We'll Write Our Way Out

Court

He was met by shocked looks from James and Aaron. Apparently the police had already taken care of Reynolds. Maria stood by the door, looking down. The carriage was waiting.

As Thomas passed Maria, he believed to hear a faint "Sorry."

"Are you ready, love?", Thomas asked softly, laying a hand on Alessias back.

Her hands were balled into fists as she stood there, staring out the window. A carriage had just arrived in front of the house and her brother got out of it, heading towards the house. But Alessia didn't focus on that. She couldn't focus. Not now. Not today.

Her heart began to race and she slowly turned towards Thomas. Tears stood in her eyes. And Thomas felt like crying himself, too. It's been a couple of weeks ever since she got back and she hasn't been herself. She's been distant. And it hurt Thomas. He couldn't stand seeing her like this.

Thomas had a hard time getting close to her the first two weeks since her return. She winced whenever he touched her and never showed herself to him when she changed into her nightgown. Hell, the first few nights she couldn't even sleep in the same bed as him.

Today was the day they went to court and hoped that he would be prosecuted for his crimes. And Thomas hoped Alessia could become who she was before, even if it took small, few steps at a time.

"I can't do this," Alessia finally whispered "I can't face him." Thomas gently brushed a strand of her loose, auburn curls behind her ear and said "He'll pay for what he did. I promise. This is the last time you'll ever have to see him."

"Alessia, Thomas, it's time," a voice spoke up. Turning towards it, they saw Alexander standing there, Sally behind him.

Alessia closed her eyes and took a deep breath, before she nodded and headed over to her brother, Thomas trailing along behind her. Even though Alexander and him despised each other when it came to politics, they learned to stick together privately, for Alessia.

The ride to court was silent. Maria, who had become a close friend of Alessia and wanted to speak out against Reynolds, held Alessias hand the whole time, to reassure her that she wasn't alone.

As they arrived in the courtroom, Alessia made her way towards her seat, her head low. Her lawyer...she didn't even know his name. She didn't want to know his name. All she knew was that he's supposed to be good. And she just hoped and prayed that he would help give Reynolds what he deserved.

Soon, Reynolds entered the room. When Alessia saw the smirk on his face that he directed towards her, she felt her blood run cold and a shiver run down her spine. Her heart began racing again. She couldn't do this. She couldn't face him. She couldn't.

It began.

"James Reynolds, you are accused of assault and rape against Alessia Hamilton," the judge began, and almost instantly Alessia shut down. She just sat there and stared in silence. She listened but she didn't comprehend what was going on. Fear slowly crept up her bones and made her hands shake.

She was pulled out of her thoughts soon enough by a hand on her shoulder – her lawyer. He nodded towards Reynolds' lawyer, who gave her a stern glare as he said, apparently once more, "I call Miss Hamilton to the stand."

Alessia gulped as she slowly got to her feet. They were shaking, as if they weren't able to carry her. As soon as she reached the stand, she was asked "Do you solemnly swear that you will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

With a shaky voice she replied "I do." She balled her hands to fists in her lap to stop them from shaking. She couldn't take it.

"Miss Hamilton, what exactly do you accuse Mr Reynolds of doing to you?", his lawyer asked, watching her like a hawk.

"I accuse him of raping me, beating me, cutting and burning me. I accuse him of assaulting me in any way his sick and twisted mind desired," Alessia said, surprising herself with the amount of poison in her voice as she managed to glare over at Reynolds.

"What would he do occasionally?", his lawyer asked, making Alessia freeze. "Irrelevant," her lawyer called and she knew he did that to not have her forced to explain every cruel, vile thing Reynolds had done to her.

"How is this irrelevant?", his lawyer asked and turned to Alessias, who replied "Is it really relevant for her to go into deep detail of what the defendant did to her on a daily basis for weeks, when you already know the rough outlines of what he did?"

Reynolds' lawyer was about to respond, when Alessias frail voice beat him to talking.

"He would warn me by banging against the door, before he'd come in. I'd always sit in the same corner. Then he would drag me by my hair and-", Alessia fought back tears, trying to calm her breathing "He would begin the night by beating me, most of the times going for the already bruised parts of my body."

Her breath hitched and she closed her eyes, to prevent tears from escaping.

"Then he'd rape me. As long and as painful as he pleased. Sometimes he'd beat me or cut me as he did it. He pleasured himself off of my pain," Alessia fought back a sob as now a tear rolled down her cheek. And another tear. And another.

"Every once in a while he'd use the candle he always had with him to burn parts of my skin. He would always stand there and laugh at me as I cried in pain."

"I think that's enough, thank you, Miss Hamilton," the judge spoke up after Alessia was silent for a moment longer and he had noticed Reynolds' lawyer wanting to open his mouth for another foul question.

Alessia nodded slightly and then headed back to her seat beside her lawyer. He gave her a soft, reassuring smile, as if to tell her that she did good. She didn't acknowledge it, simply wiping the tears away as her judge then proceeded to call Maria to the stand, as a witness.

Maria agreed with what I had said, confirming that Reynolds had always banged against the door, how he would always yell and laugh at her and how she would always scream and cry, pleading for him to stop.

Alessia didn't bother stoping the tears now. She knew it was useless.

Especially when the judge sentenced Reynolds to prison for eighteen years.

But then they were tears of joy.

[ this probably ain't how it goes but f dis shit google helped. and I ain't aspiring to be a lawyer so yah ]