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I swallowed nervously and nodded my head. A side door opened, and Randall walked into the room in an orange jumpsuit, his arms cuffed in front of him, his ankles shackled together.
He looked up at me, his dark eyes clashing with mine. My heart squeezed in my chest, and I couldn’t remember how to breathe anymore. I dropped into the chair behind me, my hand gripping my shirt. Hot tears slid down my cheeks.
“Baby, look at me,” Caiden ordered, his hands suddenly grasping my face. I whimpered and slowly opened my eyes, locking them on his. “Breathe,” he ordered. “Breathe, baby. He’s got a cop on either side of him, and there’s two over here by you. He can’t hurt you anymore. You’re safe.”
I slowly nodded my head, dragging air into my lungs again. I hadn’t even realized the judge had stepped into the courtroom, but her voice suddenly sounded in my ears. “Someone get Rosco from the back and bring him up here to her. Young man, you stay with that young lady until the support animal is brought up here to her.”
“Yes, your honor,” Caiden replied.
He gently took my hands in his. My hands were shaking, but he gently squeezed his warm fingers around mine, grounding me and steadying me.
“You did good, baby. I’m proud of you.” He brushed his lips to my cheek. “Continue to be strong, okay?”
They brought the dog to me, and Caiden gently placed my left hand in the dog’s fur. He pressed a kiss to my forehead before he walked back to his seat.
Mr. Taylor kept me informed of what was happening when I got slightly confused in some parts as the judge spoke. Randall was called to the stand first. I dug my fingers into Rosco’s fur, and he settled his head on my lap, the weight and the heat from him settling my nerves some.
“Mr. Farren, can you recount to the court what happened that evening?” Randall’s attorney asked.
Randall shrugged. “I came over to her house to apologize for my behavior at the pharmacy. I treated her horribly, and I wanted to apologize for my actions. I’ve always loved Ally, and I was hurt that she was with another man.”
I shut my eyes, my hands beginning to shake. The dog nudged my other hand, forcing me to pet him. “I didn’t even get a chance to apologize. The moment she saw me, she began crying about how much she missed me and how things went so wrong. Before I knew it, we were ripping each other’s clothes off.”
“So, the sex was consensual.”
“Yes,” Randall lied. I swallowed vomit as I stared at the wooden table in front of me.
“So, the injuries she sustained—you have no idea what those are from.”
“I have no clue,” Randall answered, sounding completely sincere.
My attorney questioned him a few minutes later, but Randall’s story stayed the same. I hated that he sounded so sincere and truthful. I could feel some of the jury members looking at me as if I were nothing but a liar.
“Your honor, I would like to call Ally Johnson to the stand,” Randall’s attorney spoke.
The judge looked at me. There was something in her eyes that I couldn’t quite identify. She nodded once. I slowly stood up from my chair, and Rosco obediently followed at my side, taking a seat beside me on the witness stand.
“Ms. Johnson, you’re claiming that Randall Farren broke into your home and not only beat you but also raped you. Is that correct?”
“Yes,” I spoke, my voice shaking.
“But isn’t it also true that you and Mr. Farren used to date back when you were in high school?”
I drew in a deep, shaky breath. “Yes.”
“Is it not true that you were both deeply in love, but fell apart on a misunderstanding?”
“No,” I told him. I tightened my hands on Rosco. “We were not in love, and it was not a misunderstanding when we broke up.”
“Please elaborate,” his attorney ordered, looking at me like I was a good-for-nothing liar trying to get an “innocent” man into trouble.
I sucked in a deep breath, digging my fingers into Rosco’s fur. “I caught him sleeping with my best friend who is also his stepsister. He told everyone I mistook him for his twin brother, but he and his twin do not look alike. I know what I saw that day, and it was also Randall’s voice that shouted at me to, and I quote, ‘get the fuck out and go home.’”
“So, you’re claiming that Mr. Farren’s story is incorrect.”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“So, are you also claiming that you did not invite Mr. Farren into your home? That you did not answer the door for him?”
“That’s two questions, sir,” I responded, just as Mr. Taylor had instructed me to do. My voice wobbled, but I held strong.
