Chapter 24

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We were all in the courtroom. The courtroom consisted of rows of benches that filled up most of the hall, and at the very front of the court was where the judge sat at her own desk. Her gavel was in her hand and she was staring at my dad, who was standing. My sisters stood behind him, weeping. Hate for them filled me, but I told myself to breathe. My mission was to get the justice Rosalie, Cody and I deserved.

"Charlotte, please come to the stand," the judge said.

I walked over to the stand that was in front of the judge and glanced at the mic. My heart began to pound against my chest as I realized I was standing in front of hundreds of people. They were all staring at me, judging me, and I began to feel nauseous. With the thought of my dad also staring at me, I wanted to disappear.

But looking at Cody, I watched as he gave me an encouraging nod. His eyes held a confidence that made me know he believed in me, no matter the outcome, which left me turning to face the judge. She was staring at me, her eyes telling me that I could do this as well. At that, I knew I could.

"Do you swear to speak the truth and nothing but the truth?" she asked.

"I swear," I said.

"Tell us what happened that day," she said. "Every detail."

"My maid told me how my dad was planning on murdering me by having hitmen hunt us down," I said. "He was planning on blaming my boyfriend, Cody Collins, and the same day the hitmen broke into our house. Rosalie was killed and we spent the rest of the day trying to escape them."

I went on to tell the judge and everyone in the room about how we escaped and how the officers had saved our lives. My lawyer spoke too, telling the judge about the proof we had, and I felt good. As I let everything out, shooting my dad a look to show him he hadn't broke me, I felt relieved. Cody had been right. Everything was going to be alright.

After speaking, I was sent back to my seat. Cody hugged me when I reached him and I hugged him back, feeling proud of myself. I had done it. Somehow, I had spoken up.

More people spoke and I watched as my dad eventually got to speak. He went to the podium and I stared at him, noticing how numb I felt towards him. Relieved, I realized I had learned to stop feeling for him as none of his words had any affect on me.

"What I did was wrong," my dad admitted at the end of his speech. "I don't hate Charlotte, I just... love her sisters more. I was selfish to think Charlotte should lose her life for that."

Staring at him, his words left me unfazed. I didn't care about the fact he loved my sisters more. I didn't care that he didn't hate me. All I wanted was to be rid of him, to get my life back to normal, which left me staring at him, my eyes full of confidence that I would be rid of him. He gulped at the sight of my look.

Time went by and soon, it was time for the judge to make her decision. My heart began to pound against my chest as I waited for it. I grabbed Cody's hand, staring at the judge and praying justice would be serve. There was nothing more I wanted than to have my dad gone from my life, which left me squeezing Cody's hands in hopes it would happen.

"You are guilty," the judge said, slamming her gavel onto her desk. "Your punishment is forty years in prison."

My dad paled at her words and I watched as two men led him away. He looked at me, expressionless, and I shot him a smile. Joy filled my heart as I realized I had did it. My dad got the punishment he deserved.

"You did it," Cody said, hugging me. "I'm so proud of you."

I hugged Cody back, smiling. I was proud of myself too.

*****

Cody and I were sitting on our bed and I had my head resting on his shoulder. Our legs were stretched out in front of us and our hands held onto each other's as we soaked in the glory of what happened. We did it. We got the justice we deserved.

"I can't believe it," Cody said. "You did it. You got the justice you deserve."

"We did it," I corrected, smiling. "Seriously Cody, I couldn't have done any of this without you."

Cody smiled down at me and I smiled back. He pressed his lips to my forehead and I felt warm. Joy pumped my heart and I closed my eyes, realizing things were only going up from now on. I was sure of it, but I wasn't sure of what our next step was.

"Cody... what am I supposed to do?" I asked. "I have no family left. My sisters hate me because their beloved dad is in jail and I was never close to any of my other family members. I... I'm homeless."

"I have a plan for you," Cody said, squeezing my hand. "Don't worry about it."

I looked up at him, my eyes questioning what he meant by that. He simply smiled, leaving me frowning.

"You'll see soon," Cody said. "I want it to be a surprise and... I'm tired. I just want to bask in the glory of what happened."

Although I should've pushed for more answers, I was satisfied with knowing Cody had a plan for me. I trusted him and knew he wanted what was best for me, so I closed my eyes again and smiled. Cody planted a kiss on my forehead once again and my smile grew.

"Okay, as long as we're together I'm happy with whatever you have in store for us," I said.

"Of course we'll be together," Cody said. "Forever."

Grinning, I opened my eyes and tilted my head up. Cody leaned down and kissed me, and I kissed him back, welcoming the gentle kiss. We then pulled away and he pressed his head against mine, and I closed my eyes. Even though I didn't have a family, I still had Cody. I still had Rosalie too, who was in my heart, and I knew that was enough. Being loved by them was enough to keep me moving forward.

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