restless_heart_syndrome_

Chapter 135

*1st July 2007* Tre: Today was the day of the court hearing. Sara and I had to testify against her husband who abused her for weeks. Sara had confirmed to me that he was never violent towards Louis... We wanted to apply for custody of Louis. We both wanted Patrick to never be able to see Louis again. Our lawyer assured us that he would be imprisoned for several years. We had managed to persuade the neighbors to testify against him. Sara also wanted a divorce and the immediate cancellation. Our lawyer had explained to us that in the event of physical violence, a divorce is immediately through. But there was a problem. Patrick had also reported me. If I'm lucky, the judge will understand that I only wanted to protect Sara and my son. If not, the punishment could be higher. But I don't have to go to jail as this was my first mistake. The trial started, and Sara was very nervous. She shivered when she had to go forward. I wish I could take this pain away from her. She was forced to put into words the last few weeks. She had to go through her trauma again and all that in front of the eyes of the man who did hurt her... In court I had to pull myself together very hard when I saw him. The man who hurt my wife... I prayed every day that Louis was still too young and that he hadn't experienced any psychological damage from the whole thing... Sara started to describe what was happening. With every word the anger seething in me... I would have liked to jump up and hit him again. The judge listened carefully and seemed to understand her point of view. After I made my statement, he came... he denied everything and claimed that Sara was lying. He was just acting idiotically... the judge noticed that too and therefore didn't take him seriously. After all, statements were recorded, there was great relief... Sara and I were given custody as biological parents. Patrick had no contact with Louis and us. The divorce went into effect immediately, and we would have everything in writing in 4-6 weeks... Patrick was sentenced to 5 years in prison for aggravated assault... I was lucky again and only had to pay some money. We got rid of him and could finally start our life as a family...