A/N:
Beautiful Obsession has chapters up so make sure once you're done with this to check out Hazel & Tyler's story!

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EIGHT MONTHS LATER...

I sit in the courtroom in the first row with Hazel and Lizzie on either side of me. Each of them holds one of my hands tightly in their own, offering me their strength as they bring out my father for the final time.

He's dressed in an ill fitting suit and keeps his head down low as an officer brings him to the defendant's side. His forehead is still pink around the harsh, jagged lines of the black swastika that was tattooed on the skin there. The prosecuting lawyer explained yesterday that when he was transferred into general population that a prison gang found out about what he had done to me over the years and also what he tried to have done months ago. From my understanding, they had held him down and forcefully branded the racist symbol so that he would forever be marked as the asshole that he is.

My breath catches when his dark eyes meet mine. One might think that he would've realized his wrongdoings, that he would hold some sense of regret for everything he had done, but that's not my father. He has a justification for everything. His lips spread into a cruel smile and he wiggles the fingers of one of his cuffed hands at me.

"Prick," Hazel whispers under her breath. She's practically vibrating with pent up rage on my behalf.

The officer removes the cuffs from my father's hands and feet and then my father moves to sit in his seat beside his lawyer.

It's been a long wait for the trial itself, but today is the day that the jury will be deciding his fate. I've been assured that the case is going our way, that there's a substantial amount of evidence stacked against my father and there's no possible way he can come back from this, but these people don't know him like I do. He's like a weasel in his cunningness. I won't believe it until I hear the word "guilty" come from a jurors mouth.

I find myself wishing that Alex were here with me as the lawyers give their closing statements. I wish I had been selfish this morning when he asked me for the millionth time if I wanted him to come, but I also want him to succeed with his student teaching.

My father's lawyer uses me as an excuse to the jury, trying to convince them that I've made it all up and that "Sheriff" Dwaine Carter couldn't possibly be behind the attack. The lawyer claimed that I had simply been meddling in my father's life since the day I was born.

Lizzie pats the top of my hand, almost as though she's read my thoughts. "My asshole of a brother will be here soon."

I'm so grateful for her friendship. We've grown fairly close since she moved to Colorado, and I'm happy that her and Hazel seem to mesh so well together too.

The prosecuting lawyer delivers her statement, appealing to the jury with both facts and emotion. She paints me as an "unsuspecting victim." I can't tell which is worse. Being called a liar or weak. I know both lawyers are just trying to do their jobs, but it fills me with a sense of self-loathing.

"Court is in recess while the jury is out," the judge says. She slams the gavel down and then exits the podium.

I follow Hazel and Lizzie back out into the hall and grab a Pepsi from a nearby vending machine.

"They're going to put him away, don't you worry," Hazel says as she sits on a nearby bench.

I rub the place where my scar is on my abdomen, feeling the thick scar tissue even through my blouse. It's morbid, but touching it reminds me that I'm still here.

"I hate seeing him," I whisper, sitting down next to her. I twist off the cap to my soda and take a drink. The carbonation burns my too dry throat on the way down.

Hazel pats my hair, pulling it over my shoulder. "I know, babe. This should be the last time though."

Lizzie pops back into view with her cellphone in hand. "Alex is here."

Her words bring much needed relief and I feel my spine loosen as my body relaxes. As if on cue, Alex bursts through the doors down the hall. He's dressed in a dark blue bottom down shirt with the tie I got him for his birthday over the summer. It's black with the planets of the solar system and he usually wears it when he has to do a presentation for the eighth grade science class he's been sitting in on this semester. He moves through the crowd quickly, towering over most so he's easy to spot. He doesn't stop until he reaches me, and when he does he gently pulls me to my feet and into his arms.

I hug him back tightly, my arms wrapping around his mid-section as he burrows his face in my hair. His woodsy smelling aftershave tickles my nose, the scent so familiar and alluring.

"Did I miss much?" Alex asks softly.

I shake my head, not wanting to tell him the way both lawyers each used me as a pawn. It would only upset him.

I untangle myself from his embrace, stepping back a few paces and sitting back down. "How was school?"

He shrugs and takes the Pepsi from my hands to steal a drink. "Fine, I guess. I was so distracted though. I wanted to be here with you instead of locked up in a classroom with a broken heater."

"Is this going to be some kind of metaphor?" Lizzie asks dryly. "Some shit about 'the only place that feels warm enough for my soul is with you'?"

Alex narrows his eyes at her. "You sound like Luke. Been hanging around him much since you moved?"

Her cheeks burn. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Quit your fighting," Hazel snaps. Her blue eyes narrow as they dart between the two siblings. "I swear, I can't take you two anywhere."

Alex and Lizzie both duck their heads, yielding to Hazel's cold stare. I almost wish that she hadn't interfered. Watching Alex and Lizzie bickering was eating up time, but now I'm left to focus on the fact that we're waiting for the conclusion of the trial.

"Look," Alex says, pointing a finger down the hall to our courtroom. "People are heading back inside."

I swallow harshly, my fingernails digging into the outer sides of my legs. "It's barely been a half hour."

Alex stands, holding one hand out towards me to help me up. I stare at him like he's grown a second head.

I don't want to go inside.

"Mabes...?" he trails off, cocking his head to one side in question.

"What if the reason they've called everyone back so early is because there wasn't much of a debate," I choke out.

Hazel gently pries my hands from my lap, removing my nails from my skin. "That's what we want, babe."

"Not if it means that they're planning to let him walk free." My breathing turns shallow, and I can feel a clammy sweat flush my skin.

No, not now. Please not now, I beg myself. I squeeze my eyes shut and try my hardest to at the very least steady my breathing. I can't walk into a courtroom hyperventilating.

Fear keeps me rooted to the bench, completely unable to move no matter how hard I try. My body feels frozen but like it's buzzing with excess energy at the same time.

"Lizzie, Hazel," Alex addresses them quietly, his voice nearly a whisper. I can't hear his next words over the rush of blood in my ears. It pounds against my eardrums like a tidal wave, drowning out any other sounds.

I open my eyes again and find that both Lizzie and Hazel have left. Alex crouches down in front of me and takes my face in his large hands, steering my head down so our foreheads touch.

"In and out, baby," he coaxes, running his thumbs over my cheeks. He makes a show of breathing in deeply through his nose, holding it for a moment, and then releasing the breath through his mouth.

This is my first panic attack since the trial started, and I think maybe it has something to do with the finality that today brings. I've been doing so well with them, but I feel like I just can't shake my anxiety. It's always there, lingering in the background.

"Mabes you are so strong," Alex murmurs. "Go show him how strong you are. Let's go in there so you can see that fucker's confidence shatter when they say he's guilty."

I nod slowly, squeezing my eyes shut as I struggle for control over my body. It takes a moment, but I finally get my breathing to regulate.

He lands a chaste kiss on the tip of my nose and then gets to his feet, pulling me up along with him. My legs feel like noodles as he leads me inside the courtroom.

We don't sit in the front this time. Instead, Alex brings me to one of the back rows where Hazel and Lizzie are seated.

The judge swivels in her seat to face the jury. "Has the jury come to a decision?"

A man stands up, holding a clipboard in his hands. "Yes, your honor."

The entire room seems to hold their breath, mused included.

"You may proceed then."

He nods and clears his throat. "In the charge of solicitation to commit murder, we the jury find Dwaine Carter...guilty."

Hot tears I don't realize I had been holding back begin to stream down my face. It's real. He's really going away.

The amount of relief I felt when Mabel's prick of a father was convicted was insane. I'll admit that I was starting to get nervous the longer the trial took. Mabel seemed hell-bent on the possibility that he would get out of this and walk free, and it was beginning to take its toll on me as well. The more and more she worried about it, the worse my own nightmares got. Dreams of having to identify her mangled body in a morgue haunted me for the last six months. But the minute that juror said the word "guilty" it was like everything faded away.

"He still has to be sentenced," Mabel says as we walk outside to the truck.

"Do you want to attend that hearing?" I hold open the passenger side door for her.

She pauses, one hand resting on the seat. "No, I don't think so. I think...I think today was enough."

"Are you sure?" I ask hesitantly.

"Yes," she answers, turning to face me. "I think I can finally begin moving on from what happened."

I pull her against me without warning, tucking her head under my chin as I wrap my arms around her. I honestly can't tell who needed this hug more between the two of us.

"Let's go home," she murmurs, tilting her head back to kiss the edge of my jaw.

"I'm already there."

Mabel laughs softly and shoves at my chest. "You're so cheesy."

I feign hurt and jut out my lower lip. She grabs it between her fingers and tugs, a playful glint in her green eyes.

Once she's inside the truck I close the door and head for the driver's side. I pat down one of the front pockets of my pants, feeling the familiar bulge of a small velvet box. I've been carrying around the ring for close to a month now, waiting for the right time. Lizzie brought it when she moved to Colorado. I hadn't asked for it, but I guess my grandmother had wanted me to have it after she passed and my parents had been holding onto it until I found someone.

I don't know when I'll ask Mabel. It might not be today, tomorrow, or even next week, but I already know that she's the one this ring was meant for. There's no one else I would rather want to spend the rest of my life with.

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And just like that, this story has come to an end...

It's been a real rollercoaster guys, but I'm glad we had this time together.
I deeply appreciate all of the feedback I've received on this story, and I hope you'll continue to follow me as I continue to grow as a writer. If you have any questions or just want to express your feelings towards this ending, make sure to leave a comment (or PM me) and I'll get back to you ASAP

Wishing all of you the best,
Kat ❤️