The Assistant (english)

10.

I walk trembling to my seat. Mia sits next to me, holding my hand. Tim is also in the audience, which is very crowded. Mia is called to testify first. She recounts everything, and I start trembling as the memories flood back. I don't have to testify yet, as I wasn't directly involved. Why I had to come at all, I don't even know.

"Next, please call Johann V. into the courtroom," the judge calls out. He's the one who raped me. She starts by asking him some general questions, but then he says exactly what I feared.

"You've been looking at both women the whole time, but as far as I know, you could only see one of them..."

"No, that's not true. I had sex with the one on the left. My buddy took care of the one on the right," he says. I look at Mia panic-stricken, and she looks at me apologetically.

"Ms. Lee? Is it possible that you're hiding something?" Mia's lawyer asks. Johann is dismissed and taken away again. But then it's my turn to be called. I sit in the chair. The judge starts with some general questions and then hands over a phone.

"I invited you because there's a witness video, clearly showing you. Not hidden, as you described it, but right in the middle of it. Why?"

"To avoid ending up in the media again. It had just started dying down about me and Helena. I didn't want to unnecessarily stir things up. I just wanted to forget about the incident, but that's not so easy anymore."

"And why isn't it easy? Does it have to do with the conversation in the bathroom? Between you and, I assume, my client?" Mia's lawyer asks. I just nod and bow my head. Tears well up again.

"What's the reason?" the judge asks.

"I have a positive pregnancy test. I haven't seen a doctor yet."

"And why not?" she continues.

"I took the test about three weeks ago but didn't look at it. I was too afraid of the result. Mia and I looked at it earlier, and it's positive..."

More questions are asked to other witnesses or the perpetrators, but I'm not really listening because the fact is, the headlines will start coming out soon. And Helena knows it for sure.

"Kay? We won, and the trial is over. Come with me. I'll take you to her," says Mia. She pulls me up and then drives me home. I've been living with Helena for a few weeks now in a house, so I no longer live next to Mia.

"Keys? I doubt she'll open up," Mia says. I give her my key, and she opens the door.

"Helena?" Mia calls out. There's no response. We go inside, and I head to the living room, closely followed by Mia.

"Helena?" Mia calls out again. She's sitting on the couch with a cup of tea.

"Hey, you two? Was the trial successful?" I hear the pain in her voice, but apparently, Mia doesn't.

"Did you not follow along? And were-"

"Mia. She saw it... She knows everything. What do you think, why is she an actress?" I take off my jacket and drape it over the chair next to me. I know Helena is about to explode, so I try to find something to occupy myself.

"When were you going to tell me?!" I'm startled for a moment, but then I turn to face her.

"Never... I wasn't going to tell you... I was afraid you'd worry too much... I just didn't want to be a burden on you..."

"Uh-huh. And why is this bitch here?!"

-POV Helena-

I'm so disappointed. How could she hide it from me?! I'm her partner! Don't we tell each other everything?!

"We're in a relationship! You're supposed to be honest! It's an important issue!"

"Yeah, of course, but I didn't want to burden you with it. I didn't want to pressure you with it..." 

-POV Kaydi-

I'm interrupted as little Nell appears on the stairs, crying. When she sees me, she comes over and hugs me. I pick her up and take her to her room.

"Did you have a nightmare?" I ask. She just nods slightly in response.

"Bedtime story?" I ask, holding up her favorite book. She nods enthusiastically and beams at me before lying down and snuggling into her blanket. I sit on the edge of the bed and start reading.

-POV Helena-

Kaydi is upstairs taking care of Nell right now. She probably had a nightmare because Tim watched some horror movie with her. I lean back against the sofa and take another sip of tea.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" I ask Mia.

"I... I- I'm sorry, Helena. You know I've been his assistant for a while, but he lied to me. He noticed I was developing feelings for him and told me he felt the same. He said you and he were only together for the kids and the press. He said you were both free people who could have as many relationships as you wanted. I didn't know how you felt about it or if you even knew. I was too in love with him and trusted him blindly. When Kaydi confessed to me that she had a crush on you but that you were taken, I was shocked. I distanced myself from him, but he said you would break up soon because you wouldn't be able to resist her. I believed him again. This time he was right, but I didn't know about the time before that. I talked things out with Kaydi, and we made up. I convinced her to look at the test because she was too scared to. I drove her here, and I'm here to reconcile both of you. I'm not just doing this because I feel guilty, but because I want to be Kaydi's friend again. I want to have the same friendship we had before we got together. That's my wish, and that's why I'm here. Plus, I'm dating Tim, and you have kids. I like Nell and Billy a lot, and I'd like us to be a good blended family for them and for us adults."

"Okay, then talk. Why shouldn't I be mad at her?" Mia sits down in the chair opposite me and looks at me.

„I can't dictate that to you. I can try to explain how it is for Kaydi so you can understand her better," Mia says. I just nod, so she continues, "You and Kaydi were headline news for months. Every activity of yours was posted. They even photographed through the windows. Kaydi wanted to keep it a secret from everyone. She didn't want you to worry or feel sorry for her. She just wanted to forget about the whole thing. That was her way of dealing with the situation. That has always been her solution. With people she truly loves more than anything, she'll talk about it over time, but not just a few weeks later. She just didn't want you to worry. She wanted to be strong. To be strong for you, especially since you were the one most humiliated by the media. She would have told you, even though she claimed the opposite earlier."

"But what should I do? I'm hurt, and it's all so overwhelming..." I ask desperately.

"Your best bet is to go to her first and tell her that you'll get through this. Together. And talk about it calmly tomorrow," Mia suggests. I just nod and stand up. I assume Kaydi is still with Nell upstairs, so I go to her. Kaydi is sitting on the edge of the bed. The book is on the nightstand next to her. Nell is sleeping deeply again.

"Kaydi?" I speak to her. She slowly gets up, kisses Nell, and comes to me. We walk out of the room and sit on the top steps of the stairs. I put my arm around her and give her a kiss.

"We'll make it through. Together. Let's just go to sleep and talk about everything tomorrow..." She just nods, so I'll take that as a yes.