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Chapter Twenty-Eight

The past few days went by smoothly. I mostly talked to Ella, not really talking to my dad. Ella and I were becoming close...

It was almost as if she was a mother figure to me. Her aroma comforted me when she was around, I could sense the non-judgmental vibes from her as she would ask me questions and listen to my answers, never interrupting me.

She stayed one night with me but then she had to leave the next day. We cleaned together, only finishing the bedroom and kitchen. She bought me a bunch of house supplies and necessities, such as a tooth bush and deodorant.

She bought me a phone, showing me how to connect it to the security cameras and setting herself as the emergency contact. I promised to pay her back which resulted in her telling me she would never allow it.

I finally got used to my cast, it was weird having a heavy weight on my arm preventing me from doing little things such as writing.

"Jayden?"

"Oh- Sorry." I said, shaking my head as I directed my attention back to Rosaline, "Yes?"

"You will be testifying in court against him tomorrow. I spoke with the nurse from the hospital. She gave me the pictures."

She slid a large orange envelope across the cold metal table towards me.

I nodded.

"These will go to my lawyer?"

She nodded.

"Is there anything else I need to know?" I questioned as I nervously played with my cast under the table.

"No, I believe we have covered everything. Lorenzo won't win this, he has way too much evidence stacked up against him. We found his house up north. Try to remain calm in court tomorrow." she advised.

I nodded.

"Am I free to go?" I asked.

"Yes. See you tomorrow." She answered, scooting her chair back and standing up.

I stood up as well, grabbing the envelope off the table.

"See you tomorrow." I agreed, heading out the door as she opened it for me.

I quickly made my way through the slim carpeted hallway towards ella in the waiting room.

She looked up from her phone and stood up, following me out the door as I held it open for her.

I sighed, breathing in the fresh crispy air. Morning dew filled the air.

"Are you okay?" She asked me as we got into her car.

I nodded.

"There's a surprise for you at your house..." She said, her lips slightly twitching as she attempted to hold back her smile.

"You have already done so much for me, I feel awful Ella."

She shook her head.

"I am treating you as I would my own child. You deserve to be treated as so. I know you probably feel like you're in pieces right now... I'm just grateful that you are letting me help you find them again.

I nodded, knowing that things would be okay.

I may never look at my father as my dad, but he was willing to help and try to fix things so I would let him.

We pulled into the driveway, my father's car parked in view.

She parked behind him and got out of the, motioning me to follow her inside. I quickly followed her. She opened the door grinning at me as she waited for me to step inside. Beside my father was a large black german shepard with a red bow tied around its neck.

My heart melted as the dog was sitting, his tongue flopping out of the side of his mouth.

"Oh my goshhhh." I gasped, my heart melting.

I called for the dog, holding my hand out to it. It quickly made its way towards me, laying its head on my hand.

"There is a bag of dog food in the pantry. He's a great dog, I made sure of it." My dad said softly.

"Thank you." I said gratefully as I massaged his neck underneath his red collar. I removed the bow that was tied in to the top of it.

"We are going to head out, we have a meeting at the school for our son we have to get to dear. Check your bedroom." She said, winking at me as she grabbed my fathers arm and pulled him towards the door waving at me as she closed it behind her.

I stared at the dog.

"Bear?" I questioned.

He had no reaction as he stared at me blankly.

"Zeus?"

He cocked his head at me.

"Zues it is!" I announced as I massaged his ears and kissed him on the forehead.

I straightened up and headed towards the bedroom. On my bed there was a box. I made my way closer seeing that it was a laptop.

This is crazy. A laptop??

There was a note on top.

Jayden,

This laptop is of no use to me now since I updated to a newer one! I figured you could use it for the security system as well.

-Love, Ella.

My eyes watered. I could tell Ella felt awful when she seen all my bruises and scars.

I didn't know how to react, everything was still a shock. My dad brought me groceries yesterday, filling the fridge and pantry with all kinds of food. It was hard for me find my appetite due to my anxiety and stress.

Every morning that I have woke up I have expected to be in Lorenzo's bedroom, tied up. I have had a few nightmares of him coming back for me. I would wake up in a cold sweat and turn on all the lights along with making sure the doors and windows were locked. I wouldn't be able to sleep, even though he is being held in custody right now.

Zuess would definitely be a comfort.

I made my way towards the pantry, entering and opening the dog food with a pair of scissors. Zuess followed me, wagging his tail as he did so.

I placed two of my bowls beside the kitchen island, filling one with water and the other with the hard dog food.

He instantly began scarfing the food down.

"Good boy." I cooed.

I headed towards the living room, and pulled sheets off of the furniture as I started on cleaning the Livingroom.

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•Word count: 1055