Lost Time

50: The Footage

Adele's POV:

After Lia finished up, we walked to my house while Simon was waiting with the police around the block. I went to the extra room and put all the cameras in their positions, making sure that none of them were noticeable. I also locked all the other extra room doors so that Rich won't go into a different one.

After finishing up with the cameras, I walked out of the room, dusting my hands off, and heading towards Lia. She was sitting on the couch, staring into space. She was chewing her nails, and one leg was bouncing up and down at a rapid pace.

I sat down next to her, but she was still in this type of trance. I put my hand on her thigh, trying to stop it from moving, and it somehow worked. She looked at my hand and then slowly lifted her eyes, only to meet mine.

"It's gonna be okay," I said in a soft whisper. "It's all gonna be over soon," I said while my voice broke on the word "soon."

"I know, I'm just nervous," she said while fiddling with her fingers. I took her hand and held it in mine, intertwining our fingers. I kissed the back of her hand and brought her into a tight hug.

I quietly started crying, trying not to make a sound, because I didn't want Lia to notice, but unfortunately, she did.

"Mum? Why are you crying? Are you okay?" she asked with so much worry.

"I just can't believe you have to get hurt again, in order for it all to stop. We could've figured out another way, a safer way," I said with tears cascading down my cheeks. Lia quickly wiped them away and reminded me, "Mum, we need evidence, this is the only way. Don't worry, this time around it's not going to be as bad. Remember, I'm strong," and that caused me to smile. Knowing that she has the confidence to say that she is strong is amazing for me to hear as a mother.

"I know." There was a short moment of silence.

"I love you," Lia spoke up.

I gave her a tight-lipped smile and responded back with, "Now, forever and always," and I kissed the side of her head.

We heard a car approaching, and I could feel Lia tense up in my arms. "Okay, baby, it's time," I said, quickly getting up from the couch.

"I need to go now, but I love you so much, and remember, we can see what's happening on the cameras, so if anything goes wrong, trust that we will save you and that everything is going to be okay."

"I know, and I love you too, Mum."

And with that, I quickly exited the house from the back door, walking towards Simon's house without Rich seeing me. The police will arrive in about 5 minutes, and then all we can do is wait until we have enough evidence.

Lia's POV:

It feels like my heart is beating out of my chest. I feel numb, sick, and anxious. I can hear my own breathing in my ears. It's as if my body is slowly shutting down.

I can hear Rich's footsteps approaching the front door, and the closer he got, the bigger the thumping of his boots got. As I heard him enter the keys into the door, it was as if everything zoomed back in. He entered the house with a disgusting smirk on his face and put the groceries down on the table.

"Good Morning, Li," he said while taking his jacket off.

"Good morning, my a*s," I muttered snarkily under my breath.

"What did you just say?" he asked, hovering over me, making every nerve in my body tense.

"I said, 'Good Morning'," I quickly responded. "That's what I thought, you brat," he said, taking hold of my neck and sliding me off the couch. I quickly kicked him in his crotch and ran towards the room where Mum set up all the cameras. I hid behind the door and anxiously waited for him to enter the room.

"You can't hide from me, Lia. I'm your worst nightmare," he said while entering the room nonchalantly with his hands behind his back. 'What a way to start off the video,' I thought to myself. I thought now would be the perfect time for him to start confessing.

"Rich, why are you doing this to me? Why do you find pleasure in hurting me?" I asked with genuine tears forming in my eyes.

"I find it as a fun hobby, because you're a worthless little brat that deserves nothing in this world. You are a burden to Adele and your father. That's why I'm doing this to you. To punish you," he said with an evil laugh.

Those words were starting to sink in. Am I a burden to Mum and Dad? Am I worthless? Rich could tell that I was vulnerable, and he took this opportunity to step towards me. Just as he was about to lay his hands on me, I spoke out with confidence. "No."

"No?" he asked, confused. "I am not worthless, I am not a burden. You are the problem, Rich. You're the one abusing me, you're the one taking advantage of me. I'm not the disappointment, you are."

I could tell Rich's blood was boiling. Those words were all it took for him to start his abuse party. He punched me in the stomach, which caused me to fall to the floor in agony. He started kicking me nonstop all over my body, the pain feeling numbing of how much it hurt. He picked me up by my hair and threw me onto the bed.

"I'll show you how worthless you are," he said glaring into my puffy eyes. After a few minutes of him attempting to invade my body, he hit my head roughly against the bed's headboard, but then suddenly something fell off of the stand.

It was one of the cameras.

Sh*t.

Adele's POV:

The police, Simon, and I were sitting in Simon's living room, watching everything from the television. I was sobbing through the whole thing while Simon tightly embraced me in his arms. I can't believe Rich would do those things to her, I can't believe what a monster he is.

I was so proud of Lia when she stood up for herself and denied everything that Rich told her. It truly shows how strong she is.

When Rich said that he's going to show her how worthless she is, I jumped up from the couch, ready to run to that bloody house and beat the sh*t out of him, but Simon quickly stopped me and pulled me onto his lap, keeping a tight grip on me.

"It's gonna be okay, she's strong, Del. We'll give it a few more minutes," Simon said trying to calm me down.

"Don't we have enough evidence already?" I asked the police agitated.

"We have more than enough evidence-"

"Then what the hell are we waiting for!" I yelled at them while tears formed in my eyes. Simon quickly wiped them away and tried his best to calm me down.

"Miss Adkins, if we can get video footage of him even attempting to r*pe her, then he will stuck in prison for the rest of his life." One of the officers explained.

"I can't bare this anymore," I said hiding my face in Simon's neck. He holds my head, trying to keep me steady, rubbing his hand up and down my back.

"I don't want to see it happening Simon, I can't stand seeing her like this," I said while lifting my face and making eye contact with Simon. Mascara probably smudged all over my face. He takes his handkerchief out of his pocket and wipes my face clean, also allowing me to blow my nose into it.

"You don't need to Del, come here," and once again I bury my face into his neck, trying to block out everything.

Suddenly I hear Rich asking on the television "What is that!" with so much aggression. "Is that a camera?" He shouted at Lia.

My heart dropped when I heard those words escape his mouth. "F*ck! We need to go and save her right now!" Simon yelled at the police while lifting me off of his lap.

"It's also perfect timing, because we have enough footage of everything," one of the female officers said.

"Then what the f*ck are we waiting for? Let's go and save her!" I yelled at them.

We all start running out of the house and towards my baby girl. Hoping it's not too late.