Battered

Chapter 21

"...Guilty"

As soon as she hears this, Cheryl starts crying tears of relief and I pull her close to me. I wrap my arms around her and she buries her face in the crook of my neck.

Looking over her shoulder, I catch Nicola's eye and we share a smile; both pleased with the trial's outcome.

"Ashley Cole" the judge booms in a very official voice, "You have been found guilty on two counts of assault and actual bodily harm. You subjected your wife to years of domestic violence and emotional abuse; showing no remorse for your actions. For these crimes, I hereby sentence you to an eighteen month custodial stay and a permanent restraining order upon your release. Bailiff, take him away."

The judge bangs his gavel and the bailiff takes hold of Ashley's arm, ready to lead him to the cells. There is a look of utter disbelief on Ashley's face and it makes me feel good that justice has been done. He finally got what he deserves.

Cheryl looks up as Ashley is taken from the room and I notice a small smile creeping onto her face; the realisation that she can move on with her life now.

He can't hurt her anymore.

*****************************

After leaving the courthouse this afternoon, Nicola phoned Sarah and Nadine to inform them of the verdict and Sarah, ever the party girl, had insisted that the four of us take Cheryl for a night out on the town to celebrate.

The beep of a car horn tells me that the taxi is here and I go over to the foot of the stairs, calling for Cheryl to hurry up.

Walking over to the hallway mirror, I check my reflection and applying a final coat of lip gloss while I wait for Cheryl. A door closes upstairs and I hear her footsteps coming closer. Putting my lip gloss back into my bag, I glance in the direction of the stairs and see Cheryl walking down them, looking absolutely stunning in a short black dress and matching heels. She is wearing her hair down, dark brown tresses falling gracefully around her shoulders.

She notices me staring and smiles, "Do I look alright?" she asks shyly

Finding myself lost for words and my throat inexplicably dry, all I can do is nod, although probably a little too enthusiastically.

She gives me this unreadable look and then laughs, slipping her hand in mine and heading towards the door, pulling me after her.

We arrive at the club and after eventually finding somewhere to sit, Cheryl saves the table while I go to the bar, ordering vodka and lemonades for the both of us. While standing at the bar waiting for our drinks, I spot Nicola hovering by the door and call her name, hoping that she'll hear me above the loud music.

Her head turns in my direction as her eyes scan the sea of faces. Lifting my arm above my head, I give a quick wave and it's then that she sees me.

Nicola pushes her way through the crowd and comes over to join me at the bar, giving me a kiss on the cheek when she reaches me, "Hey Kimba"

"Hi" I smile, "What do you want to drink?"

"Get me whatever you're having babe; I'm just popping to the loo"

"Ok, we're sitting over there" I point in the direction of our table and with a quick nod, Nicola scurries off to the toilets.

I order Nicola's drink and make my way back to the table, where Cheryl is watching the people on the dance floor and singing along to the music.

"Here you go" I pass her her drink and watch as she takes a long sip, her lip gloss leaving behind a pink mark on the rim of the glass

"Thank you" she smiles, putting her drink down on the table