60. Hades
Hades
CHAPTER SIXTY
Kaiser Kostanidis birth day
Not even the sterile light of the hospital room can diminish the heat that spreads through my chest as I hold Kennedy's hand. Like the warrior she is, she’s just brought our second child into the world.
I wasn't by her side when King was born, but I will never walk away from my family again.
You can't go back in time and make up for what you lost, but you can understand where you went wrong, learn from your mistakes, and never repeat them.
Throughout her pregnancy, I made a point of following her every step.
The guy who never thought about getting married is now almost an expert on babies, and I never failed to enjoy our son's development.
Kaiser's loud cries echo through the hospital walls. He has already told the world he’s here, as intense as his older brother.
Kennedy and I look at each other, emotion pouring from us.
"I love you, wife." I lean down to kiss her mouth and brush her hair away from her sweaty forehead. I don't know how women manage to give birth. They're strong as hell.
"Three Kostanidis men in my life now, Greek. Next time, try to make a girl."
When after a few minutes the doctor brings us our second heir, Kaiser has his eyes open, looking at us intently. Unlike King, he has eyes the color of his mother's. Other than that, it's all me.
"He has a little mark that looks like a map on his butt," the nurse who cleaned him says, and I smile at my wife, who rolls her eyes.
"It's the Kostanidis seal of guarantee. Another arrogant person in the world."
They leave us alone, and I sit on the edge of the bed to watch her breastfeed our boy for the first time. I know that shortly, everyone will arrive, but I want this moment just for us.
"What are you thinking, Hades?" she asks after Kaiser is satisfied.
"Our story could be a novel."
"Yes, we are that couple who had everything go wrong for us, and yet here we are, Mr. Kostanidis."
"You're wrong, woman. We were always destined, and the strength of our love is so great that no evil plot could separate us."
Kennedy
Almost a year later
I can't believe it's finally over. After months of trial, in which we had to come to Massachusetts and watch Ryan's defense lawyers maneuver to try to alleviate the weight of the charges against him—Pam's rape and murder; attempted rape and murder in my case—about fifteen days ago, the jury took just two hours to find him guilty. Today was the day of his sentencing.
Life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
At trial, I testified to what I remembered from that day, but today is the moment I've been waiting for. The one where I will give my Victim Impact Statement , the right given to victims or the family of the victim of a crime to speak to the defendant to show how their action caused harm.
I step up to the lectern, the microphone in front of me and a sheet of paper dangling from my shaking hands. I look at my family and friends, who have once again come out in full force to support me.
And finally, I face Pam's killer.
The first time I saw him in court, when he looked back, I couldn't hide my astonishment that there was what looked like a word carved, I think with a knife, into one of his cheeks.
Hades must have noticed that I was trying to read it because he whispered softly, "It says ‘rapist.’"
I didn't need to ask him to know he was the one who’d tattooed “rapist” on the face of the man who, in the past, boasted about his own beauty.
I almost felt sorry for him at the time, but now, when I focus on his face again, I feel nothing but disgust for what a horrible human being he is.
"Mrs. Kennedy Juliet O’Neal Kostanidis, when you are ready, you can begin," the judge says.
"Thank you, Your Excellency."
I clear my throat and take a deep breath. Then I look at my husband one more time before starting to read the letter that I prepared carefully because I didn't want to forget anything.
"Ryan Corey III, this is the last time I will address you in my life. I thought a lot about what to say today; I thought about letting out my resentment and anger. But instead, I decided to remind you of what you’ve lost. I looked into your history. Rich boy, always problematic. Bad grades at school, arrests for drug possession, for drunk driving. For slapping a girlfriend. I could go on, but I'm sure that, by now, you remember every sin you've ever committed."
He looks at the table in front of him, as if I were nothing, but I am unfazed. So I continue:
"My life wasn’t full of opportunities like you had. My parents died in an accident when I was a child, so I grew up with a guardian. I was beaten without even having any idea why I was being beaten. I was only allowed cold showers and slept on the floor, going to bed hungry, but even then, I didn't break. When things got really bad, I drew sunsets and dreamed of being a famous artist. I'm not famous yet, but I'll get there."
I pause and look at Ernest. "God put an angel in my life. A man who was my father and friend. I survived, I stayed positive, and just when I thought I was getting a chance from fate, you and Pam took everything away from me. I remember the terror I felt in that beach house. I still have nightmares about you chasing me, calling my name, saying you were going to hurt me. I don't know how your madness turned against Pam, but I know you deserve to be here and I’m glad you were sentenced to spend the rest of your life behind bars. The tables have turned, Ryan. The girl who had nothing is now richer than your family's money could ever make you. I am a mother of two beautiful children." I pause to breathe and wipe away a tear. "I have a husband who loves me, an adoptive father who is my support, friends and family. You will only have, for the rest of your life, the memory of what could have been."
I hear someone sniffle, and when I look up, I see it's his mother. I feel sorry for her, but I feel sorrier for myself, the real victim here.
"You left me with emotional scars, but each one is now a testament to my strength. I wanted to be a better person and say I forgive you. Isn't that what everyone expects? Well, I'm not that person yet. I hope you cry every night like I did when I came out of the coma and couldn't hold my little son in my arms, knowing that I would never see sunlight again. The world will be a better place with you behind bars."
For the first time, he looks at me. "You think you know everything? Just you wait." He smiles.
"You can't hurt me anymore."
"Mr. Corey, do not address Mrs. Kostanidis again, or you will be removed from the courtroom."
"We'll see, Juliet." He ignores the judge, and confusion begins.
I look at Hades as I walk to the back of the room. I know he's going to go crazy over what I'm about to do, but I can't let this opportunity pass me by.
I walk straight to where Ryan's family is. His mother and older brother, Aell Corey.
"How dare you approach us?" she says when I stop in front of them.
I notice in my peripheral vision the exact moment in which Hades walks towards us.
"Kennedy, there's nothing to say to these people!" my husband says.
"He's right. Don't you think you've already left a big enough trail of destruction? My husband and son were condemned because of you!"
"It's not you I want to talk to but your firstborn."
I see Ryan's older brother look at me in surprise and then smile, while his mother walks away as if I have a contagious disease.
"I'm sorry about that," he says. "My mother used to be a gentle soul."
"Why are you smiling?" I ask.
"What?"
"Your brother has just been convicted. Why are you smiling?"
"Kennedy!" Hades shouts, and I know I need to be quick.
"I know you were there!" I shout in the loudest tone I can, so that the entire court hears, and as I expected, a sepulchral silence immediately falls over the room. "I remember everything now. You and Ryan raped Pam together, but you were the one who cut her throat. You will rot in prison, Aell, and I will have my revenge by putting three criminals from the same family in jail forever.”
That last part was a provocation, and I pray to God that the plan works.
"Do you know what they do to rapists in prison, Aell?"
"You . . .” He doesn't disappoint me when he loses control and tries to attack me, but Hades is faster and pulls me back, "I should have killed you too that night, bitch!"
"You couldn't. I was smarter." I pretend to be brave, but I'm shaking.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Kennedy?" Hades whispers in my ear when he has me in his arms.
I watch as a guard grabs Aell, pinning his hands behind his back as he tries to lunge at me.
"He is his brother's accomplice, Hades. Forgive me for not telling you anything, but I needed to provoke him, or he would never have given himself away. I looked him up. The golden boy, unlike Ryan, has never even had a traffic ticket, but they are two sides of the same coin. Aell was there, and he was the one who dealt Pam the final blow."
I realize I'm becoming hysterical, but adrenaline is pumping through my body. I think I could punch that bastard if Hades let me go.
Aell tries to escape, and when he can't, he elbows the guard, and this causes at least six others to throw him to the ground and handcuff him.
"Enough, let's go," Hades says, probably intuiting that I've reached the limit of my courage.
"What about him?"
"Aell will pay, I promise," he says as he takes me out of the courtroom, "but don't you ever do anything like that again, woman. If he’d touched you, I would have killed him in front of everyone."
"I needed to use this opportunity. There would have been no other. He wasn't going to give himself up."
"With your memory back, we'd have followed the trail, Kennedy. You were very brave, but don't put yourself at risk again."
When I reach the hallway, the adrenaline finally subsides and a strong cry escapes me.
"I remembered everything this morning, when I saw an interview with him. Aell showed up at the beach house that night. In fact, I think he went with Ryan, but he stayed hidden. Maybe Pam didn't even know. Hours after I hit her with the statue, I left the room, thinking about running away. That's when I saw him. What they did to her was a bloodbath. As I ran down the stairs, I immediately saw that Pam was already dead. Now I remember, I had already found the hiding place and, terrified, I went back there, but I still listened when Aell bragged about the murder. It was his idea to kill her. Aell is just as much of a killer as Ryan. Maybe more.”
He holds me in his arms, the only prison I want to be in. "I understand, wife. You were wonderful, but your role in this story is over."
"It's not over. I will have to testify. Won't he be judged too?"
"No," he says simply, and his answer gives me peace.