No Longer Afraid (Complete)

Going Home

          The next few hours droned on and Sadie was a nervous wreck. She hated courtrooms, the smell, the tension, the fear of the unknown. They say that justice is blind but Sadie never believed that. There were so many ways around justice that she wasn’t sure if justice existed. Now that William was a man of wealth and power, who is to say that he didn’t bride the judge? What if he isn’t found guilty on all charges? What if he is convicted and breaks out of jail? “I’d like to call Sadie Camille to the stand.” Sadie snapped out of her thoughts as she heard the lawyer call her name. She anxiously stood, swore on the bible, and took her place in the witness seat. She fiddled with her fingers as she answered every question truthfully, avoiding William’s eyes. “Can you tell the court what happened after the kidnapping?”, the lawyer asked. Sadie half blinked and looked down at her hands. She took a moment to compose herself, then spoke. “The day that William kidnapped me, he forced me that night to have dinner with him. He even forced me to wear a dress I wasn’t comfortable wearing. When I retaliated at dinner, he held a knife to my face and said, ‘You will never see him again. Do you understand? You are mine. I suggest that you forget about him.’ He then made me tell him that I loved him and k...kissed me.”, she paused for a moment. The courtroom was deadly silent as Sadie zoomed out. “Miss Camille, did William r**e you that night?”, she asked. Sadie made eye contact with the lawyer, tears pooling in her eyes. “I believe so. After the incident during dinner, William took me to his bedroom.”, Sadie said.

          William removed his suit jacket and kicked off his shoes. Sadie held pressure to her bleeding cheek, watching him closely. “Now, come here.”, he said, patting the bed beside him. Sadie sobbed quietly as she sat near him. William wrapped his arms around her as she wept. He removed her hand from her cheek and kissed her bloody hand. “I’m sorry for hurting you, my love, but you left me no choice. Allow me to make it up to you.”, he said. He gently unzipped her dress and touched her soft skin beneath it. Sadie started to cry aloud, cradling her hands to herself. “Shh...shh...shh...don’t cry. I’ll be gentle this time.”, he whispered in her ear. Sadie passed out shortly after he said those words.

          “When I had awoken, I was naked with sheets over my body. William was gone.”, she said. Anrian’s skin crawled and he felt as if he was going to be sick. He ran out of the courtroom to the men’s bathroom with his father trailing behind him. Sadie wept softly at the podium, clenching her fist until she drew blood. “Anrian must think I’m disgusting now. He must hate me and rightfully so! I’m dirty.”, Sadie thought to herself. The lawyer handed her a tissue and asked if she could proceed. Sadie wiped her eyes and nodded. “After you woke up, what happened next?”, the lawyer asked. Sadie sighed and balled the tissue up in her hand. “William came barging into the room. He threw some clothes at me and told me to get dressed that he was having company. He took me to my room after I had gotten dressed and tied me to a chair. He then sat me in front of my bedroom door. That was when Anrian and his parents came in. They saved me.”, she said with a faint smile. The lawyer nodded. “No further questions, your honor.”

          Anrian threw up a couple of times in the men’s bathroom before collecting himself. Tears poured from his eyes as he clenched his teeth. “Son, are you okay?”, Anrian’s father asked as he placed a hand on his shoulder. “H-He r***d her, Dad. I know it. Twice, twice she suffered at the hands of that monster. I want to kill him! I want him to suffer as she did! I want justice!”, Anrian said in an eerie tone. Anrian’s father hugged his son to himself and sighed. “I won’t pretend to understand what you’re going through. I’ve never gone through something like this, so I have no wisdom to give. But, son, listen to some advice, will ya? Sadie needs you. Right now, she is in that courtroom without you. You are her anchor, her support. She needs you man.”, her father pleaded. Anrian thought about his father’s words for a moment before slowly leaving the bathroom.

          He hesitantly entered the courtroom and found Sadie sitting next to her mother, her mother had her arm around her as the verdict was read. William was found guilty of first degree kidnapping and three counts of attempted murder. He was sentenced to life in prison. Everyone in the courtroom cheered, Sadie dropped to her knees in relief, balling her eyes out. Anrian ran over to her and wrapped her up in a tight embrace. She looked up at him and slowly stood with him. “Anrian.”, she said with a smile. He smiled down at her and cupped her injured cheek. “I’m here. Always.”, he said before gently kissing her lips.

          William peered at them from across the room and instantly became angry. He shouted aloud as the bailiffs struggled to contain me. “Hear me, Sadie! He will never have you like I have. Your body and your first love will always be mine!”, he crackled as the bailiffs took him away. Sadie’s smile vanished at that painful realization. “He’s right...I’m dirty, soiled...he took something from me that can never be replaced.”, she said. Anrian gently rubbed her arms and stared tenderly down at her. “Sadie, you’re not dirty and your body is yours and yours alone. He’s gone forever this time. He’s never coming back. So, why listen to him?”, Anrian asked. Sadie thought for a moment, looking out at the now empty courtroom. “You’re right. Thank you, Anrian.”, she said with a gentle smile. He nodded, took her hand, and said: “Let’s go home.”