Delicate Hearts | Completed

38 || Unfair

make sure you vote and comment. 

disclaimer: depictions of sexual assault. 

another disclaimer: my knowledge of trials and judges comes from the amber heard case. as well as kdramas like vincenzo, big mouse or big mouth, and extraordinary attorney woo young woo. 

i also did research on how evidence works and stuff. I'm not a pre-law student. I'm suffering in STEM. cut my some slack besties. if you're a law student and this chapter gets on ur nerves... my bad <3

Madison

By the time we got to the courtroom, my nails were chewed to the point where I was bleeding. Angel tried to hold my hand on our way inside, but I just snatched it away. I felt bad, but I couldn't help it. I didn't want anyone touching me. "You're gonna be okay," He told me before we took our seats. Maybe I will be okay. But that doesn't matter right now.

I sit next to my mom.

An excruciating amount of time later, the judge arrives, and we all stand up. It's a stupid tradition. I felt like my knees were going to give in any minute now. My therapist reassured me that my meds should last me through the trial and that I'll be able to remain stable. But that didn't help.

Because Rivera was sitting at the defendant's table with Clara, he was in the same room as me. I tried my best to focus on my breath and ignore everything else. For the most part, I stayed in my head. My lawyer spoke on my behalf of me. She showed the judge the evidence and stuff. Clara remained quiet for the most part. I guess she didn't have any evidence. Next, Angel was called to the witness stand to testify.

I started paying attention. After he swore in, my lawyer began to ask him questions. "What did you see when you found Ms. Snow that day? Did it look like he was attacking her, or she was attacking him?"

"He was attacking her."

"What do you mean by attack, in this context?"

Angel glances at me. "He was sexually assaulting her." I notice his jaws clench as he continues to speak. "Her clothes were all over the place, and she was crying."

"What did Mr. Rivera say when you entered the room?"

"He told me I'm not supposed to be here. Because he was doing something he wasn't supposed to do." I could feel the anger roll off Angel's tongue in hot waves. Our lawyer asked him a couple more questions before concluding and returning to the table. Now, Clara gets up and approaches Angel.

There's a long silence as she thinks about what to say. She turns to me for a split second. Her expression is strange. A mix of hatred and guilt, maybe. I'm not sure. But only for a split second. Her expression hardens, and she turns back to Angel.

"You said you found Ms. Snow naked on the floor?"

A disgusting feeling crept through me as she asked that question. "Yes."

"And she was crying?"

"Yes."

"Was there anything you noticed about my client's expression?"

"Not really."

"So you didn't notice Mr. Rivera at all?"

"No."

"So you had no way of telling if he was in fear too? If she was the one who tried to seduce him first, and when he rejected her, she started crying?" My blood started to run cold. Harley was right. She will try to turn this entire thing against me.

"What the fuck?" Angel spits out. "Why would someone who was trying to seduce him first have scratched him to get away from him?"

The judge starts to speak. "Do not use profanity in court. You may continue."