Chapter Fifty-Four

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"Objection, your honour!" John cried, standing up and banging his hands against the desk in front of him. Demi looked up at him pleadingly.

"On what grounds?" The judge asked.

"Mike Bayer is irrelevant to the case as he has never met Miss Hart-Cooper," he argued, eyes blazing.

"On the contrary," the DA interrupted. "Mr Bayer is an expert in the field of mental health, especially the kind associated with Demetria. He has agreed to fly over from American to be a witness for this case."

Demi felt her heart drop. Surely he couldn't have. Mike would never go against her like this. They were business partners. Friends! He had gotten her through rehab.

"Mr Bayer's knowledge of my clients mental health is private! This is unacceptable!" John raged, glaring at the DA.

"Order!" The judge cried angrily. A tense hush fell over the room. "The witness may come to the stand."

Demi listened as they went through the same legal process again. Her eyes were fixed on Mike. Surprisingly, he met her gaze. His own eyes were strong, confident, and even kind. Demi felt sick. How could he look at her when he was about to betray her. He had sworn in a court of law to tell the truth, any of her secrets could come out!

"Mike, you knew Demetria while she was in the CAST Rehabilitation Center, correct?" The DA asked. Mike confirmed. "And you were running it at the time, meaning that you worked very closely with the staff on the Lovato case?" Again, Mike agreed.

The DA stood up from behind his desk, holding two pieces of paper in his hands. Demi strained her kneck to see them, but could only catch a glimpse of the blank backs. The DA stopped in front of the witness, looking smug.

"Can you confirm that this is a photograph of Demetria, with evidence of self harm on her wrist?" He held up the first piece of paper. Demi audibly choked. The photo was old, from her Camp Rock date, and showed visible, angry cuts on her wrists. It had been thrown first time she had ever been caught self harming. The sight made her sick - especially knowing that Madison was in the audience.

"Yes," Mike answered uncomfortably, his eyes dropping to the floor in guilt.

"Would you say that the self harming shown the Demetria mirror the ones shown by the victim in this picture taken by her doctors during her time in the hospital?" The DA lifted the second photo. Kesha's face wasn't in it as it was just of her arms, but it was still horrifying. The cuts were new and harsh to look at. Demi turned away.

Kesha's parents shot Demi satisfied smiles. They clearly knew the direction this was going in. They knew how awful Demi was feeling. And they were enjoying it.

"No," Mike answered calmly, tilting his head up high.

"What?" The DA snapped, losing composure for moment.

"I said, no." Mike repeated, his voice measured.

"But you would agree, Mr Bayer, that both girls cut their wrists in very similar ways?" The DA pushed, his eyes dangerous.

"No," Mike said simply, giving a tiny shrug. "I would not." Demi's face split into a huge grin. That was the Mike she knew! The Mike who had her back!

"Would you care to elaborate on that?" The DA growled. Mike shrugged again, seeing the activation it caused.

"The cuts are not the same because Miss Lovato's cuts are on her wrist, along what many people call the 'bracelet lines'. Whereas Miss Hart-Cooper's cuts are on her inner forearm. This results in two very different sets of cuts. The depth, length and width of the cuts also differ. While Miss Lovato's are skinny, short and shallow, Miss Hart-Cooper's are thick, longer and deeper. This indicates different intensions for cutting. The age of the cuts are also clearly different, evident from their colour," Mike finished.

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