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“Yes.” I say very sternly.
“Okay, I guess I don’t have any more questions.” He says before turning and walking back to his table, but just as he’s about to take his chair, he holds up his finger, “I’m so sorry, your Honor, but I do have one more question for Miss Baxter. He turns back to me, “Miss Baxter, with your hidden love of the kink lifestyle, do you make it a habit of videoing yourself and your partner having said intimacies? Was this just payback for one of the Defendants, or maybe all of them, finding out about your videos?”
I pale, “What videos are you talking about?”
“Are you saying that you and Mr. Palmer do not record yourselves in your private moments?”
“Absolutely not!” I am totally shocked that he would even ask me this question.
“Oh okay, so the three videos that are on kinkporn.com are not videos of yourself and Mr. Palmer?” He asks, smirking.
“I d-don’t know w-what videos you’re talking a-about…” It’s getting harder to breathe and the room is beginning to spin.
“Your Honor, I would like to move that Defendant’s Exhibit A be introduced into evidence.” The Defense requests and the last thing that I remember is my dad asking to approach the bench before all goes black.
Chapter 40
The Verdict
JACE POV
I run over to Ella as soon as I see her start to sway in the witness chair. Both lawyers are too busy arguing over this new evidence that they don’t notice Ella’s physical state. I get to her just as she passes out, even with the security coming at me thinking I’m a threat of some sort. She was about to fall forward out of the chair when I grab her by the shoulders and yell for help. The two security officers finally take notice of what I was doing and one of them is calling for somebody over his radio.
I lift Ella up and then sit down in the same chair that she was just occupying while I set her on my lap. Brushing her hair from her face, I rock back and forth, talking in a soothing voice to her. Her mom brings me over a bottle of water for when Ella wakes up, and I’m assuming she will. I’m pretty sure that she fainted from the shock of the news that the Defense attorney just delivered. I pray that he is talking out of his ass, but I had texted my friend Finn about checking on it for me.
“Come on, baby, open those pretty blues for me.” I press my lips against her forehead as I continue to rock her.
“Here, give her to me,” Ethan demands, “She is my daughter.”
I love Ethan, but not even he can take her from me at this moment, so I scowl, “No, she is my girl, and I will take care of her. I’m the only one that noticed her state when you were too busy arguing!” When he goes to press the issue, Elaine pulls on his arm and tells him to let it be.
“Jace will take care of our little girl, Ethan. Please have a little faith.” She tells him.
“Did you not hear everything he said he put our daughter through?” Ethan asks incredulously.
“People make mistakes, honey, and he’s trying to make up for it. Ella is forgiving him, so we must as well.” She pleads to her husband, but he doesn’t want to listen. He does stop trying to snatch Ella from my arms, though.
Paramedics arrive and all they do is wave some smelling salts under my girl’s nose and she wakes up. After they check her vitals and makes sure she eats a candy bar because her blood sugar was low, they leave the courtroom. I want to lecture her about not eating right at lunch, but I’m too relieved that she is okay, so I’ll save it for later.
“How are you feeling, baby?” I ask, still holding her in my lap.
“I’m better. I just got light-headed and dizzy, and then everything went black.”
“I think you went into shock from the news that limp dick lawyer told you.” I sneer toward the Defense.
Ella closes her eyes, “Oh my God, Jace. Are there really three videos of us up on a porn site?”
“I don’t know yet; I have my friend checking on it now.”
The bailiff interrupts our conversations, “The judge would like to know if you are well enough to continue or if you would like to have a continuance?”
Ella gives the big guy a smile, “I think I’m okay to continue. I just want this over with.”
The bailiff nods his head and then heads back to the judge’s chambers to deliver the message. I stand up and help Ella to stand on her own feet. She wobbles for a split second, but then gets her balance. I instruct her to sit back down in the chair and wait for the judge’s instruction on whether she can go back to the Plaintiff’s chair or stay where she’s at. I go back to my own seat and Elaine gives my hand a quick squeeze.
I look at the woman that has always been a second mother to me, “I’m sorry that you had to hear all of that, and I’m trying to make it up to her, but I need you to know that we have never made any videos, I promise you that.”
She smiles, “I believe you, Jace. Let’s hope that the jury does too.”
