To the Ends of the Earth

Chapter Twenty: Relieved

How did Hollywood make courtroom scenes so entertaining?

In reality, it was the most tedious and painful thing in the world. There was nothing glamorous about watching witnesses testify or hearing verdicts, especially as one of the victims. Being forced to sit through Jeffrey's trial was gut-wrenching. I don't know how I survived it.

When Jeffrey was arrested, the media was in a frenzy. As the daughter of affluent parents, my accusation against Jeffrey caused an uproar. Reporters circled me like vultures for weeks, and some gossip sites even dared to claim that I was doing it for attention or vengeance. They had dug through our past and discovered that Virginia, Jeffrey and I went to Columbia at the same time. So then, they'd made up a love triangle romance story, claiming I was a bitter and scorned ex-lover seeking retaliation. Alex had attempted to kill the stories, but he was only successful with the companies owned by our own media conglomerate.

If it wasn't for Alex, Athena and Liam, I wouldn't have survived those weeks. I had fallen into a depressive episode and didn't want to leave my apartment. I'd spent all my time reading and re-reading the horrifying headlines about me.

'Socialite, Charlotte Wright, Cries Rape'
'Love Triangle Tragedy'
'Scorned Lover and Her Path to Vengeance'
'Drugs, Rape and Scandal'

Liam refused to leave my side the entire time, begging me to stop crying my eyes out, but I couldn't recover from my downward spiral. The only person that had been able to pull me out of my misery happened to be a complete stranger. She was another woman who had come forward with her own allegations against Jeffrey. Apparently, using drugs to place women in compromising situations was how Jeffrey operated. After the way I was treated in the media, I was astounded that she was willing to go public with her story. Awed by her courage, I found my own inner strength to face Jeffrey at his trial.

Unsurprisingly, before the trial began, two more women came forward with their personal abuse allegations. One of them —who was forced into creating pornographic content for Jeffrey— had concrete evidence of the abuse she had suffered. With the testimony of the other women and all the video recordings my lawyers had submitted to the court, it was easy for the jury to reach a guilty verdict.

Virginia's trial, however, was not as difficult for me to attend. In fact, I was eager to watch every second of her downfall. If it made me a bad person to rejoice in her comeuppance, so be it.

The memories of the last few months ran rampant through my mind as I played with the food on my plate, unable to enjoy my lunch with Liam. I was guarding my emotions tightly, anxiously waiting for Camilla's call.

"What about Lottie Love?" Liam asked me from across the table.

I looked up from my plate and stared at him in confusion. "What?"

"For your pen name," Liam clarified. "I thought you said your book was ready to go."

"Oh yeah," I nodded. "The publisher really liked it and wants to move forward." The one perk about locking myself inside my apartment was that I'd been able to finish my novel —when I wasn't bawling my eyes out— and had submitted it to a book publisher. Writing had become the perfect outlet for me and a form of escape when I needed it.

Liam smiled brightly at me. "I knew they would. So, what do you think about the name Lottie Love?"

"Lottie Love? Really?"

"Yes, my little love-bug."

"Oh God, Liam," I groaned, rolling my eyes teasingly. "You only get to pick one corny nickname for me, and you have to stick with it."