One String Attached

85.

.Riley.

Court wasn't getting any easier or any less stressful. In fact, it was getting more and more chaotic as the days went by.

Accusations were being thrown back and forth between Bryson and I. I knew I was telling the total truth and I had the right people to back me up on that. I would never lie to a court judge, let alone even think of it.
Bryson, on the other hand, had all sorts of things flying out of his mouth and it was clear the head judge wasn't sure on what he should believe and what he shouldn't.

I listen to the ex who's barely even my ex go on, accusing me of never wanting to have Aaliyah in the first place and it only leads to me growing angrier each minute.
What he was saying didn't add up. I understood what he was saying but it had no base to it - there was nothing to fully accuse me of.

"Just because I didn't want her in the first place doesn't mean I didn't have her or that I didn't bring my daughter up to the best of my ability," I fire back when I'm given the chance to.
"I might not have been the one who wanted to give birth to Aaliyah in the first place but at least when I did, I was there throughout every moment of her life and I'm still continuing to be there for her to this day as the mother I've grown to be. Unlike her father who never even knew the girl's name until earlier last year, when this whole thing came about."

Nathan nods to back me up and I breathe out a sigh of relief, shooting Bryson the strongest and dirtiest glare I could muster. He wasn't winning this. Not even for a second.

"Would you care to explain the incident where you ran off with the kids whilst pregnant, Mrs. Davis?" the judge asks, looking at me sceptically.
My eyes widen, my face contorting into a look of confusion because that never happened. I never ran away with the kids. I never would have even tried to.

I pause, not saying anything as I try to recall what on earth was being spoken about but when I go silent, the judge looks towards Bryson and his lawyer, motioning for one of them to talk.
Bryson smugly steps towards the microphone with a smirk on his face.

"I believe there was a family argument. A feud of some sort between Mr. and Mrs. Davis. It was mentally draining the kids."
I turn my head around to look at James and he looked just as tense and as furious as I did.

I shake my head, suddenly able to remember what Bryson must have been talking about.

"I never ran away with any of my kids. James was out with his sister. I was dealing with the stress of Mr. Peters suddenly wanting to be a part of his daughter's life. I told them to put their coat and shoes on to put an end to their misery. Asher was only four and he needed some attention. Aaliyah was bored of staying home.
"The only feud there was between James and I was due to a lack of communication regarding Mr. Peters. Even so, the only way Mr. Peters would have known this would be if he had been stalking us which he has done multiple times repeatedly."

Nathan nods, encouraging me to continue but I stop talking after looking the judge in the eye. He looks to James, as if for confirmation.
"Mr. Davis, can you confirm this to be true?" he asks.

James looks at me and then stands up, linking his hand together with mine out of sight from the jury.
"It's true," he claims. "And Mr. Peters attempted an act of kidnap three times on each one of our kids," he adds, noticing that I couldn't bring myself to say it. "Including our third child, Autumn, who was only a week old at the time."

I watch as Bryson's lawyer's weight shifts from one foot to the other. He was feeling out of place. He wasn't prepared for this kind of a battle but I've been preparing for this for years, since the day Aaliyah was born. I'm not going down without a fight.

"Mr. Peters," the judge calls out, looking towards Bryson to gain his attention.
He lifts his head up but not by much and just from the look on his face, you could see he was losing confidence.

He didn't care about Aaliyah. If she was to be left in his hands, he wouldn't know what to do. All he would gain from winning this is the thrill of beating me.
That's what this is about. To him, this isn't about my baby girl. This is about beating me.
Little does he know I defeated him a long time ago.

"Do you deny the act of kidnap?" the judge asks, looking Bryson deep in the eyes.
Bryson tries to look away but he continuously glances up, exchanging looks with each and every one of us.

Nathan stays silent, observing the entire thing. He would step in when he feels the need to but right now, I had this. I was owning it. I was in control.

"Yes or no, Mr. Peters?"
It goes silent for a moment and all that can be heard is my heartbeats deep inside my chest until it's no longer as silent for much longer.

"No," he mumbles. He was agreeing to the kidnap.

The lawyer shakes his head, cutting him off and stepping forwards. "But it wasn't a kidnap. He was merely just going to see his child and his other step-kids. They're family."

"Yes," Nathan cuts in, rolling his eyes. "Because stealing a newborn premature baby from a hospital a week after a mother has given birth while the young girl was having some complications is definitely a hundred per cent reasonable."
The sarcasm in his voice was harsh but I loved it and I think most of us in the room had to cover up the smirk being drawn across all of our faces.

"He never went through with the third child. It was an attempt. A failed attempt."
"But still an attempt," Nathan cuts in, glaring at the other guy with furrowed brows and a bitter tongue.

The other lawyer shakes himself out, slamming his hands down on the podium in defiance.
"He only took away the first child, Aaliyah. His daughter. That doesn't class as a kidnap."

"Parental kidnapping is a Class 4 Felony offense in Illinois. A conviction for parental kidnapping can result in a prison sentence of no less than one year and no more than three years. Aggravating factors can result in an extension of the prison term to six years," Nathan fires back.
"And like you said, he attempted twice and carried it out once."

The judge nods, clearly agreeing with Nathan as the others in the room along the judging panel write down a couple of notes.

However, before it could get any more heated than it already was, the judge speaks into the microphone, his voice falling upon the room.
"Let's take five. We'll meet back here afterwards. Thank you."

I sigh, taking a seat down on the pew beside James.
He was silent but he didn't need to say anything because we were both thinking and feeling the same way at the moment. He moves his hand to my thigh, rubbing it subtly and I place my hand on top of his, resting my head on his shoulder.

"I need some air," I whisper to him, stroking my thumb over the top of his knuckles.

He nods his head but I notice him looking towards Whitney as well. She gives him a playful smirk which I catch onto, then I look back to James who seemed nothing more than stressed out.

I shake my head, not wanting to know the full details just yet. There was only so much I could handle.
"I think we both need some air. Come on," I tell him, standing up on my feet and tugging at his hand to lead him away with me.

Whitney was still smirking but I had no idea why.
Before I could question it, James wraps his arm around my waist holding me closely against him as he begins to fast-walk, leading us out of there.

If I knew my husband, I knew there was something he wasn't telling me.
I just wish I knew what was going on.