’t have been a case.

We trailed into the full court room and took our seats at the front of the spectators. I could feel dozens of curious eyes on me as they brought Colby and Ralphie out with their attorneys. I tried to keep my face void of emotion, but when Ralphie looked over, I felt my armor crack. He winked and smirked as the judge came out, the bailiff calling for us all to rise. I sent up a silent prayer and waited with nervous anticipation while the judge rattled off the charges each of them was being accused of. They had been found guilty of all charges.

“Colby Hart, you are sentenced to sixty years in prison with no chance of parole,” The judge finally announced. Colby crumpled down into his chair and dropped his face into his hands, looking vulnerable and defeated. I almost felt sorry for him. Almost, but not quite.

“And as for you, Mr. Ramirez,” she continued, turning to Ralphie, “Since you were so kind as to plead guilty on your first degree murder charge, we’ll go easy on you. One-hundred years for the death of Toby Grey, and another hundred for the rape and torture of Cassandra Grey. No chance of parole.” She picked up her gavel and beat it against the wooden post. “Court is adjourned.”          

A choked sob of relief escaped my lips and I fell back into my seat. Someone embraced me while others murmured congratulatory statements. I cried into the shoulder of whoever held me, utterly relieved to have the whole thing over with. It was overwhelming, knowing that after such a long year, it was finally done. I’d gotten my justice, but more importantly, Toby had gotten his too. Now it was time for us all to move on with our lives, and leave the whole ordeal in the past.

My parents took Jenny and me out for ice cream when we left the courthouse. I found myself finally smiling and laughing with them all without having to fake any of it. It was like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders and I could finally breathe. Colby and Ralphie were going away for a long time, and I knew I’d never have to see either of them again.

“I’m going to go to the bathroom, I’ll be right back,” I told my parents and Jenny as I stood from my chair.

“Want me to come?” Jenny asked.

I shook my head and picked up my wristlet. “No, you stay here. I’ll only be a minute.”

I pushed into the women’s restroom and pulled my eyeliner out of my purse for a touch-up. I repaired the damage from my tears, and reapplied a coat of red lipstick. I might as well look as good as I felt, instead of like a hot mess. Just as I was about to head back out to my family, my phone pinged. I stopped and pulled it from my wristlet, scanning over the text displayed on the screen from an unknown number.

You may think it’s all over, but I’m not done with you yet. Colby’s not the only one out for blood, Cupcake.

Xoxo