Truth In Words ✓[Secrets Book 3]

[Chapter Thirty-One] Addie

                         Inner peace begins
                              the moment you choose
                     not to allow another person or event
                                   to control your emotions.

Chapter Thirty-One – Addie

I felt nothing anymore going into court and after Lucy went up I felt more confident that I would win, my parents were worrying and the next step I knew would be to let whatever happens to him happen and then pretend they knew nothing so when it came to me testifying against them they would try to get off.

They cared about no one but themselves; they took him on as a client to get back at me and irritate me, which was stupid on their part because they really weren’t great at what they did, at least not on this case.

Nathan was composed; when he stood he commanded the attention of everyone. His body language screamed that he was controlled and in control. The way he talked, he sound educated and he didn’t fumble on words, he was cool and knew exactly what to do, maybe if I had him for a father I wouldn’t mind being a lawyer like my parents wanted.

The next day would be more difficult, Lucas and Jason would be called up tomorrow and I don’t know if they were going to throw Than under the bus to save themselves or if they were going to be real friends to him and keep trying to protect him.

They were all in it together, Than isn’t the only one who cut me.

Something just hit me and I called Nathan, hopefully I was right.

That night I still didn’t say much, I didn’t know what to say and I’m sure they were all thinking the worst but in reality I’m just tired of talking about it. I had to tell everyone what happened so many times that I just didn’t want to talk about it anymore and I knew I would have to talk about it in therapy as well.

Liam kept an eye on me and when we curled up at night he didn’t press me to talk at all, he was so good with this it amazed me but It shouldn’t.

Liam was the best boyfriend I could ever ask for and he spent two months with me all the time, no talking, it shouldn’t surprise me that he could sit in silence with me for a few hours anymore.

“Are you okay?” he asked me and I nodded

“Yeah, I just don’t feel like talking. I promise I’m okay.” Or as okay as I can be, this whole things was taking a toll on not just me but my family.

But as things went on it did get easier, the first day was the hardest since I was first on the stand and I had to go through it all, it made me so sick.

I won’t lie to anyone or myself and say that they don’t have a pull on me still because they do and I don’t know when that’s going to go away, years of abuse made it pretty much programmed into my brain. I knew that I didn’t love them, I knew I wasn’t going back, I knew that I can’t let them control me but just because I knew these things didn’t mean that I could live like that, not yet.

“I love you.” I smiled, that was what I needed, someone like him to tell me he loved me for no reason and mean it, not like Than who would only say it after he hurt me or to get something from me, Liam was a real man.

Lalan and Ethan were real parents.

Asher and Kalila were real family.

I can’t believe my whole family is here for support, they give me my space but they’re here and it all means the world to me, I feed off their strength and optimism, it’s what gets me through the day.