From Grief We grew (Only On Wattpad)

Chapter 69 Bea

I pace around back and forth. Teagan and Lucah watch me while Hayden talks to Mr Yeun. The Hearing is put on hold currently as Mr Yeun requested the Judge for a small break. None of us expected the last turn of events. When I heard his voice, I instantly knew it wasn’t Adam but since I was visually impaired at that time, I can’t prove anything. Mr Yeun managed to spontaneously think of something and asked the Judge for a break. Right now he is discussing it with Hayden while I take a puff of my inhaler trying not to crumble.
 
   “Babe, you will have to question him,” Hayden says approaching me. I grip the inhaler and shake my head. “W-why? No! Mr Yeun will do that-“
 
   “Bea only you know what all happened between you two. Question him on that. When you met. Where did you meet. If he isn’t the real Adam, he will slip somewhere,” Mr Yeun explains.
 
   “He isn’t!” I look around and spot him talking with Mira and her lawyer. “This is all her fault. She has done something!” I explain and start marching towards them. “You aren’t the father of my child,” I yell causing everyone around to look at me. I feel someone wrap their arms around my waist and pull me. “Beabear. Don’t. Let’s not cause a scene.” I go limp in his arms as I cry bitterly. “He isn’t him,” I sob as I bury my face into Hayden's chest.
 
   We go back to where we were standing and Hayden makes me sit down on the stairs. “Bea you can do this,” I hear Teagan say. I shake my head and take a puff. “I'll end up breaking down in front of him. Whoever he is! I don’t want that. Hay, you were there when your dad was asking about my past and I was telling him about Adam. Can you question him?” I look at the man I love, hoping he’d step in for me like he always does but Mr Yeun doesn’t seem happy.
 
   “Bea, we need to appeal to the Judge's pathos too. If you do it, it will be stronger. If you cry it’s alright. Your tears are real. Your pain is real. Don’t be ashamed and let the world see it.”
 
   I stay silent. Teagan squeezes herself beside me and the wall. She throws her arm around me and I look at her. “We are here for you. I believe in you. Just go there and ask him whatever you think will get him caught." I look at the four people on my side. How long am I going to depend on them? I need to do this. It’s my battle. I look at Mr Yeun and ask, “Can we prepare what to ask?”
 
   Teagan pats me and cheers, “Go grill him, sis!” Then we both stand up and Teagan asks Hayden, “Wait… Bubba was here when this all started. Where is he now?” That’s when I realise he is missing. I look around. “I called him. He isn’t answering. Probably gone to the bathroom. Let’s not waste time.” Hayden gestures for us to go ahead.

***

I take a deep breath and walk up to the centre. Pierre looks at me and immediately averts his eyes. The Judge tells me to begin.  You can do this. I take another deep breath and move closer to the stand. “Pi- Mr Jean, When did you realize the baby was yours?” I ask.
 
   “As I already said, At first I thought Mira was the mother. Until one day I stumbled on you nursing the child. I questioned Mira and that’s when she told me how you are the biological mother.” how many people have seen me nursing? I frown.
 
   “One day? But Pie-Mr Jean I’m seldom at home during the day,” I tell him.
 
   “It was a night yes. I came to drop Mira home,” he replies.
 
   “Alright. If you really are Adam, why didn’t you say anything to me? When we met you didn’t seem like you recognized me before,” I point out.
 
   “That’s because I saw you on Mira's phone. She had some pictures of you. I got to know that you got your sight back and figured you wouldn’t recognize me. So I pretended to be a stranger,” he answers.
 
   “But then you found out I gave birth to your child and you still kept quiet?” I ask raising my tone.
 
   “I wanted to talk to you. That’s why I came to your room that day. You were sleeping and I got reminded of the old days and my temptation got the best of me-“
 
   “So you tried to assault me? For the second time!!?” I exclaim. The Judge tells me to calm down and I apologize.
 
   “I'm um sorry about that. I freaked out. I should have apologized then itself. I’m sorry. I really am.”
 
   “I still don’t believe you are my ex,” I tell him.
 
   “Well if I tell you I still remember how beautiful you looked when we met in October 2015 at the coffee shop you came to work at. I was getting coffee and it was your first day. You ended up spilling the coffee all over me. I said if you let me help you clean up, I won’t complain. So we clean up and even though I didn’t tell your boss, you did and quit. Your honesty, I loved you for that.”
 
   My legs felt weak as he narrated that story. I remember everything like it happened yesterday. I try to speak but I choke on thin air. I look at him. Could it really be? I feel like running. After all two years, why now? I guess this is how I lose the last blood-related person to me. I stumble behind and someone catches me. I feel something being shoved into my hand. Hot breath fans against my ear. “This can still be a set-up. Believe in your gut.” I look at the object in my hand. My inhaler.
 
   “Are you alright, Ms Dawson?” the judge asks.
 
   I take a puff and then slowly turn to look at him. I nod. Hayden squeezes my hand and then I no longer feel his presence behind me. I look at Pierre. “What was the first gift I bought you?” my voice comes out meek.
 
   “I got you daffodils on our first date because you loved them and you got me a mouth organ from your father's store where our first date was. You didn’t know what to buy, so you took me there and your dad kinda chaperoned us.” I felt another blow at me. My heart tightens and I feel vertigo. I blink and take another puff.
 
   I go on to ask him about my birthday when I told him I was pregnant. What he said. If he knew when Avery was born. He got it all right. With every answer, I feel myself crumbling little by little.
 
   “Anything else?” I nod and look at my inhaler. “W-when did you do it?” I whisper.
 
   “What?”
 
   “Your apartment-“ I manage to say. It was just the month after my birthday that it happened. Barely a week.
 
   “Ms Smith, are you alright?” I nod even though my hands are trembling. I try to take another puff when my inhaler cap falls. My knees hit the floor instantly no longer being able to stand and I try to grab the cap. Tears start blurring my vision. Someone puts the cap in my hand and helps me to my feet. I inhale their perfume instead and out of instinct bury my face in their chest. Strong arms hold onto me. “How old are you? And when is your birthday by the way?” Hayden asks.
 
   “Your Honour, How many people are going to question my client? Mr Fenwick has no business getting involved in this. Either Yeun or Dawson does it,” I hear Mrs Miller complain.
 
   “My girlfriend has anxiety issues. Give her a moment. I know everything there is to know so Your Honour please allow me to question him on her behalf.”
 
   “Permission granted.”
 
   I just stand there while Hayden shields me from the world. “Mr Jean tell me How old are you and when is your birthday?”
 
   “That’s another thing I lied about. I’m 30 years. Will be 31 this year. My birthdate is 24th April 1987. I lied to Bea that I was 23 when we met. I really liked her and I was worried age would be a problem,” Pierre explains.
 
   “Wait… if you are 31 this year then you were actually 28 when you both met?” Hayden questions. I grip Hayden’s shirt as I feel disgusted. Hayden hugs me tighter. “Uh yes. Right,” Piere responds. Hayden scoffs, “Is it a kink for you to date women way older than you or way younger than you? Mira is 40-something! Bea was only 17! She was underage! Did you not see the concern with that you sick b*stard?” Hayden growls.
 
   “Mr Fenwick mind your language,” the Judge scolds and Hayden apologizes.
 
   “If you loved her why did you leave? Why. Did. You. Touch. Her. Without. Consent?. You can go to jail for the sexual abuse of an underage girl. Are you ready for that Pierre?” Hayden asks.
 
   “She was 18 when it happened. We both were drunk. She wanted to try alcohol so I bought some and we got drunk at my apartment.” I immediately shake my head and pull away. “I swore I used protection. I wouldn’t have done what I did if I was sober. I felt disgusted at myself when I realised it the next day. So I kept away from her. Then she told me she was pregnant. I had no job. I wasn’t ready to be a father! So I told her to abort it and I thought she did.”
 
   I wipe my cheeks and step away from Hayden. “Do you ever speak the truth?” I chuckle sarcastically and start to approach him. “All we drank was lemonade that night. You made it. I only ever touched alcohol after my father died, that too only that week to drown my pain.” I look at him studying his face. No fear.  “If you want your child why didn’t you come here in the first Hearing? Where were you? You ran when you made me pregnant. You ran when Mira got caught. You aren’t a person who takes responsibility. You’re a liar. A paedophile. A rapist-“
 
   “That’s enough. Your honour, Ms Smith is falsely accusing my client-“ I spin around and look at Miller. “Falsely!? Would you be happy if some 30-year-old screwed your daughter? Do you even have kids?” I growl.
 
   “Your honour, My client has already spoken about what happened that night. Ms Smith is just trying to play the victim here. My client couldn’t come to the previous Hearing because he was busy. He is a responsible man and has a steady job now.” She walks over and hands the Judge a file. “As you can see in the past 2 years my client has been working steadily in the same company. I request the court to allow a test taken right now to see if my client's DNA matches with that of the person who assaulted Ms Jones.”
 
  I clench my fist. My eyes wander over the crowd and I see Hayden's father. Just like that something inside of me clicks. A memory replays.
 
   “Who bought who the first gift?” Noah asked yet another question as I was telling him and Tusha about Adam. “He did. He bought me daffodils on our first date.”
 
   “What were you wearing?”
 
   I frowned wondering why he was asking me such specific details. “Uh, a purple long dress I think.”
 
   My blood runs cold as my brain pieces one into two. I quickly turn around and say, “Wait! I have one more question for Mr Jean.” The Judge tells me to go ahead. “What was the address of your apartment?”
 
   “Uh…” I watch as the man in front of me averts his eyes. His eyes wander as if searching for answers. “It was the street beside Cheapside Street right?” I ask.
 
   “Ah yes! Yes. My apartment was on Grosvenor Street.”
 
   The answer I needed was in that sentence. The answer felt like a stab in my back. I nod and tell them I’m done. I silently walk back to my seat. Hayden quickly follows and sits beside me. Mr Yeun takes over. “Why did you help him out in the last one?” Hayden whispers. I shrug. “What’s wrong?” How will I tell him that the man we trusted the most set us up? Every question Noah asked me, I without realising asked Pierre. Except for the last question. Adam had a problem pronouncing the Rs and would always pronounce Grosvenor without the R.
 
   I silently watch everything take place. Mr Yeun tries to question and dig through the case. But what’s the use? Fake Adam starts giving a long speech about how much he loves Avery and asks to reunite his family. I almost barf hearing him. I simply clench my skirt as I watch. Hayden then goes to the stand and says he will take better care of the child and how much he loves Avery. He even shows the Judge photos we took.
 
   “Your honour for Avery to be given to the Fenwicks, every member of the family must consent to welcome the child, right? But what if someone in that family doesn’t consent? Then what happens?” Mira's blonde asks the Judge.
 
   Her words make me forget to breathe. I grip my skirt so tight that my nails start piercing my skin. I look around waiting for Noah to stand up and agree with her but I’m taken back by who stands up. “Your Honour this is Mr Noah Fenwick's wife, Katherine Fenwick. Hayden Fenwick's stepmom. She has something she would like to say.”
 
   Watching Katherin walk to the front, my last bit of hope diminishes. Even Hayden stays frozen in the stand. Like a puppet when told to move, he stands up and leaves. His eye does not leave his mother. Right now, I just want to roll in a ball and cry. Knowing I can’t do it here, I stand up and run. I hear my name being called but I don’t stop. I keep running. Suddenly, I find myself falling and my head hits something hard. I try pushing myself up but my hands shake and I fall back on my face. I give into the invisible force that calls for me. I hear someone calling my name again. Then they stop and the world goes silent and dark.