The Sanctuary✔️

33

Stepping into the courthouse, Ashley had everyone she needed behind her as she pulled her shoulders back and took a deep breath before continuing to walk like she owned the building. Prior to Summer talking to her before all of them went inside, she felt okay about today. Now she felt even better about it.

There obviously was that fear of just being here, that fear of seeing John, that fear overall. It was very much there for many people.

But as Summer said, "This is your time to start locking that dick away Ashley. Own it. Don't let him take this away from you. You deserve it."

Ashley walked through the halls with Gina who led the group down to the courtroom that currently held a group of people ready to start this first court date with her and John.

With the doors opening and the group from The Sanctuary walking in, everyone walked to the open seats, besides gabriel and Gina who took seats upfront in front of the judge and across from John and his current attorney

It was about the insurance and not Ashleys case, this was all directly for gabriels business.

"All rise."

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Turns out, it was a very long,very long case just for the one day the insurance agency's Gbariel had lined up. There were at least three attorneys there for his insurance companies and two more for health care and insurance for the injuries caused that night as well. Overall, it was a very long day and everyone was getting tired and hungry.

The entire time Ashley sat near the back with her co-workers, Ashley felt like John's eyes stared into her soul. She couldn't help but feel like she was on fire, burning up the entire time.

Attempting to ignore the feeling of eyes putting holes into her, Ashley watched the floor half of the time they were all sitting there. She was getting anxious by the time everyone was down talking and showing pictures. Not to mention the half hour long speech made by John's attorney didn't really help his case in any ways whatsoever.

John in fact, was sitting up front slouched in a chair. A nice suit and hair gel couldn't fix the fact the eye bags and red cheeks. His eyes were bloodshot and he looked rather pale. He looked like a mess, externally and internally.

And he had looked back at Ashley in the seats behind him on Gabriels side, looking at his ex-girlfriend as she bounced her knee and sat by her friends. He specifically noticed the jacket on her shoulders and the hickeys peeking out underneath her shirt collar.

His blood boiled when he saw her holding her boss's hand, wearing his jacket, and now closely looking at her skin for anything else, those hickeys. John was jealous of Gabriel. And he never thought that he would really have to think of someone else having Ashley all to themselves.

Somewhere in time, she was all he had. Ashley was his light and flower, he had cared for her. And although that love dulled heavily, he felt bad about himself when he saw how well she looked.

John mainly watched the desk or his attorney, but every so often he would look back at Ashley, hoping that he could see her look at him too. He wanted to see her badly, he wanted to see that fear in her eyes from him, but he just wanted to see her. In any way he could, he really wanted to see her again.

Before John or Ashley knew it the judge was speaking and interrupting their off the train thoughts.

"For destruction of the property of Gabriel Ash, 3 years in the Sinica county jail, no bail. For the harming of Summer Adams, six months in the Sinica county jail, no bail. For the threatening of harm towards Jack Harpmton, Bill Cosmire, and Ashley Nicoles, six months in the Sinica Jail, no bail."