ELIZA

CHAPTER FORTY FIVE: TRIAL

Cosmo didn't smile. I tried, but I made a grimace. It would probably be better if I kept a straight face.

He looked just as I remembered him, his eyes still as black as coal. Not even a slight stubble had changed. Interesting that they let him shave before the trial.

Only one thought bothered me. Didn't he hate me? Strangers called him a kidnapper, pointed fingers, and I didn't even want to think about the hell he went through in custody. Could he still love me after all this? Or was it an obsession on his part, maybe he never loved me? As soon as I thought about it, my body shuddered. No, it's not possible.

They first questioned several people, including a police-psychologist. Each of these people, unfortunately, thought that I was strongly influenced by Cosmo, again the definition of the Stockholm syndrome was given, with which I didn't agree at all. Several times I found myself wanting to stop the trial and explain something. However, I knew from the movies that I couldn't do that, that I had to be composed and not get carried away with emotions.

I was called after the break. I thought it would be easier, but my legs felt like jelly. I was sure all the color had drained from my face.

The prosecutor immediately went on the attack.

"Could you please tell the court what your relationship to the defendant is?"

He's my boyfriend, I thought and even opened my mouth to say it, but it sounded too simple. I had to be genuine in my testimony.

"I can't express it with one word. We have a romantic, but turbulent relationship."

The word turbulent had a bad effect on those present. A murmur ran through the hall.

"Can you explain?"

"Of course. Like any relationship, we have our ups and downs, we got together a few times, then broke up. Then we were together again and we were happy, but after returning to the country we were not allowed to see each other."

"And you have no idea why it happened?"

"It's a misunderstanding," I replied, trying to sound natural. "There's been a huge misunderstanding that's resulted in today's hearing."

"The man kidnapped you."

I wasn't offended, and I don't think he expected it.

"I wouldn't call it that way," I started shrugging. "Actually, I didn't really feel like traveling, we argued a bit in Romania, but Cosmo's unpredictable. For example, a few months ago we went to the seaside by motorbike and I didn't know where I was going. It was kind of a surprise."

"So how do you explain the telephone conversation that took place between you and your sister on August 6 this year?"

I cleared my throat.

"I ate hallucinogenic mushrooms by accident and dialed Leon's phone. I blurted out that Cosmo kidnapped me because he wouldn't let me go outside, which was understandable. He was probably afraid I'd hurt myself, but I wasn't thinking straight at the time. I didn't want to go to the hospital, I was delusional."

A murmur passed through the hall. I looked at Cosmo's reaction. He was amused by my confession, which gave me confidence. The prosecutor scratched his neck. The conversation was definitely not going the right way for him.

"Where did you buy these substances?"

"I didn't, I found them in the kitchen while making dinner, but they must've expired."

He looked displeased, but gave up this topic.

"Why did you have your phone turned off?"

"Because of roaming. I turned off the phone so as not to pay. I receive a lot of spam messages and if you are outside the European Union, the SMS fees are covered by the user. I had done it once and had paid a very large bill."

That was the truth. I once paid a triple bill for using my phone abroad without knowing how much it was. I belong to the group of students who count every penny, so it would be hard to undermine my testimony.

"Why did you use fake documents?"

I was prepared for this question as well.

"I don't have a passport and I really wanted to go to Dubai. I know we shouldn't have done it."

The prosecutor grunted again. I wish I had the power to read minds. Does he know I'm bluffing? Am I not just crossing that fine line that I will go to jail too?

He asked me a few more less important questions, for example that we didn't take any pictures, to which I replied that I don't like to look at myself because I always look bad. He also drew attention to the fact that Cosmo had a gun, but I said that I didn't know anything about it. I didn't need to know everything my boyfriend was carrying.

After me, they interrogated more people, including Leon and Camila.

When Camila entered the room she was very flustered, she looked like she didn't know what to think herself and stammered that she really thought that Cosmo kidnapped me because she had never received a similar call from me before, that she had no contact with me for several weeks and that she was really worried about me.

Cosmo's defense attorney asked her a question like: "since when I had known the defendant", to which she replied that she didn't know exactly, but for quite a long time (with this question we had more luck than sense because "quite a long time' meant seven months in our case. Is it a long time? In the perspective of the whole life it is it's only a moment, although in the context of time it wasn't an accidental acquaintance for sure.

Leon, in turn, answered almost every question that he knew nothing about it. He complied more than enough with my request not to incriminate Cosmo, arguing that even Tom wouldn't want him to go to prison.

To another response like "about that I seriously, really don't know anything", even the judge rolled his eyes.