Stepped Up [COMPLETE]

32

Hope's POV:

"Heresay!"

"Liar!"

"Untruth!"

"He would never!"

"Fake!"

More and more words were thrown around by people in the audience on Rick's side. Chatter and anger permeated the room, and the Judge had to bang his gavel a few times before people started to calm down.

"Order! Order!" He called. "Next person who talks gets thrown out!" He ordered, and everyone quietened down.

I just stared Rick in the eyes. I could see anger blazing hard in his eyes. His hands were clenched under the desk, and his teeth ground painstakingly as his jaw ticked. Christopher looked triumphant, and Jack looked at me sadly. He knew that I never wanted to admit that Trisha was raped. I knew everything we said would go into court documents and always be there. I never wanted that. I never wanted Elena to be able to read up on this court case. I knew that this court case was going to go everywhere and would be on every new channel. Trisha would now be forever known as the girl the Head Alpha raped.

"The witness will explain herself," The Judge ordered.

"I would like to submit into evidence, your honour, the truth behind my client's statement," Christopher quickly said, and he held up a folder full of evidence that I had collated over the years. It has a signed written statement and a video from Trisha about that night. One from me too. It had CCTV video and stills of Trisha arriving at my house that night, showing her battered and bruised. Finally, there were her clothes I had kept, and when Christopher pulled those out, I started to cry silently. Her blood was crusted and dried on her torn clothes, and there was semen on her skirt. The clothes had gone through DNA analysis, and the blood had been pointed to Trisha and the semen and seminal fluid to Rick and Trisha. I had planned for this eventuality. I never wanted it to come, but I had prepared for it.

"Counsel will come to my office now!" Judge Ignacio ordered. "Court is in recess," With a bang of his gavel, chatter erupted again, and I rose from the witness stand. I had blown everything up with the truth.

Christopher's POV:

I went into the Judge's chambers with the folder of evidence that Hope had begged me not to show, but I knew that this was how we would win the case. Mr Adkins followed me into the chambers and sat down simultaneously.

"Why was this not in evidence when the case was being prepared?" The Judge asked after he had reviewed the printed evidence in the folder.

"The DNA analysis did not come back until two days ago,"

"You could have put it in then,"

"Hope did not want her wife to be forever known as the rape victim of Rick Franks,"

"Yet she just admitted it in court,"

"She was pushed to, but she allowed me to collate this evidence, and everything has been marked and put into evidence. If you checked the log, you would find that this evidence was submitted at midnight last night,"

"So, was it going to be used?"

"Only when needed, but yes," I replied.

"The evidence has been submitted correctly with the appropriate paperwork, so this evidence is accepted," the Judge ordered.

"But, your honour..." Mr Adkins spluttered. "The...we...we have had no chance to review this evidence,"

"Copies are in your inbox," I replied smugly.