Wanted

Thirty-Three

* I couldn't sleep so, here lol. There's porbably hella errors, I'll edit later.

Enjoy! Love yal!

**

Kaimana

It seemed like time was going by slower than it should have.

Probably because I spent so much time stalling and pondering, I was wasting a lot of it.

I probably looked scared or suspicious right now and that was the truth. I'm scared. Terrified. Afraid.

Worried the justice system will fail not only myself but my daughter. Should anything go wrong during this trial or I make the falsest of statements, Jayden will be let off and free to roam New Orleans, plotting ways to get Baby and I back in the palm of his hands.

I refuse to let that happen, if it's the last thing I do I will protect my daughter. She's literally depending on anything I speak in this moment.

"Ms. Thomas?"

"Yes ma'am." I looked up at Judge Wills, surely with worry written all over my face.

"Did you hear the question?"

"Uh, no, what was it again? I'm sorry." I pushed my hair from my face, looking into the blank eyes of the prosecuting attorney.

"Can you explain what life was like living with the defendant?"

Yes, uh, it was horrid." I shook my held, dryly swallowing as I prepared my words. "His fists weren't the only things that hurt me."

"He-- he was, is, an abuser in every sense of the word. Physical, mental, sexual and emotional. I always never felt good enough, no matter how hard I tried. I wasn't good enough, pretty enough or perfect enough ffor him."

"I just loved him too much, I was -- I thought I was in love. Everything he did, my mother did or allowed in one way or another, it was all I knew so it was okay. I wanted to leave so many times but I always stayed, for my baby."

"I promised myself I would never let my child grow up without a father and he was such a good father, or I thought he was. I just don't know where things went wrong but I know I failed her and he hurt her and he has to pay." I sniffled, taking a deep breath from the way I had just relentlessly poured my heart out.

Jayden's haunted eyes pierced through the side of my face as he sat in the defendant's section watching his life and freedom potentially crumbled right before his eyes. A part of me still felt like that scared little girl but a larger part of me felt like a grown woman. A woman who was for once in her life being real and vulnerable.

A woman who was no longer faking perfection. A woman who was freely showing her emotions. A woman, a mother. A mother finally keeping her one and only promise to her daughter. Protection.

Protect her daughter she would, if it was the last thing on Earth she did.

--

I pushed the double doors of the court room open, allowing Dy'mond to walk ahead of me. We were walking to the exiting doors when I was stopped by someone. I turned and was met with the eyes of Enriquez.

"Thomas. Kaimana, how are you?" She flashed a smile at me.

It was the fakest smile I'd ever seen and I would have been a fool to not see through it.

"Hi." I firmly answered, adjusting my purse on my shoulders.

"How are you? You look nice. Is this Dy'mond?"

"I'm fine and yes." I shook my head not exactly understanding her approach or intentions.

"Hi, sweetie. I'm your Tee Angie." She stooped down to Baby's height, gently touching her cheek.