𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐯.

(chapter tw — descriptions of physical abuse)

• • • •

The weekend had snuck up on Faith, but instead of readying herself for a trip with Chris to London for his birthday, she currently sat in the office of her attorney prepping her testimony for Derek and Carly's trial. They were both facing kidnapping charges, but since Carly had agreed to testify against Derek, it was expected that her charges would be less severe. Faith wasn't sure how to feel about that — after all, she hadn't proven herself to be trustworthy when it came to her or Chris. To be honest, it wouldn't have been a surprise to Faith if she saw no jail time at all.

"So, did you go over the preparation tips I emailed you?" Angela Braun sat down at her desk after Faith had taken a seat and set her belongings. Clad in a gray pinstriped pantsuit, the older Black woman looked ever the consummate professional.

"Yes, I did. Though there were a few questions I had..."

"Fire away. That's why I'm here."

Faith let out a small sigh, recalling Chris's words via text earlier. It was expected to be nervous with things like this, but she also knew that maintaining a confident demeanor in the courtroom gave them a better chance of winning. "How much of my past relationship with Derek will come into play? Will the defense try to use it against me?"

"They very well might," Angela answered, matter-of-factly. "But you must remember that you aren't on trial. And even if you were, it's up to you to answer honestly and to the best of you recollection. Most importantly, don't overthink it."

Faith nodded along, trying her best to commit everything Angela was telling her to memory. Though being on the witness stand was a lot more nerve-wracking than sitting in an office. "Is Chris going to have to testify?"

"I personally won't be calling him as a witness, but the defense will because of Carly. I've already been in touch with his lawyer to prepare him if so. Anything else you need to know?"

There was so much more now that she thought about it. But Faith knew they didn't have an infinite resource of time, as Angela not only had other clients to see about, but also prepare for the trial. "No, I think I'm good."

"Then let's go win this thing."

• • • •

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"I do."

"Be seated."

The bailiff stepped away and Faith took her seat, smoothing out a few wrinkles in her skirt. The number of people inside the courtroom wasn't large, save for the 12-person jury, but she still felt like millions of people were watching her every move. The preparation she'd done to arrive at this moment would have to carry her the rest of the way. That plus the insane amount of prayer her mother had been doing recently.

Her gaze fell on the row of people seated behind Angela's spot at the prosecutor's desk: Chris, Hope and their parents, Cass, Scott and Zach, and finally Lisa. The fact that the rest of the Evans clan were in a lot of hurt because of what Carly had done, yet they were there to support her, meant the world to Faith.

Judge Roberts turned in his chair to face her. "Ms. Beaumont, I know this ordeal has been emotionally taxing on you and your family. However, I'll ask—as I will of every person that who takes the stand today—not to advocate for a particular side that the jury should take, but rather objectively respond to the best of your ability. Is that understood?"

Faith swept some hair behind her ear with a manicured nail. "Yes, Your Honor."

"Very well then. Ms. Braun, you may proceed."

Angela stood and straightened out her jacket as she approached the witness stand, clearing her throat. "Ms. Beaumont, I'd like to thank you for making an appearance here today. I know it isn't easy for you to relive the trauma you've experienced."

Faith nodded politely.

"Could you tell me when your relationship with the defendant first began?"

"We met in our freshman year of college at Yale University. We were both journalism majors, so there was immediate common ground. Not too long after the end of that first year, we started dating."

"And how long did the relationship last?"

"A little over two years."

"And why did you break up?"

She let out a short sigh. "I found out that Derek had been cheating on me. I ended the relationship after that."

Angela nodded, steepling her fingers together. "Ms. Beaumont, while you and Mr. Powers were dating, did you ever experience any form of abuse? Mental, physical, sexual?"

"It was mostly mental. When I first found out about his infidelity, he tried to convince me that I had no reason to be upset. That the girl he was with was just a one-time thing."

"But it wasn't a one-time thing. In fact, hadn't Mr. Powers been seeing this other woman essentially from the time you two first began your relationship."

"Yes, he had."

"So if he had no problem cheating, then he certainly would have no problem trying to endanger your life years later, right?"

"Objection, leading." Anderson Wright, defense counsel, stood the second the words finished leaving Angela's mouth.

"Sustained. Tread lightly, Ms. Braun."

Angela pursed her lips. "Withdrawn. To your recollection, Ms. Beaumont, Derek had been unfaithful for a long time. Is that accurate?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"And he mentally abused you after the breakdown of your relationship? How so?"

"Yes. The term now is gaslighting. He made me believe no one else would ever want to be with me...I struggle with self-doubt a lot, and he pounced on that."

Angela doubled back to the desk for a moment, returning with a small remote. In one corner of the room, a medium sized TV monitor that had been wheeled out between the witness stand and the jury box powered to life. "The People's Exhibit A, Your Honor."

Judge Roberts gestured his approval. "Continue."

Angela powered on the TV. "I'd like to direct your attention to the screen here. These are pictures from Ms. Beaumont's phone a few days after her breakup with Mr. Powers. Faith, can you describe what we're looking at?"

Faith flinched as a rush of memories came back to her. Tears pricked her eyes, but she tried to steady her composure. "These are photos I took shortly after Derek attacked me. We'd gotten into an argument the day I was trying to move my things out of the apartment we shared."

Angela pressed a button on the remote, and it switched to a new photo. "And this?"

Faith swallowed hard. "I'd left my curling iron on in the bathroom. He...um, he shoved me against the sink and started burning me in several places, mostly my arms and legs. I had to kick him in the genitals to get away."

A collective, concerned murmur floated through the crowd as they took in the photos on display of Faith's fresh bruises at the time. "Was this incident the first instance Mr. Powers had been physically abusive?"

Throat tight, the tears Faith had been holding back fell before she could stop them. Seeing as the microphone was in front of her, her emotional reaction reverberated throughout the gallery. A few people could be heard sniffling as a result.

"Take your time, Ms. Beaumont." Angela spoke in a gentle tone.

Judge Roberts offered her Kleenex, and she took several from the box to dry her tears and blow her nose. As the room came back into focus, her eyes fell on Chris, who had his head bowed. Scott patted his back as a gesture of comfort, and Faith wished in that moment they could hold each other. It was the first time he was seeing any of this; it'd gone way beyond what she'd told him during their heart-to-heart months prior.

Exhaling, Faith lifted her head again. "Could you repeat the question, please?"

"Of course. Was the curling iron incident the only time that Derek had been physically abusive?"

"No, but that was the most severe it had gotten. There were a few times he would get upset with me, I don't even know what for, but he struck me across the face. But nothing that bad."

"So, is it safe to say that, given Mr. Powers' history with you, that his actions on the night of May 8th, forcibly removing you from your hotel room and taking you to an unknown location was par for the course? In terms of escalating to the next 'best' way to inflict harm on you."

"Yes, I'd say that's accurate."

Angela gave her a subtle, reassuring nod. "No further questions, Your Honor."

• • • •

umm anybody still here?! i know i said there were only a few more chapters left, but i'm extending it a little more  <3

that said, though this chapter was heavy, i hope you guys enjoyeddd. part two of the trial/verdict is forthcoming :)

-rach