***Thank you DemonsRelm and ilovesos9467 for reviewing the last chapter. Hopefully the next update will come a lot sooner than this one did. It's late here, but I wanted to get this chapter up tonight/this morning, so fair warning that there may be a lot of grammar mistakes. I will try to go through it later tomorrow/today to edit it. Enjoy the chapter –skd***
I tossed and turned all night, unable to find a comfortable position to fall asleep in. I think that I finally passed out from exhaustion sometime around four in the morning, but it didn't last long as I woke screaming around four thirty. Silently, I listened for Katerina's cries or the floorboards creaking as Lissa came up to check on me. I heard neither, but I couldn't fall back asleep after that, and just continued tossing and turning. As dawn quickly approached, the sunshine just barely peeking into my bedroom, I gave up entirely on sleeping and padded across the hallway into Katerina's room. She was sound asleep, curled up on her side, her thumb in her mouth. I kneeled beside her bed and ran my hand over her curly hair. She instinctively leaned into my touch and I placed a soft kiss on her forehead, before backing out of the room silently.
The apartment was eerily silent, despite it being early, and the floorboards creaked underneath me as I walked down the stairs. Lissa's bedroom door was wide open, her bed empty. The bathroom in the hall was empty, and a sliver of fear ran through me before I saw the note on the refrigerator.
Rose, in case you wake up before I get home, I'm with Christian, and there is nothing to worry about. Love you, Lissa
I sighed and threw the note away before starting the coffee maker. I leaned on the counter, yawning as I picked up my phone. I had four missed calls from Dimitri, three of which had accompanying voicemails that I promptly deleted, and five text messages, three of them from Dimitri and two from my dad.
I couldn't resist tapping the screen to bring up Dimitri's messages. The first two messages were essays, and I scrolled past them, but not before seeing the words I'm sorry. The last message was simple, only a few lines and it read: Court reopens at nine, please be at the courthouse by eight thirty with Katerina.
I sighed and checked the time, seeing that it was six thirty. My coffee gurgled into the pot and I pulled a mug down from the cabinet. I perched myself on one of the stools in front of the kitchen island and slowly sipped my coffee. My stomach rumbled like it had been doing all night, and I sipped more coffee, resisting the urge to make toast.
As I get up to put my mug into the sink, I heard the door creak open and then soft footsteps crossing from the hardwood floors onto the rug. "Good morning, Lissa," I say softly, pouring coffee into a mug. "Coffee?"
She walked into the kitchen, her heels dangling from her hands, and takes the coffee from me. "You scared me. What are you doing up?"
"Couldn't sleep," I muttered, setting the pot back on the machine.
Lissa gave me a disapproving look. "Rose, maybe you should go back to the doctors. Get something to help you sleep."
"I don't want drugs, Lissa," I snapped. "I don't need something to help me sleep."
"Yes, you do," Lissa said softly. "You usually don't sleep, and when you do, it's only for hours at a time, hardly, and you are never well-rested."
"I'm fine," I growled.
"You're not fine," Lissa pleads. "You don't sleep, you don't eat, and some days I can't get your attention unless I'm practically screaming your name."
"Lissa! Enough!" I shout. "I don't need you hounding me about stupid shit that is none of your damn business!"
"It is my business when I'm supposed to be taking care of you and helping you readjust."
"No, it really isn't," I tell her. "You try to understand, but it's impossible for you to do so. You have no clue what I went through."
"I realize that, Rose, and I'm only trying to help," Lissa placed her hand over mine on the counter and I pulled it away.
"I don't need your help, and I don't want your pity," I retorted. She started to reply and I cut her off. "No, don't even try to say that you don't pity me, because I know you do. I can see it in your eyes and in everybody else's. I'm not stupid."
"Rose, pity isn't necessarily a bad thing," Lissa says softly. "I'm sorry that I wasn't there to help you when you most needed my help, and I'm trying my hardest to make up for that now, I really am."
"It is a bad thing when I don't want it," I say. "Like I said before, I'm fine."
She pursed her lips and shook her head. "Did you eat breakfast?"
"Yes."
"Liar." Lissa sets her mug on the counter and pulls out the egg carton and some bacon. "I'm making you breakfast and you will eat every last inch of it."
"Lissa! I already ate and if you make me something, I will not eat and it will be thrown in the garbage can." I turned away from her.
"What did you eat then?" Lissa questioned and I knew from her tone that her hands were on her hips.
"Toast," I said, walking away. I checked back in on Katerina before I shut myself in the bathroom. As I pulled my shirt over my head, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and my stomach turned. Scars littered my body, on my arms, across my chest, on my waist. I had stretch marks from when I was pregnant with Katerina and I still had left over baby fat that hung over the waist of my sweats. As I went to pull my sweats off, I caught glimpse of the fresh cuts on my arms and turned away from the mirror.
The hot water of the shower burned my skin, but I ignored the pain. My skin was raw and stinging by time I climbed out of the shower and Lissa was knocking on the bathroom door. I ignored her as I passed and locked my bedroom door to prevent her from getting in. I dressed in a skirt that was similar to the one I wore yesterday, but this time I wore it with a pair of sheer tights and grey short sleeved blouse. I pulled my black blazer off its hanger after a moment of debating, using it to hide the cuts on my arms. Brushing my hair back, I pulled the long, dark strands into a simple French twist and unlocked the door.
Katerina was stumbling out of her bedroom at the same time that I swung the door open.
"Mommy," she called and lifted her arms. I picked her up and carried her down the stairs, placing her in her booster seat. "Autie Wissa," she mumbled behind a yawn, rubbing her eyes.
"Good morning, Katya," Lissa murmured, kissing Katya's forehead. Lissa placed a bowl of scrambled eggs in front of her along with a spoon.
"Mank you," Katya slurred, sipping orange juice out of the sippy cup Lissa gave her.
"Katerina, baby," I told her. "We have to go back to court today, the place we went yesterday afternoon, okay?"
She stares at me a moment and nods. "We see Dimi?"
I can't help but smile at her nickname for Dimitri. "Yes, sweetheart. Remember what I said, okay? You can't call him Dada or Daddy."
"Otay, Mommy. Me no call him Dada," Katerina confirms for me and I smile, kissing her forehead. I let her finish eating while I check the contents of her diaper bag. I add a few more diapers and check the wipe supply before refilling her container of Goldfish and Cheerios. "Momma! Me done!"
I smile and lift her out of her booster seat and take her into the bathroom to get cleaned up. Spraying her hair with a bit of water to get through the mess of curls makes it easier and I scrape her hair back into a ponytail before helping her brush her teeth. Once bag in her room, I make quick work of changing her diaper and putting her into a simple black skirt and a white shirt with matching toddling shoes. She opts to sit on the counter as Lissa showers and I apply neutral makeup with a light dusting of foundation and mascara. I swipe on light lip gloss and pull Katya back into my arms.
Telling Lissa that we're leaving, I carry her out the door and to my shabby car where I buckle her into her car seat and make my way downtown. Instead of Dimitri waiting for me on the front steps of the courthouse, it's Christian.
"Rose," he greets me, smiling at Katya, who waves with a grin on her face.
"Good morning," I murmur back. He studies me, but doesn't say anything, leading me into the courtroom. Dimitri is already seating at the desk and I take my seat next to him as Christian stands in front of the table.
"Good morning," I force myself to greet him.
"Rose," he says stiffly, not turning to look at me.
Christian rolled his eyes as he started to tell me what to expect from today. "There will be more evidence today, as well as a few more testimonies. Zeklos might try to call you back up to the stand, and if he does, don't let him get to you. He will most likely be trying to get a reaction out of you. Him and Ivashkov both, so try not to let what they say get to you, okay?"
I nod, taking in everything that he says. He mentions a few other things before sighing. "In case you get called back to the stand, you should see the pictures that Zeklos showed yesterday, just as a precaution."
"Do I have too?"
Dimitri finally looks over at me and I see the sympathy and then shock in his eyes. "It's simply a precaution. It would not be good to have you freak out over the pictures up there."
"I'll go get them, and be right back. Whatever is the problem between the two of you, you need to solve it right now before the court goes into session," Christian reprimands the pair of us before walking away. I see him greet Lissa as she walks in and Lissa smiles radiantly.
"Dimi!" Katya calls, tugging on his sleeve. Dimitri looks down at her and smiles at her.
"Hello, Katerina," he says. "How are you?"
"Good," she nods and proceeds to bury her head in the crook between my neck and shoulder, suddenly shy.
"You look awful, Roza," Dimitri whispers, his smile fading the longer he stared at me.
"Well, that's a surefire way to boast a girl's confidence," I muttered sarcastically.
"That wasn't the way I meant it and you know that," he adds. "What happened last night?"
"You mean after you assaulted me?" I hissed.
He recoiled back slightly. "Roza."
"Don't call me that," I bristled.
"Rose," he corrected. "That wasn't my intention. I'm sorry for coming on to you so suddenly like that. I should have waited longer."
"You do understand that I am barely recovered from being raped practically twenty four seven for three years, right? I can't do that right now, Dimitri. Especially not with you," I hissed quietly. "And that fact that you pushed yourself on me like that lowers my trust in you greatly."
"I bent down slowly to kiss you. There was no way you didn't know what I was planning on doing," he justified.
"I froze, dammit!"
"And I'm sorry, I really am," he apologized. "Did you get my messages?"
"I didn't," I told him, facing away from him. I knew that he knew what I meant. In the moment of silence that stretched between us, my stomach rumbled loudly and Katya giggled, sitting up.
"Mommy, me go to Granmah and Granpah?" Katerina bounced on my lap, pointed behind me. I turned around and saw my parents sitting there smiling at me. My mom leans forwards as I pass her Katya.
"Rose," she starts and I shake my head. Her face falls as she leans back and plays with my daughter.
Dimitri's eyes are narrowed when I look back at him. "Did you eat today, Rose?"
"Of course," I lied again and his eyes narrowed farther.
"Rose," he chastises. "You were extremely malnourished when we rescued you and you've barely gained back any weight. You aren't healthy."
"I am," I argue. "Don't lie to me, I can see the fat hanging over my bottoms when I look into the mirror."
Dimitri's brow furrowed, but he dropped the subject. "And you didn't sleep last night," he tells me. "Your foundation doesn't cover the dark circle very well."
Before I could respond, Christian arrive back in front of us, a manila folder in his hand. "Rose, are you ready to see the photos?"
"No," I whispered. Dread settled in my gut as I tried to think what the photos could show.
"I'm so sorry," Christian whispered, setting the folder in front of me. Bile rose in my throat as I flipped through the pictures. There were countless photos of me tied to Adrian's bed, blindfolded and naked, but they somehow made it look like I was asking, begging if you will, for Adrian to screw me. There were a few of Adrian sleeping next to me, with him curled up against my body, with nothing to cover myself with. I never even knew that these photos had been taken. I shoved the folder away and closed my eyes. The photos were incriminating and by the looks on Dimitri and Christian's faces, they knew it too.
"We have our own pictures," Christian reassured me. "Pictures that prove that those were set up."
Tears came to my eyes as I thought about Adrian getting free, of what he would do to me and Katerina. The bailiff entered the courtroom, followed by Adrian and Zeklos. He looked worse than yesterday, but still his cold eyes locked on mine and he smirked. I gulped and stood as the judge entered.
Dimitri stood, buttoning his suit jacket. Set up on the opposite side of the judge's dais was a screen with a projector pointed at it.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, we have a few pieces of evidence that shows that the pictures you were shown yesterday were faked and set up to make it look as if Miss Hathaway was in Mr. Ivashkov's presence by choice," he said, his softly voice carrying through the silent courtroom. Even Katya was silent. He picked up a tiny black remote and pushed a button, the projector springing to life. A video began to play, showing a pan of a house. The screen spilt in two, showing two different points of view. One camera followed Dimitri – the ponytail in the back gave him away – and the other camera followed who I though was Christian based on his black hair.
From Christian's point of view, we see him kick open a door and then Dimitri joins him, saying something that is too low to make out clearly. Dimitri slowly descends the stairs as Christian leads his own team of men through the house. As Dimitri is slowly going through the basement, Christian is upstairs searching for Adrian. A shout had Christian running and the cameraman jogged to keep up with him, and reached him in time to see Christian tackling someone. Once he moved and cuffed the man's hands together, it was a bit hard to make out Adrian's face, but it was there.
Beside me, Christian muttered a curse under his breath as Dimitri paused the video. "Ladies and gentlemen, of the jury and the audience, what you are about to see is extremely graphic. This is how I found Miss Hathaway in Mr. Ivashkov's basement."
Dimitri played the video and it was almost like I was seeing it from his eyes. A girl with dark hair that was knotted tangled was shackled to the bed with thick metal chains that were obvious to see. As Dimitri came closer, so did the camera. Katerina was kneeling beside me, shouting, "Mommy!" over and over again. Dimitri carefully picked her up and trying to calm her hysterics as Christian joined him in the room, taking Katya. As he passed Dimitri the key, my scars and cuts were made obvious and I could hear the gasping around the courtroom. My nude body was on display for everyone to see and I was growing more and more uncomfortable. The camera zoomed in on my scars and the fresh cuts, especially the ones left behind by the metal cuffs. I could see that every inch of my skin was either bruised, scarred, cut up, or had welts, of course, I already knew that, but know the jury did too. The video ended with Dimitri picking me, trying to shield my nakedness with his body as he carried me out of the basement. The paramedics took me from him and the video merged back together, panning to show Adrian in front of the same house they originally went into, proving that it wasn't fact. The only problem was that due to the darkness, identification was hard.
The video ended and Dimitri sat back down beside me.
"Are you okay?" he whispered.
"No," I said inaudibly as Zeklos called me up to the stand again. I took deep breaths as I walked up there and swore on the Bible once more.
"Now, Miss Hathaway," Zeklos paced into front of me. "Would you say that at any point in that video, you weren't sure of what was happening?"
"As I was watching it, or as it was filmed?"
"Watching it," he supplied.
"No, I could tell what was happening at all times," I answered.
"Really?" he mused. "And tell me, how could you tell that the man Mr. Ozera arrested was indeed Mr. Ivashkov?"
I paused trying to find the right wording and Zeklos plowed on. "Exactly; you can't!"
"But-."
"In fact, Miss Hathaway," he said. "I actually found it hard to see if the girl chained to that bed was indeed you, or if it was just another poor soul."
"It was me," I confirmed.
"Prove it, Miss Hathaway," Zeklos smirked. "Can you please show the jury your scars, since you would obviously have some if that was indeed you?"
I glared at him.
"Objection!" Dimitri bolted to his feet.
"Miss Hathaway," the judge intervenes. "Please show the jury the scars that you have on your arms. In privacy later, the other may be revealed."
I stand and come out of the witness box, facing the jury. I shrugged out of my blazer, revealing my marred and cut up arms. The jury gasps.
Zeklos directs me back into the witness box. "Miss Hathaway, if I'm not mistaken, those are self-harm scar right there, are they not?"
"They are," I concede. "Given what I've been through, is it really unexpected that I am a bit unstable and depressed?"
I saw a few member of the jury agreeing with me out of the corner of my eyes and Zeklos smirked directly at me, and only for me to see.
"May I?" he asked, gesturing towards my arm. I braced myself and nodded tersely. He lifted my arm and studied it. "These cuts are quite deep, correct?"
"Yes," I replied.
"Obviously, since you were able to do that to yourself, who is to say that you didn't scar your own body to launch a case against my client?" Zeklos questioned pacing in front of me.
"The video-."
"-was dark and unclear exactly who was in it," he finished my sentence. "I have no further questions your honor."
