Chapter 75 #2
“I’m telling you so you understand where I’m coming from,” she tells me.
“I failed Austin those first few years. I wasn’t there for him when he needed me.
My son is not perfect, but I’m all he has in this world, and I won’t allow him to become a product of his upbringing.
What he did to you was wrong, but I won’t abandon him when he needs me most. And I won’t stand by while he rots away in a prison cell. ”
Our eyes lock, and it’s on the tip of my tongue to tell her I don’t care when she leans forward in her seat, her icy blue eyes holding mine.
“Five years, with the opportunity for parole. He’ll serve jail time. That’s what you said you wanted.”
I shake my head. Five years isn’t nearly enough, but …
she was right. Juries don’t like to convict people like him.
Austin Holt is the golden boy. Good-looking.
Athletic. A model citizen in every sense if you ignore what he did to me.
I’m his one black mark. That we know of at least. But with parole, there’s a good chance he’d serve less time. Austin knows how to work the system.
“It isn’t enough.”
Her lips press into a thin line. “What if I can guarantee jail time for the other two boys who were involved?”
My spine straightens.
“How?” Gregory Chambers and Parker Benson were there that night. They … did things to me. They participated. And later, when Austin tried to drown me, they were there for that, too. But they didn’t actively participate. All the police have them on is being present and playing lookout.
My family’s attorney said probation and a fine was the most likely outcome given the circumstances. It was their first offense on the record. I hate them both almost as much as I hate Austin. They deserve to be behind bars too, but until now … I hadn’t really considered it a possibility.
“That’s not for you to worry about,” Jaymin says. “But if I’m able to secure jail time for both parties, two years with the opportunity for parole, will you agree to five years for Austin?”
I consider it. Like, really consider it.
If I go to trial, there’s a chance Austin might serve a longer sentence, but then Gregory and Parker walk.
If I take this deal, all of them have to pay for what they did to me.
It’s not enough, but if I’m honest with myself, I don’t know that anything ever would be.
They took something from me. No punishment can ever give it back. At least this way—
“I need an answer.”
“Whatever I agree to now won’t hold up in court,” I tell her. “I can still change my mind.”
“I’m aware. But I’ll take a verbal confirmation now, regardless.”
I chew on my bottom lip. “All three serve time behind bars,” I echo her earlier statement. “Five years for Austin and I want three years for Gregory and Parker.”
“I can make that happen.”
We’ll see.
“And I want all three going through court-ordered therapy upon release.” They’re already menaces to society. This way … I don’t know. Maybe other women like me will stand a chance.
Jaymin nods, her movements slow and deliberate. “I’ll ensure the necessary arrangements are made.”
Then … silence as Jaymin rises from her seat without a word and slips out of the room, her heels clicking softly against the wooden floor. The sound fades, and I’m left standing in the middle of the room, frozen, unsure of what comes next.
I turn toward the window, the heavy fabric of the curtains brushing my fingertips as I pull them further back to peer out. The alley is empty, devoid of life. No cars, no people. Just the quiet hum of a distant streetlight and the shadowy outline of buildings looming in the dusk.
The seconds tick by, painfully slow. My eyes track the flickering light at the end of the street, watching it go in and out, like my breathing. Steady, but not enough to chase away the anxiety gnawing at my insides.
I press my palm flat against the cool glass, my thoughts slipping into a dull buzz. My fingers curl into a fist, pressing harder, trying to ground myself against the growing unease. How long are they going to keep me here?
The room feels empty without her, but not in a comforting way.
It’s the kind of emptiness that’s full of tension, wrapping around me like a cold hand on my throat.
I clench and unclench my fists, feeling the soft satin of my dress between my fingers.
I try to remember my therapist's grounding exercises.
I’ve got this.
Finally, the sound of a phone ringing cuts through the heavy silence like a sharp blade. My body jerks at the sudden noise, adrenaline flooding my veins. I whirl around as Jaymin steps back into the room, calm and collected as always.
Her driver comes in from the opposite end of the house. His phone is pressed to his ear. He doesn’t speak at first, just nods, his face unreadable.
After a pause, he lowers the phone and turns to Jaymin who stares at him with an expectant look.
“Your son is home,” he tells her.
She exhales, a slow release of tension I didn’t even realize she was holding. Her shoulders drop, her mask of cold indifference faltering just enough to reveal the relief beneath. “Well then,” she says, her voice softer than before. “It looks like we’re finished here.”
Relief washes over me, mingling with exhaustion, but I can’t bring myself to feel the same level of calm that she does. “Great. Can I go now?”
Jaymin retrieves my phone from her purse, holding it out to me with a small, polite smile that makes my skin crawl. “I’ll have my driver drop you off.”
I nod, clutching my phone tightly in my hand, the familiar weight of it somehow comforting now. “Fine.”