This Kiss

Chapter 115

The judge allowed a moment for the family embrace before asking Ava to, once again, take her seat. Mr. Carter called their next witness, Lizzy, to the stand. Following Frank's orders, he tried to paint Olivia in a bad light by questioning Lizzy about when she was younger and Olivia and Phillip were together. Asking her about her kidnapping Emma to keep her away from Olivia. Lizzy answered honestly. Admitting that at the time she felt Olivia was this horrible person who would ruin her little sister. However, like all that came before her, she attested to Olivia's change and she admitted that she tried to cause Olivia harm while she was pregnant and that she knew Olivia only kept Emma from them and lied about her death because she was afraid of Emma being harmed. Doris and Mel didn't even cross examine, there was no need. Lizzy had done a fabulous job of defending her ex-stepmother.

Next Bill Lewis was called to the stand, and true to his nature, Frank demanded his lawyer continue to try and get the jury to see Olivia as nothing more than a manipulative bitch, refusing to admit defeat. Bill was asked about his marriage to Olivia. Mr. Carter tried to make him admit that their marriage was a scheme cooked up by Olivia and that having Bill adopt Emma was all a rouse thought up by Olivia just to hurt Phillip. It didn't work. Bill explained that he truly did have love for Olivia and that their marriage was as true as any of Olivia's others. He told the jury that adopting Emma was yes, for her protection, but also because he loved her and had every intention of being a father figure for her. Luckily Frank didn't know everything that occurred during he and Olivia's short marriage.

Mel did cross examine him, asking him about what happened just before Olivia got sick, when he was hired by Alan to make Olivia think that Phillip was back and trying to take Emma. Bill admitted to everything, he wasn't ashamed anymore. He knew that Olivia was aware of just how 'convincing' Alan Spaulding could be, and there were no hard feelings between himself and Olivia.

After Bill, it was Reva's turn. Mr. Carter went through their entire sorted past. Frank and spent many hours in jail digging up everything he could on Olivia and Reva's relationship. He knew the two women had gone back and forth with one another for years, long before either of them moved to Springfield. Unfortunately for Frank, to even Olivia's surprise, Reva stood up for her frenemy. Going as far as to take more than her share of the blame in their sorted past. Several objections to relevance were made by Doris and a couple went in their favor as judge Anderson grew tired of Frank's entire defense hinging on Olivia having an unsavory past.

"Ms. Shane, I will excuse you now." Judge Anderson said before Mr. Carter could go any further on his line of questioning about Reva, Josh, and Olivia's love triangle. Or about their past in San Cristobel. It held no relevance to the case at hand, as so many of the questions being asked by the defense. "Unless the prosecution wished to cross examine."

Olivia met Reva's eyes, she saw the sorrow her once friend and current frenemy held for her. Doris and Olivia had worked on what they would ask Reva, but as Olivia looked into Reva's eyes, she decided it wasn't necessary. Everything that happened with Johnathan and Emma wouldn't change what Reva had already stated, she and Olivia hurt each other plenty, but it didn't make either of them unlovable people. Olivia didn't need to open old wounds. As she gazed at Reva, something sparked inside of her, and she knew she and Reva's relationship was changing back to what it once was, a lifetime ago, on a small island. She shook her head at Doris, and as the judge excused Reva from the stand, Reva nodded to Olivia with a sad smile before rejoining Josh. She too knew that herself and Olivia were no longer enemy's, or even frenemy's, they would be friends again. They had both changed, and maybe, just maybe, they would be good for each other.

Judge Anderson turned to Mr. Carter. "I suggest you find a more relevant line of questioning for your next witness Mr. Carter. Continuing to only bring up Mrs. Olivia Spencer-Rivera's past will no longer be tolerated."