Protect

Part 9: Reconnect

"What did you think of the verdict?" Emma has become a strong ally in the last two months. Days were chaotic with the new baby and Cory's drawn-out trial. She knew he had a lot of powerful friends, and they came in force to protect their mutual friend. She thought Cory would win for a moment, but when secrets started to surface, his allies started dropping like flies. Cory got a full week to tell his side of the story, and stupidly the judge let him go first. It only took three days of everyone else speaking for the jury to realize maybe something else was going on. Valeria got four days to speak, and Cory's lawyer took every opportunity to keep her silent. Yet, the judge seemed to have switched sides by the time it got to her. Valeria suspects the judge realized Cory wasn't going to win and didn't want to be dragged down with him. It was an intelligent decision. Cory tried his hardest to reevaluate his statements when they dragged him back to the stand, and he lied and cursed like a sailor, whining like a child who didn't get their way. Valeria realized then that the jury had already made up their mind but kept the trail going so more details could come to light.

"Cory got what he deserved," Valeria admits with a smile, feeling more relaxed now than she has in years. It has been three days since the jury made their verdict, and the judge sentenced him to thirty years without the opportunity of parole. She feels that with Cory behind bars, he will stay behind bars. That is who Cory is. He is a master manipulator, but eventually, his secrets surface, and prison is not the place to be discovered. "I feel like I can breathe now."

"How is motherhood?" Emma inquires while taking a sip of her latte. Once again, they chose to meet at the coffee shop down the street. It is their place now and has been since the first interview months before. They have met a few times since Cory was arrested, and it became a weekly tradition during the trial. Though Emma couldn't talk about the trial during it, she needed to dive into Valeria's life and get her readers on board. Perhaps it might help destroy Cory's online image. Everything unfolded strangely, but the end result was all that mattered.

"It has been...." Valeria looks down at the sleeping baby in her arms. There is overwhelming love for her child that never goes away, nor would she wish it to. Ray and Valeria named their son Dominic Ray McLeod. They had successfully kept the gender a surprise from even themselves with the help of Doctor Evenson. It was special to her and Ray, something Cory wasn't a part of. "Exhausting." Valeria laughs, and Emma giggles with understanding. "Dominic sleeps a lot, and he sleeps hard, but when he is awake...that boy has a set of lungs like an opera singer."

"Davie was the same." Emma chimes with a grin. "I wish I could say it gets easier, but it doesn't. There is always something to deal with. Davie is in the phase of potty training. This morning, he spent an hour running around his bedroom and peeing on the walls.... So, you have that to look forward to." Valeria shakes her head but laughs anyway. She would never trade a day of it, no matter how hard it is or will be. "It suits you...motherhood." Emma muses, and Valeria smiles while looking down at Dominic again. "And Ray has adapted well, though he had a little more practice than you."

"He is great at this," Valeria admits. "I mean, we are both learning, but like you said, he had a head start. However, Evie was a year old when Ray met her, so he is learning how to take care of an infant."

It is silent for a minute, and Valeria looks up to see Emma smiling at her. "Ray is a good one, though."

Valeria realizes she is smiling like an idiot, but she doesn't care. She had heard Ray at the hospital, and when she woke up, he told her that she could take as long as she needed to say how she felt. She knew she didn't need to take time. Her mind was made up at that point. Still, she kept silent, fearing that Cory's trail would be overturned, and he would again try to hurt her. The only way Cory could do that is to go after Ray, Evie, and maybe Dominic. When Cory was sent to prison, saying "I love you" to Ray was the first thing out of her mouth a minute later. She told him why she had waited so long, and he understood. He told her he was afraid she would leave him, so he tried to fight how he felt about her initially, but it only strengthened his feelings.