TRIGGER Warning. This chapter is also a bit disturbing. And chapters moving forward will refer back to this.
Chapter 44- Esme's Testimony
Esme raced through the hallways after hearing Maxie's words. She passed Mac, Cody, Robin, and others and stopped at a trashcan outside of the courtroom. She hunched over it, trying to grip it with her shaky, numb hands, and vomited.
"I don't know how she could ever want you when your monster father forced you onto her!"
"Wh-what does that mean?"
"What do you THINK it means, Esme? It means that your father raped my mother and you were the result!"
"...your father raped my mother and you were the result!"
"...your father raped my mother..."
"...your father raped my mother..."
"...you were the result!"
Esme felt her chest tighten, sweat dripping down her as she kept hyperventilating.
Cody walked over to her. "Hey Esme, are you okay?"
Esme couldn't control her breathing as she hovered over the trash can. "I-got-to-trial..." She wobbled into the courtroom and went to sit in her chair but fell to the floor. She sat in a fetal position rocking back and forth.
"Esme, are you all right?" Nora asked.
Cody followed her into the courtroom. He knelt down beside her. "Hey just take a deep breath and just breathe."
Felicia hurried into the room, just as Cody helped Esme onto her chair. Ignoring everyone else watching, she walked over and lightly put a hand on Esme's shoulder. "Hi Sweetie, Mom's here."
Esme slowly lifted her head to look at her and her lip trembled as she started hyperventilating again.
Felicia rubbed her back gently and whispered, "It's okay sweetie, just breathe baby. Maxie was wr—"
"All rise."
"Nora, you need to get the judge to call another recess," Felicia said. "So I can talk to her."
Cody moved back and stood with Mac, but Felicia didn't budge.
"I'll see what I can do," Nora said. "But you need to go to your seat."
"It's okay sweetie. Maxie was wrong and wrong to talk to you like that. I love you so much."
Esme couldn't hear her over her sobs.
Felicia stood on the other side of Mac, until they were told to be seated. She glanced back and saw Maxie sitting at the back of the prosecution side again.
"Mrs. Buchanan, would you like to call your final witness?" the judge asked. "The courts would like to hear from the defendant."
Nora stood up. "Um your Honour, can we have another recess so my client can catch her breath?"
The judge threw her hands up. "I haven't got all day. This case is almost over and I don't want to stay longer than I have to. We will continue now."
"Esme, it's time to go up now." Nora helped her stand up and walked her to the stand.
Esme sat down and the room spun around her.
"Miss Prince, can you tell us your side to what happened the night at the cabin?" Nora asked.
Esme responded with more hyperventilating.
"Miss Prince, you will answer when spoken to in my court," the judge said.
"Your honour, my client isn't well," Nora said. "If she could just have a few minutes to go use the bathroom and calm herself down."
"Objection, your honour." Arden rose. "This could've been planned by the defense to buy the defendant more time and to play on your sympathies."
"How much you want to bet she's faking?" Josslyn whispered to Dex.
"Sustained," the judge said.
Felicia scoffed. "Mac, she can't do this right now."
"Miss Prince, calm yourself down and answer the questions," the judge said. "Mrs. Buchanan, continue."
"Very well, your honour. I'm not going to ask her anymore questions." Nora returned to her seat.
"All right," the judge said. "Would the prosecution like to question the defendant?"
"Yes, your honour." Arden walked around to the floor. "So, Miss Prince, how long have you had your memories back?"
Esme could see the blurred figure of a woman walking towards her. Sweat dripped down Esme's temples as Maxie's voice kept playing over and over in her head, so she couldn't take in what the blurred woman was saying: "You are such a liar, telling me that Mom mattered to you... You're hurting my mother..."
Tears streamed down Esme's cheeks and she over breathed. "I-I… I did it. I st-stalked Ava and torched her c-car under Daddy's orders. And I—I encouraged Sp-Spence to help. And-and D-Daddy he wanted me to get close to… to Nikolas too. He-he wanted to—to break up A-Ava and Nikolas to—to—to have Ava back. And I lied about getting my memory back after breaking into Wynd-Wyndemere and-and I didn't want to confess because I was sc-scared and I d-didn't want to l-l-lose Ace or Mommy… and I didn't w-want to d-disappoint Mommy or for her to think I'm just like Daddy…. But…" She hiccoughed. "Maxie" She hiccoughed again "is" and again… "right. I am-I am Daddy's d-devil spawn. A l-little psy-psycho. I c-can't change that." She shook her head. "I ca-can't. I'm—I'm hurting M-M-Mommy with my pre-presence."
Felicia whispered to Mac, "My poor baby, she's had to hold this all inside for so long, no wonder she's having a nervous breakdown. Mac, I have to go up there and help her. Stop her before she gets more into Ryan in front of everyone."
"Felicia, you can't," Mac said. "You'll be in contempt."
Ava turned to Trina. "She's finally admitting everything. She better get to framing you next."
"So, your mission to come to Port Charles was to break up Nikolas Cassadine and Ava Jerome?" Arden asked.
"We-we-we planned to make the sex tape," Esme continued. "We did. I—I even imagined myself d—doing it. Imagined myself d—drugging Trina. Even bought the b—burner phone. But—but I—I couldn't go through with it. I couldn't. I couldn't! I tried to forge K—Kevin's signature but couldn't. I couldn't. Then the—the video went viral. Art pictures showed up on my ph—phone and I th—thought Trina st—stole it. So I blamed her. So did the cops!"
"That bitch is lying," Josslyn called out.
Felicia glared at her and Carly wrapped her arm around her.
"Miss Jacks, you are in contempt," the judge said. "Miss Prince! You will answer the prosecutor's questions only!"
"Miss Prince, when you say 'we', do you mean you and your father?" Arden asked.
"I—I didn't want to be blamed so I—I—I tried to co-cover my tracks," Esme said. "Went back to Oz. Everyone b—blamed me. No one believed me. Even Spence!" Esme sniffled as her heart palpitated. "I was j-j-jealous and a-angry at the w-world…. But more than that…." Esme said in a small, choky voice, "I… wanted to…" she hiccoughed again "…make… Daddy… proud of me. I-I f-found him when I was f-f-f-fif-fifteen. I ran away and took the… bus… to see him… because Maggie didn't want me to-to contact him. But-but I-I-I-I-I had to. I had to! I looked for so long."
"Miss Prince, when you were trying to cover your tracks, did you frame Miss Robinson?" Arden asked.
"I don't care if I'm in contempt, Mac," Felicia said, starting to stand. "This has to stop. You're honour, you need to call a recess right now so I can help my daughter calm down."
"Mrs. Scorpio, sit down," the judge said. "You are in contempt."
"Right-right-right away… Daddy w-wanted me to toughen up," Esme cried. "Develop thick skin. He said I was too w-weak. He had r-r-rules for me. Rules of when and how I could-could… c-communicate with him and it could never be unpl-planned or uncontrolled. Rules of how to carry out his p-plans. Rules of how to a-act and c-conduct myself. The first step to-to become st-stronger and to make him proud of me was to… to cut Maggie off." She sobbed. "It was D-daddy or Maggie. He said she was a threat to our relationship. I had to… I had to ch-choose-ch-choose Daddy. I searched" she hiccoughed "for so long" she hiccoughed again "and he might tell me."
"Esme, Esme, sweetie." Felicia pushed through the gate, but the guard stopped her from going further. "Esme, take a deep breath. You don't have to talk about this right now. We'll talk about it when we get home."
"He st-stroked my h-hair and h-held me close." Esme squeezed her eyes shut and whimpered a little. "And… he-he… kissed me. Said he loved me. I was sssssscared and I wanted to go back to Maggie… but he told me I was… his legacy. That I was the b-best of him and my mother. He sat on his bed and wanted me to… to lay with him." She quivered. "He said I reminded him so much of-of my mother and he hadn't been with her in so long…. That he-he-he and Mommy always… always loved each other and he-he loved me… too. He-he said I've never had a loving father before… that this was normal. Only it's kept private and we don't tell anyone… but-but Mac never does that." She sniffled. "I was going to run, then he said he knew and he would tell me. I hesitated and he came over. He-he grabbed my wrist really really hard… so hard it bruised b-badly… and pulled me to the bed. I-I didn't fight it, but it was… horrible. But-but after he didn't tell me. He said he would next time. But next time after next time, he wouldn't tell me!"
"So, does that mean that you knew that your father was faking his locked in syndrome and could walk?" Arden asked.
Felicia pulled away from the guard and made to punch her, but the guard grabbed her arm. "Are you kidding me?"
"Escort Mrs. Scorpio from my courtroom!" the judge ordered.
"I toughened up… told him I wouldn't come again unless he t-told me. But he said there's no p-place I can go or run. No place on earth he wouldn't find me. He was right…he was right…" She choked up again. "…he won't get out of my head!" She cradled her head in her numb, curling hands and sobbed. "His voice… his touch… his smell. He won't leave me… He's everywhere! In news articles… social media… everyone talks about him… they remind me over and over I'm just like him… but-but they're… right… I am.
"Antoine f-f-found me and Daddy to-together and-and-and said he'd tell everyone. He'd tell everyone! Unless I-I helped him b-break up Cameron and Joss…. But I couldn't-I couldn't go through with it….
"Daddy s-said-he said we-we would… we would reunite with Mommy one day, but we had more immediate con-concerns…. He sa-said this whole t-town had hu-hurt him. That they l-l-locked him up wrongfully… and-and that they would hurt me too. He said I h-had to t-take pre-precautions and stop them before they-they hurt us. Th-then he said if I disobey him… then to consider myself an orphan…. And-and he kept promising me…" she choked up some more, still cradling her head and rocking back and forth. "…he pro-promised me he would t-tell me…. I se-se-searched for her for a long, long, long time. For as long as I could use the-the Internet inde-independently. But I kept hitting d-dead ends and even M-Maggie didn't know who she was. But Daddy knew. He knew." She sniveled. "He knew. And I thought if… if I was just like him… if I laid with him… didn't fight him… he might tell me…" There was a huge pause and she sniffled, before releasing more tears. "…then he would tell me… he would tell me… he would tell me… who my mother is."
Felicia rushed towards Esme, but the guard grabbed her arms.
"I'm so sorry, sweetheart." Tears rushed down Felicia's face. "I'm so sorry."
Felicia heard stomping and the groan of the gate. "Don't you dare touch my mother when she's trying to comfort my sister!" Maxie shouted. "After everything you just heard, how can you be so cruel as to ignore someone who's clearly in pain?" She looked over at Esme. "I'm so sorry, Esme. I was wrong about everything. You were right. Everything was about Mom."
The judge struck the gavel. "I've had enough! Twenty-minute recess, then I'll decide the verdict."