"I have to fight this!" I stress to Niall as I drive down the highway to my parent's house where the entire family was waiting to hear the news.
Layla couldn't just get a free pass because her acting skills were impeccable. She couldn't just get a free pass to ruin my entire life, what kind of justice was that?
"I can't believe she would even go there, I wonder how she even got someone to mess her up that bad! That wasn't just a one punch kind of hit to her face," Niall says over the speakers of my car. I clutch the steering wheel and feel the heavy tension strain my tired muscles. I felt like I had been strung out and left to dry.
"I'll bet you she had that bastard smack her around a few times," I shake my head just thinking about her holding hands with that asshole she was clinging to after court. Draped all over him knowing that it would hurt me and irritate me at the same time.
"She is sick," I can image Niall's facial expression, his eyes rolling back behind his lids and sighing deeply over his observation of Layla.
"There has to be a way to prove they are lying! This can't be how things are, I won't accept that!" I grit putting more pressure on the acceleration pedal of my car. I watch the gauge climb to a higher speed as I weave through the traffic on the busy 405.
"They have me up against a wall mate, the judge is persuaded easily with Layla's "physical evidence". I don't know what else to do," Niall heavily sighs again upset with the news he was delivering. Niall and I both knew there was nothing we really could do, Layla had taken sole custody of Kyla.
She had cheated and through it ruined my reputation with the Judge that oversaw our case.
"Fuck!" I swore agitated with all these odds stacked against me. I slam my steering wheel and begin to slow down seeing that I was averaging 100 miles per hour.
"I'm sorry mate, I won't give up on you I promise. I just have my hands tied at the moment," Niall responds to my cursing as I exit the freeway and see that I'm only a few minutes from my parent's house now.
"I know, I'm not upset with you," I assure Niall while my thoughts race through my head like the Indie 500. Sweat forms at my hairline from the after effect of the anxiety that finds its way up my throat. A clogging effect invades my throat when different scenarios cascade down from my brain, ideas conjure up and surface over my mind.
My chest tightens and constricts at a solution to my problem. I try to push away the thought as soon as it is thought up but somehow it continues to linger. The palms of my hands sweat under the pressure I am feeling getting closer and closer to home.
"Hey Niall, I gotta go... I will talk to you later," I gulp as heat radiates from my body. My ears burn in the silence of my car, attempting to rid of it I turn the dial the volume of the radio. I needed to drown out these interlinked thoughts that were built on each other.
I look into my rearview mirror to look at my clammy complexion. My eyes are pale along with my skin tone that has been drained of color. I couldn't afford to think like this.
I can't just run away.
Yet my mind came up with excuses as to why it was plausible. I was convincing myself why this was my best option. There were high stakes and I was putting everything that mattered to me in the line. I was putting everything on the table.
I pass an ATM and can't help but pull into the parking lot of the convenient store I am parked in. I fought with myself, told myself that I couldn't go through with this. I ball my hands into fists and continue to fight my impulsive side with my more logistical side.
