68. The Testimony
"I... I can't. I can't go there."
My lips trembled as tears gathered in my eyes.
Suddenly it felt like the entire courtroom was staring at me.
I wasn't prepared for this moment. Not even a little.
Nobody told me they would call me into the witness box.
If someone had warned me before, maybe I could have convinced myself, prepared myself, reminded myself again and again that this wasn't seven years ago.
But right now all I could hear was the sound of my own heartbeat.
The courtroom, the judge, the lawyers, the people sitting around me, everything started blurring together.
"Please, Yugant... I can't." I begged because I genuinely didn't have the courage. The witness box was just a few steps away, but it felt impossible to reach.
"You're not going anywhere. It's okay," Yugant said immediately. His arm wrapped around my shoulders and he pulled me closer into him while sitting on the chair. I closed my eyes and buried my face in his neck, trying to hide from everything around me.
"Mrs. Dhwani Raizaada, please come to the witness box," Mr. Malhotra repeated.
"She can't come there," Yugant said firmly.
"Does that mean she's afraid she might say something she shouldn't?"
My fingers instantly fisted Yugant's blazer. I felt his entire body tense beside me.
"She will come. Just give us a minute."
Samarth Bhai suddenly stood and crouched in front of me.
"Dhwani..."
I didn't look at him. I couldn't. Because I knew what would happen if I did.
He would try to convince me and today even he couldn't.
He didn't know why I was reacting like this.
He didn't know that this wasn't about answering questions.
He didn't know that every courtroom reminded me of the day my life fell apart.
"Dhwani." He cupped my face gently and tried making me look at him. "Look at me."
I leaned further into Yugant instead.
"Dhwani, you have to do this."
"No..." My voice broke as I finally looked at him. "No, Bhai. I can't."
"Samarth, let it be," Yugant said softly.
"Are you fucking out of your mind?" Bhai snapped, gritting his teeth to keep his voice low but firm. "This is important, Yugant."
"Not more important than my wife."
A sob escaped my lips hearing that. Neither of them were wrong. Bhai was worried about the case. Yugant was worried about me. Every time I looked towards that witness box, I saw another one. Another courtroom. Another judge. Another hearing where nobody listened no matter how much I cried.
"We don't have the whole day, Your Honour," Mr. Malhotra spoke again. "If she refuses to testify, then the allegations made against Miss Olivia Kingsley cannot be accepted. In that case, the court should proceed accordingly."
"This is unfair," Ms. Arora's sharp voice echoed through the courtroom. "Just give us a minute. Dhwani will answer."
Before I could react, she walked towards us and knelt in front of me.
"Dhwani." Her voice was soft. Gentle. Warm. The same warmth I spent years trying to forget. "Look up, my child."
Slowly, I raised my eyes and met hers. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I stared at her face.
I wished she had shown up seven years ago.
Maybe then I would have been able to stand for Yugant today.
Maybe then my hands wouldn't shake whenever someone asked me to speak in a courtroom.
Maybe then I wouldn't feel sixteen all over again.
She grabbed my hands and squeezed them lightly. I immediately tried pulling them away, but she held them firmly.
"Dhwani, this is not the time to feel weak. If you want Yugant out of this mess, you have to be strong."
"I can't..." I whispered while wiping my tears. I didn't want her to know how broken I still was. And how much of that brokenness belonged to her.
"You can."
"No."
"Yes, you can. You have to." There was steel behind her voice. "Dhwani, you cannot run every time life puts you in a difficult position. Not today."
I shook my head.
"No... You lie. You always..." My words broke apart before I could finish them.
Pain flashed across her face, but she didn't let go. Instead she rubbed my cold hands between hers as if trying to warm them.
"Then don't believe my words. Believe in yourself."
Her voice cracked slightly. "Today isn't about me and you." Her gaze shifted towards Yugant. "It's about him. About your husband." Then she looked back at me. "The man you love more than the breath you're taking."
My throat tightened.
"And if there is even one percent of you that still believes I ever loved you..." Her fingers tightened around my trembling hands. "Then trust me and come forward. I will not let them destroy your life again."
I stared at her as her eyes filled with tears.
I didn't want to believe her. I didn't want to believe a single word coming out of her mouth.
But something in her eyes refused to let me look away.
For the first time in years, I saw fear there.
Determination too and something else that looked painfully close to love.
"What if..." My voice trembled. "What if you can't save him? What if you can't save us?"
"Then you can hate me for the rest of your life." A tear slipped down her cheek. "But today, trust me for the next ten minutes."
It's about Yugant. I can't let everything shatter at the last moment.
I want a peaceful life with him. A normal one. A life where we don't have to keep fighting the world every day.
So I have to do this.
I wiped my tears with the back of my hand and slowly nodded.
Relief flashed across Ms. Arora's face.
She quickly wiped her own tears before standing up and returning to her place.
"We apologize for wasting the court's valuable time, Your Honour. Mrs. Dhwani Raizaada is ready to testify."
My heart was still hammering against my ribs as I looked towards Yugant. He gave me a reassuring nod. I forced a smile and walked towards the witness box.
Each step felt heavier than the previous one. The moment I stepped inside, memories from seven years ago crashed into me.
The same wooden railing.
The same crowd.
The same feeling of being judged before I even spoke.
The only difference was that today I was standing here to save someone I loved. And the woman I never wanted to see again was standing beside me instead of walking away.
I just hoped she wouldn't break my trust this time.
"So, Mrs. Raizaada," Mr. Malhotra began with a polite smile that somehow made me even more uncomfortable. "Could you tell the court since when you've known Mr. Yugant Raizaada?"
I glanced at Yugant once before looking towards the judge.
"Around seven months before our marriage."
"Point to be noted, Your Honour." He nodded dramatically. "Mrs. Raizaada confirms she knew Mr. Yugant Raizaada seven months before the wedding." The judge scribble that point.
He looked back at me. "And how exactly did you meet?"
"My brother was missing at that time. Yugant helped me and gave me shelter." I avoid the further details which have nothing to do with this case or Kingsleys as it's between me, my brother and my husband.
"Only shelter?" he asked.
No we fucked.
"Yes."
"You lived in his house?"
"Yes."
"For how long?"
"Around three months."
"Just the two of you?"
"No. There were staff members, security guards, Yugant's P.A Ishaan Awasthi and his grandparents and sister as well." I said each word while gritting my teeth.
Mr. Malhotra smiled.
"A young unmarried man and an unmarried woman living under the same roof for months. Would you call that normal?"
"Objection, Your Honour," Ms. Arora immediately stood. "The counsel is giving personal opinions instead of asking relevant questions."
"Sustained," the judge said. "Stick to facts, Mr. Malhotra."
"Yes, My Lord." He turned back towards me.
"Mrs. Raizaada, during those few months, did you develop feelings for Mr. Raizaada?"
The courtroom grew silent. I knew exactly where he was heading. "Yes."
A few whispers spread around the room. "And did Mr. Raizaada develop feelings for you?"
"Yes."
"So both of you were romantically involved before marriage?"
My fingers tightened around the wooden railing. "Yes."
"Point to be noted, Your honour."
His smile widened. "Thank you Mrs. Raizaada. You may go back to your seat now."
I clenched my fists and moved back to my seat.
" Feeling good?" Yugant asked, holding my hand again.
"Not exactly." I answered truthfully, bcz I could still feel my trembling legs. Yugant placed his one hand on my thighs and that leg stopped trembling followed by the other one.
"So while a marriage alliance existed between Miss Olivia Kingsley and Mr. Yugant Raizaada, Mr. Raizaada was already emotionally involved with his best friend's sister."
Point to be noted, Your Honour."
Mr. Malhotra nodded as if he had achieved something significant.
His smile widened. "Thank you, Mrs. Raizaada. You may return to your seat."
I clenched my fists and carefully stepped down from the witness box. My legs still felt weak by the time I reached Yugant.
The moment I sat down, he reached for my hand.
"Feeling good?" he asked softly.
"Not exactly," I answered truthfully because I could still feel my legs trembling beneath the table.
Without saying anything, Yugant placed his hand over my thigh beneath the desk.
The gesture was simple but somehow, it steadied me. Slowly, the trembling eased.
I let out a shaky breath.
Meanwhile, Mr. Malhotra turned towards the judge.
"So while a marriage alliance existed between Miss Olivia Kingsley and Mr. Yugant Raizaada, Mr. Raizaada was already emotionally involved with his best friend's sister."
Ms. Arora immediately stood.
"This proves absolutely nothing, Your Honour. Having feelings for someone is not a crime, nor does it prove that my client violated any contractual obligation."
In fact, I would like my learned friend to provide actual evidence proving that this alleged contract was breached solely because of my client.
Because if he cannot prove that, then we cannot simply accept his version of events."
Her gaze shifted towards Olivia.