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“I do,” I said softly.
“Well, I’ll be in touch,” Detective Aberson said. “Glad this thug is off the streets.” He chuckled heartily and hatred burned through my body as if it were seared right onto my skin. I wanted to reach through the phone and strangle the smug detective, make him really understand just how much he was hurting Alessio and me.
As soon as I hung up, I turned to Heather in dismay.
“I have no idea what to do,” I said, shaking my head. “He’s going to ruin both of our lives.”
She shrugged. “Well, you have to do what you have to do,” she said softly. “Beth, you’re a strong woman. You’re going to make it out of this no matter what. I know that, from the bottom of my heart.”
I shook my head. “I wish I knew that.” I sighed. “My heart is breaking. I can feel it right now, cracking apart in my chest.”
Heather reached out and put her hand on my shoulder. She looked deeply into my eyes.
“Beth, I promise, things will work out.”
“How can I even know what’s happening anymore,” I wailed. “I feel like up is down and right is left and red is blue!”
Heather squeezed my shoulder reassuringly.
“You just have to follow your heart,” she said. “That’s the only way you’ll know.”
Chapter Twenty
Beth – Two Months Later
As I sat in the benches of the New York City District Court, I was more nervous than I’d ever been in my entire life.
Alessio had been locked away for two months. We hadn’t been in touch – I’d been too afraid to even call, much less plan a visit. When he’d first gotten arrested, I’d worried that my feelings for him would change.
But now, they were stronger than ever. I knew in my heart that no matter what happened to me, I’d be in love with Alessio Amoruso until the day I died. It didn’t matter if he got old, or fat, or lost his magnificent hair.
I loved him passionately, and nothing could change that.
The courtroom was packed. Heather wasn’t coming – I’d told her that this was something I’d had to do on my own. But Alessio was notoriously famous in New York, and both fans and haters of his family and restaurant chain had come to voice their opinion.
When the judge came in, I rushed to stand up. An armed guard led Alessio in front a side door. He looked handsome as ever in a new Armani suit, even if his hands were cuffed in front of his muscular bulk. He looked even bigger than he had before going away. His arms were bulging against the beautiful sheen of the suit. His longish dark locks had been shaved, revealing a perfectly shaped head that somehow made his dark eyes look more intense than ever.
We locked eyes as Alessio walked past me towards the bench. I swallowed nervously. I love you, I thought suddenly. Even if I never get the chance to tell you – I’ll love you forever.
Tears welled up in my eyes. I hated the rough way the guard was jerking Alessio around like he was a piece of meat. I wanted to scream and cry until they left him alone, until they uncuffed him and let him sit like a normal human being. But I knew that it was futile. Alessio was being tried on both counts of first and second degree murder, and this day wasn’t likely to have a happy ending.
Detective Aberson was sitting with the district attorney and the prosecution team. I saw Douglas Bennett, Michael’s father, sitting in the first row on the other side. His wife, Gabrielle, was next to him in a skin-tight silk dress that would have looked more at home on a dance floor than a courtroom.
“Order,” the judge called. He banged his gavel against his podium. “I call this court to order!”
I tuned out as the judge droned on and on about upholding civic responsibility. It was ludicrous to me that we had to go through this pageantry – why not Alessio’s high-powered lawyers work everything out behind closed doors? I’d always respected the justice system in my country, but suddenly I felt like it was failing me more now than ever before. Alessio’s not a bad man, I thought as I watched his lawyer call the first witness to the stand. He just needed the love of a good woman to bring out his better side.
The trial seemed to fly by. By the time we were dismissed for lunch, I was so nervous that I couldn’t even eat. I choked down a few sips of water and washed my hands in the women’s room, hoping to dry my sweaty palms. The gesture was totally futile – as soon as I was back inside the courtroom, my hands were soaked through once again. The worst part was that seeing Alessio for the first time in months had reawakened my baser desires. My panties were soaked with pussy juices and my clit was as hard as a little pebble, wedged between my labia and wanting Alessio’s tongue.
Detective Aberson took the stand. He interviewed a witness who could barely speak English.
“I call Elisabeth Wilson to the stand,” Detective Aberson said loudly. He cleared his throat, then looked at me with a hardened gleam in his eyes.
This is it, I thought. This is the moment where I ruin my life.
Swallowing nervously, I made my way through the courtroom over to the judge. A man held out a bible and I repeated everything he said, swearing to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth. So help me god, I thought as I sat down in my seat after the little ceremony was over. That doesn’t mean anything to me anymore. If god were here, he’d make sure Alessio wouldn’t be locked away for the rest of his life.
Detective Aberson strode across the floor, a notebook in his hand.
