Chapter Fourty-two
“My Lord, I'd like to call Mrs. Alyssa Graham to the stand.”
I squeezed her hand as she stood up for assurance. She's been nervous for the past week. Sleep was hard to come by for her and I'd usually stay awake and try to get her to sleep.
This trial couldn't come soon enough.
I watched as her fearful eyes darted to me constantly as they swore her in. Being the major victim, it was smart to get her testimony first. The only bad thing was that it wasn't our lawyer that called her, it was Christopher's.
Charles Bennett, the lawyer, was a man who had a knack for winning cases for guilty people. He was extremely arrogant and had no problem bragging to Alyssa about how he'd win this case.
The thought of her uncle going free nearly pushed her to a panic attack, luckily I got to her in time. I still owe the man a punch for what he did to her.
“Mrs. Graham, how long did you live with your uncle and his family?” He asked.
“Eleven years.” She answered.
“That's quite a long time to live with people you claim to have been abusive to you. If your claims are true, why didn't you move out when you turned eighteen?”
“He didn't let me.” She gestured to Christopher who sat at the defense table with his wife and daughter.
“At eighteen years, you are an adult legally, you wouldn't need anyone's permission to move out of a house.” Mr. Bennett stated.
“Well, I also didn't have the money for a new place. I didn't have any money at all.”
“I find it highly unlikely that a man like Christopher Jordan, a multi millionaire, would not provide someone in his care adequate funds to take care of themselves. Just look at his daughter, she has enough money in her account to ensure she doesn't have to work for the next few months. I believe you are also his daughter, why wouldn't he give you any?”
I could tell the whole situation was frustrating her as well making her scared. The way he spoke to her pissed me off as well, like she was a liar. Maybe that's what Christopher told him and he was supposed to make the court believe that. But he still annoyed me.
“He never gave me any money and he didn't let me work as a teenager.” Was her annoyed reply.
“Why not?”
“I don't know! He was controlling and abusive, he didn't even let me have any friends!”
“Funny you would say that.” His eyes darted to me and Alyssa's followed. “If you didn't have friends or if he was as controlling as to you say, you wouldn't be married, correct?”
Utter terror entered her eyes, hearing that. “Um…”
“'Um' is not an answer, Mrs. Graham.” He leans unto the edge of the witness box with a cocky smirk. “Why don't you tell us the truth Mrs Graham?”
Murmurs started behind me as the members of the media present took in the information. Alyssa looked horrified while Christopher and his lawyer smirked. They knew Alyssa would never disclose the contract even with the absence of a non-disclosure agreement.
The lawyer turned away from her and faced the judge. “Your honour, it is obvious that Mrs Graham believes she can play us all fool by making up this story about being abused just for fa…”
“There was a contract!”
The noise in the courtroom ceased as the words escaped her mouth. Everyone, the judge, the media, Christopher and his family, their lawyer, were shocked. I felt the same way and I think even she was surprised at herself.
“N-Nathan' father and Christopher wanted to go in business together and…”
“I think that's enough Mrs Graham.” Mr Bennett tried to stop her.
“No, you wanted to know, you will.” She looked back to the judge. “There was a contract and one of the terms was that Nathan would marry Christopher's daughter. I was legally adopted by him a month after my parents passed so I was a candidate. It wasn't till after we married that we fell in love. That's the truth.”
The murmurs started again and cameras went off. The judge banged his gavel severally, calling for order. When it was quiet again, Mr Bennett declared he had no further questions for her. The man had obviously been knocked down a few pegs by Alyssa's announcement and I enjoyed watching as he dejectedly returned to his seat at the defense table.
The district attorney had a turn questioning her. He went out with a stack of papers while the bailiff handed some to the judge and members of the jury. I had a copy too, having demanded for all material being used against the Jordans.
“Mrs Graham,” The D.A, Mr Rogers, started, sliding the stack to Alyssa. “this is a list of the injuries you incurred while living with the defendants. Excluding all the skeletal ones, which would you say was the worst?”
Alyssa scanned the list, dragging her slender finger over it. “Number twenty-five.”
I quickly moved my attention to the picture I was sure the judge and jury could see. The crooked 'V' shaped knife cut had a very interesting story behind it.
“Can you tell us how you got this injury? It doesn't look like it was an accident.”
She nodded, swallowing. “I was seventeen. Hailey had come back from a party very drunk. She was angry about something and came to my room. I was asleep and her yelling woke me up.”
“What was she yelling about?”
Her eyebrows creased as she tried to remember. When she told me about it, she said the memory was a bit fuzzy and it happened a bit fast to her. I sent her an encouraging nod, knowing she was looking to me.
“She kept calling me a slut and saying that I stole someone from her. I told her I didn't then she started hitting me. I managed to push her out of the room and locked the door.
After I didn't open it for a few minutes, she went to call her dad. He forced the door open and the both of them ganged up on me.”
She paused momentarily to wipe at her eyes and took a calming breath. It killed me seeing her in this state. I hated seeing her cry and not being able to comfort her.
I wanted to get up and take her in my arms but if I did, I risked being taken out of the courtroom, leaving her without support. My mum was present as well as Ivy, Cassy, my sister and Jacob to show their love. My father and his wife only came because it concerned family not because they cared, I'd have preferred they stayed away.
“They took me down to the kitchen and bound me to a table. Hailey got a k-knife and put it on a stove. I-I remember her saying how she was going to teach me a lesson then I felt a horrible pain on my back. S-she was using the hot knife o-on me a-and I couldn't fight her off.”
“Where was her father at this point?”
A soft sob escaped her lips as she used a handkerchief to wipe her tears. “H-h-he was r-right there, w-watching.”
“Your honour, I object.” Christopher's lawyer had to interrupt. “The police report states that injury was inflicted by an estranged boyfriend who was never found. The boyfriend's name was Victor, hence the shape.”
“T-that's not true.” She protested. “I-I never signed a police report. I was in a coma for two weeks after and no one mentioned the police to me afterward. I never even had a boyfriend”
“Do you know why she made the cut that shape, Mrs Graham?” Alyssa shook her head at he D.A and added a 'no' when she was reminded all her answer were supposed to be verbal. “Okay, thank you for you cooperation, you may step down now.”
In moments, she was seated next to me again. I pulled her closer and buried her head in my chest, telling her how proud I was and that she did very well.
The trial went on and other witnesses were called. Cassy was called to answer questions about Alyssa's teenage years and why she wanted custody of her. She stated how she suspected something was going on with her but Alyssa never confirmed it and how bad she felt when she lost the battle for custody.
Ivy talked about the attack at our house and a video testimony of Oliver was played. When the issues of her father's will came up, Jacob and I were called to the stand.
The original will was found during a search of Christopher's home and brought to court as evidence against him.
I didn't even have to answer so many questions. Christopher's lawyer had basically given up on winning this case and had nothing new to ask.
The defendants came to testify of course but there was nothing they could do but deny everything. Christopher especially, denied ever hitting Alyssa even with the evidence against him.
I was pretty confident that everyone believed they were guilty when the judge called for a short recess while the jury made their decision. I was grateful for the time we had outside the courtroom. Despite everything, Alyssa was still worried that they were going to go free.
I would never let that happen.
An hour passed and we hadn't heard anything about the verdict. This made Alyssa more anxious.
“What if they don't believe me? Maybe they think I was lying, I could be sent to jail for that.” She rambled.
I stopped her pacing and sat her on a bench. “You are not going to jail because you weren't lying, everyone in there saw that you were being completely honest. Christopher and his family are going to prison, don't worry.”
She buried her face in my shoulder with a groan. “Why haven't they come to a decision yet? I can't be that had.”
“Be patient, Love.” I ran my hand up and down her back, something I noticed always calmed her down.
Truthfully speaking, I was nervous as well. I was sure they were facing jail time but for how long? I didn't want them to be out in a few years and still be a threat to her. That would mean at the end of their sentence, Alyssa would be back to looking over her shoulder all the time and none of us would be safe.
“Nathan, it's time to go back in.” I was brought out of my thoughts by my mother's voice.
I gave her a nod and made my way into the courtroom with my wife in my arms. We took our previous seats as the judge sat on his, hoping for the best.
The judge asked if anyone had anything else to say before he gave the verdict and when no one said anything, he continued. “Rebecca Jordan, for the crime of child abuse and assault, the court finds you guilty and sentences you to twenty years in prison with a possibility of parole.
Hailey Jordan, for the crimes of assault and torture of your fellow human being, the court finds you guilty and sentences you to thirty-five years in prison with a possibility of parole.
Christopher Jordan, for the crimes of conspiracy to commit murder, child abuse, fraud, assault and battery, extortion, and attempted murder, the court finds you guilty and hereby sentences you to life imprisonment without a possibility of parole.”
I felt Alyssa freeze in my arms as I hugged her tight, smiling widely. She didn't react as anyone congratulated her and stared in one direction.
I followed her gaze to watch Christopher and his family being handcuffed. His wife had tears running down her face while he just stared at her coldly. Hailey on the other hand, was in hysterics.
“This isn't over, bitch! I'll get out and I'll get you!” She was quickly pulled out of the room by police officers.
The media was quick to hound us as we left the court house, trying to get a statement out of either one of us. Even when we got into the car Alyssa hadn't said a word, which made me worry. She just stared blankly outside the window.
When I couldn't take her silence anymore, I tapped her shoulder to get her attention.
“Are you okay?” I asked, eyeing the tears pooled in her eyes. She nodded but I tear leaving her eye made me think otherwise. “You wouldn't be crying if you were okay. What's the matter?”
“They're gone. I'm free.”
It took me a while to understand that she wasn't crying because she was upset, she cried because she was happy.
I gently scooped her up and dropped her in my lap, planting a kiss on her temple. I let her cry, not caring that she was soaking my shirt. It was a good thing there was a divider between us and the driver so Alyssa wouldn't feel awkward.
A few minutes later, I heard her say. “Thank you, Nathan. This wouldn't have happened without you. I'm so lucky you came into my life.”
Thinking of all the things she's done for me, helping me forget the pain of my past an start loving again, becoming the best mother to our son, I concluded. “I'm the lucky one.”
Author's Note: