Sweet Caroline

#61 Objection!

"Yes," I reply, feeling sick to my stomach. "I am."

"Let me get this straight," the man in front of me sneers, turning slightly towards the jury. "You are not just Rose's teacher, but also her father's girlfriend?"

"Yes." I honestly don't know what else to do. I can't lie or I'll perjure myself, which could end up with me in prison. "I am."

Elise gasps and I look at her even though I don't want to. There is betrayal in her eyes, and she jerks away from Nathan, who is looking down at the floor. Their lawyer is whispering to him, looking utterly unamused. We should have told him. It's just that neither of us ever considered that this would come up during trial. Oh God, we're so stupid.

"When did you meet Mr. Storm?" the lawyer asks.

"October."

"Was this before or after you started teaching Rose Storm's class?"

"Before."

"And when did you start sleeping with him? Before or after you met Rose?"

"Before."

He nods, pacing up and down rapidly. "So before you even knew met Rose, you were already sleeping with her father?"

"Yes, but I had no idea-"

"And who else knows about your relationship?" he interrupts me.

"My best friends," I say, swallowing. "My neighbor. My parents. Nathan's sister, his mother and his best friends. And..." Fuck, what I'm about to say will make this whole thing even worse. "...John and Tiffany."

"Are we talking about John Fudge and Tiffany Green?" Oh, how I hate his smirk when I tell him that I am indeed talking about those two. "And they are your colleagues, right? In fact, John Fudge is one of the witnesses the prosecution is going to call to the stand, isn't he?"

"Yes, he is," I agree. "But my relationship with Nathan has nothing to do with this case. Rose doesn't even know I'm seeing her father."

"Neither does Elise Hail, even though she is Rose's mother and Mr. Storm's ex-wife. Correct?"

"Yes," I spit out. I hope to God that I'm not giving the defense all they need to get this case thrown out or sway the jury their way.

"Do any other colleagues know? The headmaster, maybe? Any of the kids at the school? Any other parents?" He smirks when I shake my head. "Why not?"

"Because the school frowns upon relationships between teachers and parents," I explain. "I don't... I don't want to risk losing my job. When Nathan and I met, I had no idea he was the father of one of my kids. He didn't know either. This doesn't-"

"Now that your relationship is out in the open, there's a chance you could lose your job, right?" he doesn't even wait for me to answer. "Maybe... maybe nothing you say is true, miss Collins. Maybe someone is blackmailing you to say all these things about Rose and my client. If you're scared for your job, for your entire livelihood, who's to say you're not being forced to testify? Maybe by Elise Hail, who wants to punish her ex-boyfriend for breaking her heart when he decided to break up with her. Or maybe even by your own boyfriend, Nathanial Storm, who has so much dirt on you by now that he can use you to get back together with his ex-wife like he's been wanting for so long. Or maybe-"

"Objection!" Nathan's lawyer roars, spitting out a string of legal terms that make me feel even more woozy that I already was.

"No more questions, your honor," the shark says before the judge can react to the objection. "The defense rests."