Agreement Behind Her Marriage

[This chapter may be unsettling for some readers due to the uncomfortable situations that Lily has had to confront in her past. If you prefer, you can skip this chapter and continue to the next one.]

Seated at the front, under the scrutiny of the people observing the case, she gathered all her courage.

Right! She shouldn’t care about anyone else!

“Lily, can you tell me about your relationship with the four defendants?” Attorney Gregory asked the initial question.

“Kenneth is my stepbrother. I was thirteen when my dad and his mother got married. Soon after, my daddy brought him to our house… I met Keith because he often came to the house as Kenneth’s friend. I was in college when I met their three other friends,” she replied, her hand beginning to sweat.

“How did you meet their two other friends?”

“I-I was nineteen. There were several occasions when Kenneth had tripped me up. He threatened to harm my nanny if I didn’t go with him… So, he took me to a hotel…”

She reminisced about the day when she first saw Drew.

“That’s where I met his other friends. My understanding was that they were celebrating Jericho’s stag party. I saw Jericho handing money to Kenneth, and then they ordered me to strip and dance…”

“What did you do afterward?”

“I refused. I had the chance to escape when they told me I could run from that room, but I was afraid they would catch me. I ran into the hallway and was so scared that I passed out inside an unlocked suite I found. The incident was reported at the hotel that day. Because nothing happened to me that day, Kenneth was not happy, and h-he molested me, R-worded me at our house a week after that incident,” Lily said, her tears starting to flow.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

“How many times did he do that to you?”

“Can I choose not to answer?”

For all that she had sacrificed, they were unrelated to Carmela’s case, but in the courtroom, she received various reactions: pity, and doubt, while some showed no emotion. She turned to Drew, noticing his rage as he sat there wanting to take action. She shouldn’t have brought her husband with her, but he needed to hear what she had to say. He needed to listen and learn these things, as she believed it would help their understanding and their relationship.

“On July 20, according to Carmela, you were at Keith’s apartment, their usual hangout place. That was the first time she met you. There were cigarette burns on your body and knife cuts on your back, and you were covered with blood.”

A shudder coursed through her skin as she recalled that memory.

“Kenneth marked me that night. His four other friends were present while I was being punished, or to be precise, I was being marked.”

“Your Honor, here is a picture of Lily’s back, where Kenneth injured her,” Attorney Gregory said as she handed the picture to the judge. “I apologize to everyone present here; what we’re about to show on the monitor is sensitive and may be uncomfortable for some.”

The people in the room gasped when they saw the deep scar on her back displayed on the wide-screen television. It was marked with the words “You R MINE,” as if she were the lead in a thriller movie.

Lily was asked some questions that she answered truthfully like Kenneth’s other friends never touched her, but still, they molested her in different ways, like burning her with a cigarette, caressing her private parts, or ordering her to touch herself while they were watching.

She felt tainted after divulging her experiences, yet she knew it was necessary. It was her moment to find the courage to speak about her past. The ordeal was far from over as the opposing attorney, Kenneth’s legal representative, Attorney Tucson, started interrogating her.

“Why didn’t you come forward earlier when you believed you were victimized by someone you considered a big brother?” he inquired, raising an eyebrow.

“I was afraid. I did report it to my father, but he didn’t believe me because Kenneth was kind to me in other ways,” she replied.

“Lily, you mentioned that Kenneth forced you, and he managed to molest you in your own home. How many employees did the Martins employ at that time?”

Lily recounted the number of workers in the Martins’ household when she was nineteen. “T-twelve.”

“So, you’re saying that among the dozen employees, in addition to Mrs. and Mr. Martin, not a single one of them was aware of what was happening in your home? Whereas you were in the hotel with those five capable men, and yet, you managed to leave the room? There were instances during that same period when you were pursuing Kenneth. Are you absolutely certain that you didn’t have any intention of seducing Kenneth, with the hope that something might occur? Was it-”

Lily was horrified, tears welling up in her eyes.

“Your Honor! Mr. Tucson is starting to give his own opinion!” Attorney Gregory immediately objected.

“I’m just stating some facts, Your Honor. There are fourteen people in their home. People inside the house will easily know that something is going on if it is true that Kenneth Martin has victimized her. How come she didn’t do anything to get out of the hands of one person when there were so many people she could have asked for help?!”

“Proceed,” said the judge.

“You could answer the question, Lily,” the opposing attorney continued.

“Because I was terrified! I’m still scared of him!” Lily exclaimed.

“And now you’re claiming that you’re no longer afraid, which is why you’re here in court?”

“I have to speak the truth! I have to share what happened to me, even if it’s painful!”

“Did you ever have romantic feelings for Kenneth in the past?”

“No, absolutely not! We’re like siblings!”

“Really? Because we discovered a message on one of Kenneth’s social media accounts. You sent it to him when you were seventeen. You wrote a text saying, ‘I love you, Ken,’ and you sent it on September 9th.”

What?

Lily gazed at Drew, his expression grave.

“It was simply a casual message to my brother because he was kind to me,” she explained.

“It’s rather ironic that you’re here in court today saying something entirely different,” Attorney Tucson scoffed mockingly.

Lily remained silent. She had answered the question, but she was aware that those around her might have assumed she consented to the r-word that had occurred. She paid little heed to what others thought; her primary concern was whether Drew believed in her.

She couldn’t fathom the repercussions if he were to accuse her of lying.

“According to information we obtained from the hospital where Mr. Kenneth Martin was employed, it appears he had a relationship with Mrs. Walton, the late mother of Mr. Drew Walton, while she was a patient there. Now that you and Mr. Walton are married. Is there any possibility that your actions are influenced by your husband?”

“What?” Lily exclaimed. She had been unaware of the relationship between Kenneth and Drew’s mother.

Everyone was taken aback when Drew rose to his feet, shouting in anger, “No! My mother had no relationship with that monster!”

Orion intervened and halted Drew’s outburst, and Lily was immensely grateful that he was present. The ongoing commotion had reached a fevering pitch, leading to Drew being escorted out of the room. Lily felt as though she had lost a pillar of support, which only exacerbated her tears. Although her emotions were running high, she knew she had to answer the remaining questions and complete the trial without any regrets.

“I have no knowledge of any relationship between Drew’s mother and Kenneth,” Lily replied once she had regained her composure.

“Your Honor, Kenneth’s relationships have no relevance to anyone involved in this case,” Attorney Gregory asserted.

Lily felt her strength waning after enduring a series of challenging questions. She believed she had answered to the best of her ability, drawing from her knowledge and experience. What mattered most was that she had been truthful in all her statements.

She felt a sense of liberation afterward, despite knowing that there was a possibility of being mocked by someone.

As the session concluded, she couldn’t control her tears. She had bared her heart and soul to the court, uncertain of the potential consequences. At times, she had even doubted whether Kenneth had truly committed those acts, given his outward kindness to others.

Upon leaving the court, Drew embraced her. His touch and presence had the power to alleviate the weight of the painful truth.

“I’m so proud of you, babe!” Drew said, with tears streaming down his face. “You’ve been incredibly brave.”

She wrapped her arms around him, seeking refuge from that place.

“It’s typical that they will look for loopholes, so if you’re concerned about me having any doubts about what happened to you-don’t be. I believe everything you said.”

“Let’s go home,” she murmured. She no longer wished to remain in that place.

Drew led her away, and Lily’s sole hope was that Carmela would win this case and that her testimony in court would make a difference.