"Ready?"

Though she is right in front of me, cradling my cheeks in her hands, her voice sounds far away. It's been almost a month since I last step foot in college. At first, I received a registered letter, informing us the trial would be set for mid-February.

But, it seems Abby's parents did what they do best and anticipated it. I was scared and relieved at the same time. Especially because it means this nirvana will end sooner but it also means that my fate is coming to a close.

And if it isn't a good one, I honestly don't know how I'll react.

Dad and Uncle Jake were stressed all week long, huddled inside the office in thorough calls with the lawyer. In a way, I am thankful they've taken over most of the things after I've given my detailed version of what happened. Dad mentioned last night, with a giddy smile on his face, that they have found something and it's promising.

He's been in a good mood ever since, but I am still not convinced.

With the way things have been so far, I am still waiting for another shoe to drop. Because one tragedy never comes alone. Right?

"No," I whisper.

"It's going to be alright." She reassures me. "Your dad is confident and I trust him. We'll prove you're innocent."

"Dy," Dad chimes in. "We have to go in."

Mum kisses my cheek after a quick hug and I follow the lawyer into the courtroom. We enter through the main door, passing by the area where people who'll be assisting can sit down. It's still empty and the two of us cross them toward the area I'll be sitting.

There's a wooden fence-like barrier, separating the common sitting area from the one where I'll be sitting alone. That barrier has a weird shape, as it continues in a straight line but at some point, there's a conjunction there. It goes to the side for a little bit, before turning again and continuing parallel to the first one, making a small area within where one lone chair is placed. The defendant's.

Mine.

"I'll stay right there," he points to the front, slightly to my right-hand side. "To the left, the victim's defence." He points to the far left, right opposite to him. "This seat right here," he points to the one behind the wooden barrier, right in front of me. "Is where the witnesses will testify. You'll be the first to be called and explain your version."

"Alright," I sigh.

"Your story is consistent, so you just have to say as we rehearsed and you should be fine." I nod, letting him continue. "Back there," he points to the far end of the room, in front of us. "The Judge and to his left, the Prosecutor."

He squeezes my shoulder in reassurance before heading to his assigned place. The room starts to fill in and from the voices closer to me, both my parents are right behind me. Uncle Jake wanted to come but mum begged him to stay home with Jeremy and Wilder.

The last ones to enter the room are Abby's parents and two other people. Probably the lawyers. Despite my mind telling me to look away and keep my head down, I don't. Inside, I may feel devastated but I will suck it up and persevere until the sentence is out.

Their lawyers keep walking to their table while they sit down in the same sitting area as my parents, but opposite them, on the same side as their lawyers. The whole time I keep my gaze on them, they do the same.

There's hatred in their eyes, understandably so. If I had a daughter and she'd claimed to have been raped I'd believe her too. It's the first time since they divorced, when we were eight years old, that they're together inside the same room. It's pitiful that something like this had to happen to her for them to care.

The sound of a door opening sounds, opposite to where I am looking, making me turn back to look forward. The Judge, the Prosecutor and a couple of other people enter with them. Probably the clerk and an interpreter. But as they enter and walk to their places, we all stand to attention.

When they sit down, the judge turns on the mic and speaks, "You may sit down."

As we do, he looks over his documents, organizing them. Inside my chest, my heart speeds up, warming my body up. As his hand grabs the hammer and hits the wooden base, I get lost in my thoughts.

It's starting.

This is it.

My one chance to prove I'm innocent. To let the world know how wrong they are and to learn and find the truth before crucifying someone.

I just hope to God, that justice can be found here. Because He sure knows, it doesn't happen often.

"...Since everyone knows what this is about." The Judge's voice brings me back to the present. "Is the defendant ready to tell us his version? We'll start with his defence, and then the victim's lawyers can make their questions."

An officer comes from the door to the barrier, opening it up and accompanying me to the witness chair. At the same time, my lawyer stands up and stands in front of me, ready to start his questioning. One we've been over a lot of times already.

With every question comes a practised answer. It doesn't make them any less true than if they hadn't been practised but makes me sound robotic. I tell them everything, what I was doing in that hotel room, who I was waiting for.

Luna.

It's been the first time I've said her name aloud since the morning I was arrested and it was the hardest part of it.

But I push through. From Abby showing up, to me leaving her there and heading to that convenience store. I tell them everything, up until the moment I am arrested. At some point, I hear a couple of sniffles and look back to find my mum cleaning the area beneath her eyes while my dad has his arm wrapped around her shoulders.

It hurts.

That I am hurting them this much. Makes it all the more unbearable.

"I have no further questions, your honour," My lawyer states.

"Does the accusation have some questions?"

"We do, Your Honour."

"Then you can interrogate the defendant."

Just as the Judge finishes speaking, one of Abby's lawyers stands up and comes to stand in front of me.

"According to your version, you left the Hotel after Abby showed up. But if so, why can't you prove it?"

"As I said," I grit. "The systems were down, the receptionists were stressed and yelling at each other and I was so angry that I just decided to leave."

"But if so, someone must have seen you leave and from the statements gathered by the Police. No one did."

"I did. I drove to the convenience store and the guy let me stay in the back alley. I was there until pretty much sunrise. I've said all of this."

"Convenient that there aren't any cameras to prove and that he suddenly went M.I.A. Don't you think?"

"Convenient for you, I think. If he was here he'd vouch for me because I. Was. There!"

"Were you? From what we gathered, you had a motive."

I scoff, "What motive? I had a new girlfriend, I had moved on from Abby."

"That's what you want us to think, that's my guess."

"Your Honour, objection." My lawyer states. "My client's past relationship is not relevant to this-"

"Overruled." The judge answers. "It is relevant. The accusation may proceed."

"From what my client, the victim, informed us. You caught her in a precarious situation, that led to the end of your relationship. She mentioned several attempts to talk to you but you've always been hostile and aggressive in return. Could it be that you finally gave in to that urge to hurt her?"

"Precarious situation?" I chuckle bitterly. "I caught Abbigail Turner in the act, having intercourse with a man that wasn't me. While in a relationship with me." There are a couple of gasps from behind me but I ignore them. "That's not precarious, that's cheating."

"Oh yes, and if I remember correctly, you hit the guy."

"What would you have done if you found out another man balls deep inside your wife?" I seethe.

"Mr Davis," the judge scolds. "I advise you to think properly before speaking. This is a trial, not the ghetto."

"I'm sorry, Your Honour." I grit, shutting my eyes.

"Exactly, my point." The accusation lawyer turns to the people assisting the trial before turning his attention to the Judge. "Any man could easily lose his temper after going through something like this. It must have hurt, right Dylan? Is that why you lured Abbigail to that Hotel Room? To get your revenge?"

"No! I hit the guy and I left I cut all ties with Abby and I moved on. I met someone else," I sigh, shakily. "Things were good. So good. Abby wasn't even a thought anymore. I have no idea why she showed up in there. Luna was supposed to-" I cut myself off to take a deep breath before continuing with a low, "I didn't do it."

"Is that your claim?" The accusation lawyer presses. "Innocence?"

"Yes." I straighten my back, trying to sit straighter. "I did not touch a hair of Abbigail Turner. I did not hurt her."

"I have no further questions." And then he sits down.

"I have here a list of witnesses to be called." The Judge states. "But I was asked by the accusation to show first a video."

A video?

"Yes, your Honour." Abby's lawyer stands up in his place. "My client, for clear motives was afraid to be here in person, in the same room as the perpetrator. But she managed to make a video with her version of what happened. The correct version, the truth."

Looking at my lawyer, I frown in question. This was not predicted.

Can this be done?

He shrugs but gives me an assertive nod. He hasn't been nervous throughout this. Not even when I slightly lashed out. Sure, he's experienced and Uncle Jake says he is one of the best lawyers out there.

But still... My knee is constantly bouncing, I was never one to bite my nails but lately, it's all I can do. I don't know how everyone else looks so put together while I feel constantly on the edge of a breakdown.

"That's important yes." The judge agrees. "Her testimony is one of the most important ones here."

It shouldn't. But those words speak volumes. In their eyes, I'm already convicted. Ain't I?

I mean, of course... The victim needs to be believed in. And I don't blame them, because when it came to my mum... It was true. She was raped and the perpetrator is still paying the price for his actions, even if no longer in jail.

I am glad she was never doubted. Not by my uncle, nor my dad. Especially not by justice. But in ways that this is so similar, it's also completely different because while my uncle was guilty - and even admitted to it. I am not.

And I sure as hell don't want to face the same faith as someone like him.

A big TV is pushed into the courtroom by a wheeled table and soon, Abby's battered and bruised face shows up on the screen. Different shades of dark purple-blue and green cover her skin, her puffy eyes are bloodshot and shiny from tears.

That is the face of someone who was attacked.

So she was...

Fuck.

In a panic, I look at my lawyer. From the beginning, I thought she was just lying but this... Seeing this.

When his eyes lock with mine, they're not surprised as I expected. They're still calm and collected. Knowing.

What the hell? What else I don't fucking know?

Maybe I should've been more attentive to the defence they were preparing but fuck. Dad said everything was under control and I just... I am a fucking asshole.

For the next ten minutes, everyone watches the video of Abby, teary-eyed, explaining what happened. For the whole duration, though through some shakiness, her speech is coherent, and relatively calm except for the worse parts that she isn't able to finish.

Behind me, I hear my mum's muffled sobs and I curse myself for it. She shouldn't have been here. Not with what she went through...

But I keep my attention on that video because I still know Abby better than anyone else. So much better than her parents and I need to see, a sign. Any fucking clue at all that she's telling the truth.

She always had this habit of looking away at her writhing hands and shrugging her left shoulder when she was lying. She has always done it since we met. Throughout the whole video, she doesn't. Everything she's telling it's true... But I didn't...

And then, the lawyer's voice sounds in the video.

"Tell me Abby, who did all of this to you?"

And right then, at the end of the video, she looks away from the camera, down at her hands, which clasp together in a slow writhing movement. Her shoulder shrugs and her mouth moves slowly, "Dylan Davis."

There's a heavy silence in the entire room the moment the video stops and the screen turns black. Everything was believable in that video and the only person who knows it wasn't true, it's me.

She told the truth up until she mentioned the person who did this. Because she and I know, it wasn't me. And even if she doesn't deserve my worry... I wonder, who the fuck did this to her? And why the fuck is she blaming me instead?!

"We thank you for that enlightening video," the judge tells the accusation lawyers. "Time to hear the witnesses. The first witness was required by the defence. May you call the witness."

"Our first witness is determinant to show the defendant's real character and intentions. She has been privy to him in the last four months and also has her version to share about what happened that night."

What?

I turn to look at my lawyer but he doesn't look at me and certainly doesn't waver when the next words leave his mouth.

"I call to stand here and witness, Miss Luna Abblesboom."

⛓️ Author's Note ⛓️

And there's that... Now, I had no fucking idea how trials go. Especially since the ones you might be used to seeing are the American ones. But I've used places from my country in all my stories except for one. So it didn't make sense to use the American system - who I have no understanding of at all - in a story placed in a different country. SO, I studied how shit was done in my country.

Of course, it isn't completely (step by step) reliable, but I based it on it. So, it should be realistic to a minimum.

Hope you enjoyed it... I am so excited to write next chapter muahahah