Path to Deciduous (Sequel to Road to Evergreen) | #Wattys2018

t h i r t y - s i x

Songs for this chapter:

Recovery- James Arthur
All I Ask- Adele
Gravity-  John Mayer
***

Adam's P.O.V

What is she saying?

Her eyes are locked with Lucian as she spits out what follows. "That's when my nightmares started. Always the same person. Always in the same park."

She looks away. I keep looking.

I. Cant. Look. Away.

I shove my hands in my linen trousers, resisting the urge to crack Lucian's head open.

Fuck.

"Do you identify Mr. Lucian Reindl as the person in the park, under your house, and in your dreams?" Jenkins keeps pushing.

Enough.

He's torturing her. A tear streams down her cheeks and she wipes it away immediately. My heart flutters out my chest when I notice the ring on her index. She didn't take it off. She can forgive me. She will forgive. She has to.

"Yes," she answers coldly and Lucian leans back in his chair as his leg shakes abruptly. My ear triggers the sound of his designer shoes clicking on the tiled floor.

"After the incident, did you ever come across him again?"

"Yes. The first time, I was outside a bar and I saw him walking toward his brother and I. Adam noticed me shaking so he went to talk to him while I ran away."

"Did he ever threaten you?"

"He did. Once by himself and twice by someone else."

When did that happen? Jenkins needs to stop before I end Lucian right now.

"And who was that someone else?"

I follow her gaze as it lands on Megan's. She inhales. "Jeremy Scott."

"Your honor, at this time we will be showing approximately four minutes from the ten minutes deposition of the encounter between Ms. Lesley Parker and Mr. Jeremy Scott at Jackie's to Go, where Ms. Parker previously worked." The screen on the left is then sledded on the right for the jury to witness.

"Your honor, may you instruct the Jury with the procedures?"

She leans forward. "The attorneys were required to edit the video for the trial — which is why the clips will start, stop, and jump from one point to the next. This is why the jury aren't seeing the whole video so you won't be suspicious of the attorneys if there are jumps in the video, which are often necessary to edit out objections."

"Thank you, your honor." He turns to Lesley.

Someone presses play and I lean forward as I take it in. The footage is black and white and I can see Lesley behind the counter and Jeremy with a smug plastered across his face. Subtitles are added.

"Leave my hand," she orders. He's holding it tight way too tight, and my eyes go wide. I turn to Jeremy and I want to kill him.

He shakes his head as he laughs, "Lesley, Lesley, Lesley.. Poor Lesley. Lost her boyfriend, her best friend and sooner than later, herself."

What the hell did he just say to her?

"Why are you doing this?" She's shaking.

"As I said before, the pleasure of it," he smiles.

That fucking smile. If only I can punch him. Felicity, Jenkins associate, instructs me to stay put.

"You're sick." She spits out.