KEEP DRIVING - H.S

Chapter 67

March 24 2023, Tokyo

"YOU'LL GIVE YOUR DEPOSITION ON JULY SIXTH," Cassie explained. She'd been a central part of Alliah's legal team for years now. "And from there, we'll see where it goes. The judge might dismiss the case or with luck, we'll go to trial and get you the justice you deserve."

Alliah bit the inside of her cheek. She'd been on call with Cassie for the last hour, revising all of the legal parts of this case. "The deposition isn't until July? Is it the soonest it can be?"

Cassie sighed as she nodded. "I'm afraid so. These kinds of cases take a really long time. We've pulled all the strings we can, but there's a limit to how much power we have."

Alliah pondered over this for a second, fiddling with the string of her sweatpants.

"Cassie... being completely honest- harsh truths and everything- do you think I can win this case."

Cassie's gaze softened as her professional mask faded away. "Honestly? We've got the test results, Alex has other previous cases that although he won, can be used against him, and his reputation isn't clean at all, not to mention you have a huge fanbase on your side and there are eyes on this case, which means a lot of external pressure. That's all the things we have in our favor..." Cassie took a deep breath. "But our eyewitnesses were all inebriated, we can't prove Alex was the one who drugged your drink, and most cases of sexual assault, the woman doesn't win."

Alliah sniffled, wiping the tears away from her cheeks. "So is it hopeless?"

She needed this. She needed to prove Alex did it. He'd gotten away with it twice before, and Alliah needed to make sure he didn't do it again.

That feeling of being drugged, having zero control over her body and being forced to kiss him... that was powerless.

That was unwilling vulnerability.

Alliah needed to be in control, she needed to regain her power. Some asshole had taken it from her all because he was a sick man who got off on hurting women, and Alliah wouldn't let herself be stripped of her power.

Was this really what other women felt when they spoke up?

Alliah'd always campaigned for women to be protected and supported through sexual assault cases, but if she felt so weak with millions of people on her side, how did these women feel?

How did they make it through and how did they survive?

"I won't say it's hopeless," Cassie said, pursing her lips, "We've got a fighting chance, and if we try hard enough, we can win. But this isn't like in the books, Alliah. The good guys don't always win and not everyone gets their happily ever after. We may be the exception, but maybe not. You need to keep fighting but be prepared for the worst."

Expect the worst, hope for the best. That was lesson Alliah had learned along the way.

Never give up until it's over, because when you're at rock bottom, the only place to go is up. So you climb until your feet are numb and your hands are bleeding.

"I need to win this, Cassie," Alliah explained, voice shaking with all the emotion coursing through her. "You'll help me win it?"