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I felt like throwing up. This couldn’t be happening. Not only had he pleaded not guilty, but I would be facing him in court a lot sooner than I had been wanting.
“The second bad news is that every picture the police took of you and your old home will be blasted in court. It’s the main bit of evidence we have against him.”
I squeezed my eyes shut. This couldn’t be happening. Everyone was now going to see what Randall had done and the damage it left behind on my body.
My throat was closing up, making it hard to breathe. I quickly dug into my purse for my medicine, but my hands were shaking too much. I sobbed, my chest constricting painfully, bringing black spots to my vision.
“Here. Take a deep breath,” Mr. Taylor ordered. He had his phone to his ear, and he was holding my bottle of medicine that I kept dropping. He cradled his phone between his ear and shoulder and shook one of my tablets out, handing it to me with an open bottle of water.
“Christian Greene? Hey, this is Mr. Taylor—the attorney Julian hired for Ally. She just had a minor anxiety attack. I think someone should come sit with her while I go over everything that I need to go over.”
A moment later, Mr. Taylor held his phone out to me. I shakily took it, holding it up to my ear. “Christian?” I whimpered. I squeezed my eyes shut, sucking in a sharp breath of air.
“Easy, my moon,” he soothed. “Breathe. It’s going to be okay. I can’t leave work. I have an appointment in ten minutes, and they’re already out in the lobby.” I sobbed. I wanted him with me. “Caiden just texted me back and said he’s on his way. He’s only five minutes from you, beautiful. Just keep taking deep breaths.”
“I wish you could come,” I whispered, my voice breaking.
“I know, baby.” He sounded sad, and that tore at my heart. “I wish I could, too, but my patients picked up once Axel made me a permanent partner. I’m flooded right now.”
“I know.” My voice cracked. I was so happy for him—so happy that he had gotten such an amazing position with Axel. But on days like today, it sucked.
I needed his soothing presence, and I wasn’t sure if Caiden and I were back on that level yet.
Caiden suddenly burst into the room, ignoring the receptionist that was shouting at him. “It’s okay, Karla!” Mr. Taylor called out.
“Caiden’s here,” I told Christian.
Christian sighed in a mix of relief and exasperation. “The man has an issue with speeding,” he grumbled, but I let out a watery giggle. “Let him take care of you, baby, and I’ll take over this evening, okay? Just breathe. I love you.”
“I love you, too,” I croaked.
I hung up the phone and handed it back to Mr. Taylor. Caiden kneeled in front of me and reached up to cup my cheeks. “Hey, baby,” he soothed, his tone tender and soft. My bottom lip trembled. “It’s going to be okay.”
“The trial is in a week,” I told him. “He pleaded not guilty. And Mr. Taylor said all of my pictures have to be shown.”
“Breathe,” Caiden ordered when I began to hyperventilate. “Look at me and just breathe.”
I locked my eyes on his, calming my breaths. “Good girl,” he praised. “You have to get through this, baby. I know it’s hard. I know you don’t want to; you just want to bury this in the back of your mind and never think about it again. I get that, and I understand it. But you have to do this. If you want to put Randall behind bars like he deserves, then you need to sit through this meeting with Mr. Taylor, and you need to soak in every word of advice that he gives you. You are the only person that can make Randall go away.”
I nodded, my lips trembling. He leaned up and softly pressed his lips to mine for a moment before he took a seat next to me. Silently, he grabbed my hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. He leaned forward and shook hands with Mr. Taylor.
“Caiden Greene,” he introduced himself. “I’m Christian’s brother and her other boyfriend.” My cheeks flamed red.
“Henry Taylor,” Mr. Taylor introduced himself. “Thank you for coming. I really need to go over this with her, but I don’t want to push her past her limits.”
“No problem,” Caiden told him. He looked over at me. “You’ve got this, darlin’. Just be strong.”
Mr. Taylor leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his desk. “He has been assigned a state attorney, but unfortunately, this attorney knows his shit, and he’s gotten people off scotch-free numerous times.” Caiden squeezed my hand. I wanted to throw up. “But, lucky for you, I’ve gone against him numerous times, and he’s always lost. But, my clients have to do what I advise them to do.”
