Olivia #2
“Were you consenting to these interactions, Olivia?”
“No,” I whimper.
“What would happen if you refused?” she asks.
“I would be whipped with this metal wire rod thing until I was bleeding and unconscious,” I say. “The men would still use me to… They’d have sex with me while I was unconscious.”
“What injuries did you sustain during the final attack from Mr. Hayes?” Amy asks.
“I had broken ribs, a concussion, and a lot of bruising,” I answer. “There was extensive swelling in my throat from being strangled, so I was hospitalized so they could help me breathe better.”
“After leaving the hospital, did you appear in court for the original proceedings?”
“No,” I sigh.
“Why not?”
“I was scared.”
“Scared of what, Olivia?” Amy asks.
“That if he got out…” I say, but the truth chokes me. “He’d kill me.”
“How is your life now?” Amy asks.
“It’s getting better,” I say. “I’ve reconnected with childhood friends. I struggle with intimacy, and I suffer from being triggered by the memories.”
“I received word this morning that you gave the police evidence of Mr. Hayes allowing men to rape you in exchange for money, correct?”
“Objection, Your Honor. I had no knowledge of this.”
“Your Honor, I would like to submit into evidence, Exhibit 105A. This is an SD card containing three terabytes of files collected by Ms. Monroe from their home computer before she filed for divorce. We have authenticated where the files originated and can confirm they were taken from Mr. Hayes’ laptop computer.
I emailed a copy of everything to you and the assisting counsel of Mr. Hayes before court this morning,” Amy says.
“Proceed with questioning,” the Judge says.
“Olivia, in your own words, what are the contents of these files?”
“Uh… Jason kept a record of every man he let rape me. He documented their names, accounts they paid him from, or what business deal was being negotiated, and…”
“And what, Olivia?” Amy presses.
“...And how much of a cut his boss got for men raping me,” I whimper. “How much debt was taken off for his boss raping me.”
“For the record, can you state who this boss you are referring to is?”
“Uhm,” I say, my eyes darting around the room. I find Bodhi, and he nods once, telling me I’m okay. “His name is Miguel Martinez.”
“Are you referring to Senator Miguel Martinez, Olivia?”
“Yes,” I answer through tears, and the court is in an uproar immediately.
“Quiet!” Judge Henderson shouts, banging his gavel on his bench.
“Olivia, I can’t help but notice that you are overwhelmed with emotion right now. Why?” Amy asks.
“Because… Friday, Miguel came to my home and threatened to kill me if I named him… Said he knows everything. He was specific about what he said that no one but a few people would know… He shot the floor beside my head… I’m scared of him.”
“Why wasn’t the police called?” Amy asks.
“Because… I was afraid that the person I fear is relaying information to Miguel would find out…” I say. “I went to the FBI instead.”
“Who are you afraid is relaying information? Local police?” she asks.
“No, Detective Jeramy Garcia,” I say. “He was trying to get me to introduce the SD card during court to you, and not the cops. He was supposed to file the restraining order, but didn’t.
He told me that Jason was trying to say I was the one…
he said I might go to jail for trafficking…
I wanted to stay away from him because I don’t trust him… So I went to the FBI.”
“No further questions, Your Honor,” Amy says, returning to her seat next to Jett.
Something in the air shifts when Jason stands. He adjusts the cuffs of his suit before approaching me. I drop my head and sink down in my seat a bit. “Olivia,” he says smoothly. I hate how my name sounds coming from him. “You testified that you were scared of me.”
“Yes,” I say quietly.
“Yet you stayed married to me for ten years.”
“Objection,” Amy barks. “Argumentative.”
“Overruled,” The judge responds.
“Answer the question, Olivia,” Jason says. He is standing directly in front of me with his hand on the bench. He’s too close, and I can’t breathe. I can smell his cologne, and suddenly it doesn’t matter that we are surrounded by people because my body reacts as if we are alone.
“I wasn’t allowed to leave. You wouldn’t let me,” I say quietly.
“But you eventually did,” he states.
“Yes.”
“When you left, did you drain our joint accounts before disappearing?” he asks.
“Yes.”
“Nearly two hundred thousand dollars, correct?”
“Yes,” I say again, quieter this time. “My name was on the account. It was mine, too.”
“But you took it without my knowledge.”
“Because I thought you’d kill me.”
Jason tilts his head to the side and smirks at me. “Interesting. You were afraid of me, yet you stole from me?”
“Objection!” Amy scoffs.
“Goes to credibility,” Jason says.
“Proceed carefully, Mr. Hayes,” The judge says.
“You testified that you struggle with intimacy. Is that correct?” Jason asks me.
“But you are currently involved with another man, are you not?”
“Objection. Relevance,” Amy says.
“Your Honor, it directly relates to damages and emotional distress.”
“Limited scope. Move on quickly,” Judge Henderson says, making Jason smirk at me.
“Who is this man you are involved with?”
“Bodhi Jensen,” I say quietly.
“How long after leaving me did you begin seeing Mr. Jensen?” Jason asks.
“Months,” I say. “Only recently.”
“And it is the man sitting behind the prosecution desk, glaring at me right now?”
“Yes…”
Jason clasps his hands behind his back. “So, despite your claims of severe trauma, you were able to move on with another man you found attractive?”
“That’s not what I said,” I say, heat flooding my face.
“But you did sleep with him.”
“Objection!” Amy shouts, slamming her hand down on the table in front of him. Jason ignores her anyway.
“Did you cry after sleeping with him, too, or is it only rape when you regret it after?” Jason asks, and the question hits me so hard that I physically cannot breathe.
Amy is shouting, the judge is yelling at the gallery, but all I can hear is Jason.
His accusations. His humiliation. I can’t look up at him because it’s like I am back in that house with him again.
The courtroom vanishes. Suddenly, I can smell bourbon and expensive cologne.
I can hear the marble cracking beneath my knees in our bathroom in Dallas.
Jason is standing over me. “Nobody will ever want you after me,” he says, or maybe the memory of him does.
My chest locks so painfully that I think I might die right there on the witness stand.
“No further questions,” Jason says coolly before returning to his seat.
Amy is beside me immediately. “Olivia,” she says softly. “Look at me… Take a breath.”
My chest jerks painfully before air finally rushes back into my lungs. She hands me a bottle of water, and I carefully take a sip. My hands are shaking so badly that I nearly spill it on myself.
“Redirect, Your Honor,” Amy says, and the judge nods. “Olivia, why do victims sometimes remain with their partners, despite wanting to leave?”
“Because they are afraid.”
“And why do you believe your abuse has affected how you handle intimacy?”
“Because it changed how I see myself,” I answer.
“Do you think being a victim of severe domestic violence, sexual abuse, and human trafficking makes you incapable of recognizing kindness in a person?”
“No,” I say.