16

Michael

I was sitting in my chair, clenching the stress ball my attorney gave me. I was beyond pissed seeing David betray me without hesitating. There wasn't the slightest hint of remorse in his eyes.

"So, David," my attorney asked. "You told police that Michael raped Victoria several times. Is that correct?"

"Yes."

"David, did you ever see Michael raping Victoria?"

"No."

"Then what makes you so sure he was raping her?"

"I could hear Victoria screaming for Michael to stop, and I could hear her crying. Afterward, Michael would tell me to help her clean up, and Victoria would be handcuffed to the bed when I went to the bedroom. When I changed the sheets, there were several times I noticed blood on them."

"How do you know they weren't role-playing? Did it occur to you that maybe Victoria liked kink or BDSM? Maybe she and Michael had a safe word they would use, so Michael wouldn't stop whenever Victoria begged him to. Maybe Victoria enjoyed being left handcuffed to the bed afterward?"

I felt conflicted over that question; I was pissed that my attorney would develop such thoughts about my Victoria. Still, the idea of Victoria enjoying being left handcuffed to the bed was a huge turn-on.

Stop it! You're in a serious situation.

"Knowing Michael, that possibility did cross my mind. However, I highly doubt Victoria would be sobbing afterward if she enjoyed being treated that way."

This asshole.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to ask Victoria. Moving on, you also told police you witnessed Michael drugging Victoria."

"That is true."

"When exactly did Michael drug her?"

"After Victoria's face was fractured from being hit by Michael, I noticed a new prescription bottle without a prescription label in the cabinet. Based on the description, I looked up the medication and saw what type of drug it was. After that, I paid close attention to Michael; I saw him give her the drug with her pain medication. Once she no longer needed pain medication, I saw him put the drug in her food."

"What happened after that?"

David let out a sigh.

"The screaming stopped. I didn't hear Victoria begging Michael to stop, and blood was no longer on the bedsheets."

"What makes you so sure Michael hit Victoria?"

David turned and looked me in the eyes.

"I have security footage as proof."

My eyes grew wide. How could I not know that David had security cameras? Why did he have security cameras?

"Is that so?"

"Yes. I gave the security footage to the police; I'm sure the prosecutor would love to show the footage to the jury."

"YOU FUCKING TRAITOR!" I stood up and slammed my hands on the table.

"Order in the court!" The judge yelled as he slammed his gavel.

I took a deep breath and sat back down.

"No further questions, your honor," my attorney said before returning to his seat, giving me a deathly glare.

"What did I tell you?" He asked through gritted teeth.

"Shut up."

After the prosecutor asked David several questions, I had to sit and listen to several doctors from the Emergency Room who accused me of abusing Victoria.

"Dr. Taylor," the prosecutor asked." What area do you specialize in?"

"Domestic violence. I am trained to recognize the signs and provide resources to the victims."

"Do you ever perform rape kits?"

"Yes."

"How many?"

"Unfortunately, I have performed countless."

"What do you typically notice when performing a rape kit?"

"Tares in the vaginal walls, vaginal bruising, trauma to the cervix, and heavy bleeding."

"Did you perform a rape kit on Victoria?

"Yes."

"Did Victoria show any of those injuries?"

"Yes."

"Which ones?"

"All of them. I also observed swelling on her face that was noticeably covered by makeup."

"Objection!" My attorney said.

"Sustained. The jury will disregard that final comment."

"Thank you, your honor."

"No further questions," the prosecutor said as he stepped away.

My attorney stepped forward.

"Dr. Taylor, you said you specialize in domestic violence. How many cases do you come across per day?"

"At least a dozen."

"Are you called whenever someone suspects a patient is being abused?"

"Yes."

"In that case, is it possible that you assume your patients are victims of domestic violence and simply look for evidence?"

I smirked. I liked where this was going.

"Objection!" The prosecutor said. "Your honor, where is this going?"

"Overruled."

"But your hono-"

"I said, overruled. The witness will answer the question."

"Yes, your honor," the prosecutor backed off.

"Yes. I may make assumptions based off of my colleagues' opinions."

"Did you ever ask Victoria if she was being abused?"

"Yes."

"What was her answer."

"No."

"No further questions, your honor."

"Let's take a recess. The court will continue in one hour."

I slumped in my chair, trying to process everything that was happening.

"Don't worry, I've got this taken care of," my attorney reassured me.

"How? All these people have accused me and provided evidence."

"Keyword: accuse. That's all they are, accusations. Let everyone have their fun. I've already made their statements seem unreliable; once I give my closing statement, the jury will vote in your favor."

"They better. I'd like to get back to my girlfriend and my son."

Victoria

I sat outside the courthouse with Antonio on my lap, bracing myself for what I was about to do. I never thought I could stand up to Michael, yet here I was. Honestly, I was scared; so much could go wrong.

Michael and I were shopping around for new clothes for me at the mall, and I noticed a security guard by the food court. This was my opportunity to escape the abuse.

"I have to use the restroom," I shakily said.

"Hurry up. You have five minutes."

I ran towards the women's restroom. Thankfully, there was a crowd I could slip into. I made my way through the crowd and towards the security guard.

"Excuse me," I urgently said, catching his attention. "I need he-"

"There you are!" I felt Michael's arms wrap around me, crushing my hopes of escaping him. "I was so worried about you! This mall is so big, I thought I lost you."

"Well, you found me now," I said with a fake smile."

Michael turned toward the security guard and said, "thank you."

Michael grabbed my hand firmly and guided me to an empty corridor; I was slammed against the wall with a knife at my throat.

"Don't you EVER do anything like that again. If you so much as look at a cop, I will cut your tongue out. Do you understand me?"

With tears in my eyes, I nodded my head. There was no escaping Michael.

I took a deep breath and held Antonio closer to me. This was my chance to escape.

"Alright, Antonio," I said. "Mommy's doing this for us."

I stood up and walked into the courthouse.