His Collateral

Chapter 26

Alessandro's P.O.V:
(The following week...)
It was the day of the Court hearing and Bella and I were already on our way to the courthouse. We had left the house early as the lawyer had insisted on speaking to Bella before the hearing.
Marco, Christy and Mary would follow behind in a separate car.

While I drove, I thought about Bella. I wondered how she would feel when she found out what I had done. From the corner of my eye, I saw her fidgeting nervously. She twisted her hands together, her fingers knotted and white. She also kept tugging at the hem of her dress, pulling it back and forth as if trying to straighten it. I could tell she was worried. It would be her first time seeing them again since our wedding but under a different circumstance. I reached out and gently took her hand in mine. She got startled a bit and looked up at me, her eyes wide.

"It's going to be all right." I gave her a small smile, trying to reassure her that everything would be fine, even though I was being eaten up with guilt. She nodded.

Soon enough, I pulled the car over at the Courthouse. We got down from the car and walked into the building where we were directed to a small lounge where the lawyer was waiting. He greeted us with a grim smile, and we sat down.
He introduced himself to Bella and explained that he would be the one handling the case. He said he wanted to go over a few things with her, and she nodded. I could feel the tension radiating off of her but I understood that it was a natural response to the situation. If anyone had been in her position, they would have felt the same way. So I sat there, silently offering my support, while she spoke to the lawyer.

The lawyer looked at Bella. "I need to make sure you understand that you will be testifying in court today. It's important that you tell the truth, no matter how difficult that may be. Do you understand?"

"Yes I understand." She nodded.

The lawyer continued, "I also need to remind you, that with your permission, a private evidence had been submitted to the court. The evidence will be reviewed at the end of the hearing before the court will give a verdict."

She looked at me and then back at the lawyer before nodding her head in understanding. "Alright."

The lawyer stood up and smiled and I could tell that the lawyer was satisfied with the answers Bella had given him, and he seemed confident. He began to make his way to the court room and we followed suite. As we walked into the courtroom, the lawyer made his way to the front and I noticed that Mary, Christy, and Marco were already seated. As we settled into our seats beside them, I noticed an officer lead Aldo, Theresa, and their children into the court room. On sighting us, the hatred in their eyes was palpable. Bella seemed to shrink into herself, her gaze fixed on the floor. I felt a surge of anger well up inside me, at her fear but I knew I had to stay calm. Before I could say anything, the courtroom deputy announced, "All rise!" and we all stood up as the judge entered the room. I watched as she took her seat on the bench, her gaze scanning the room.

She nodded to the deputy, "You may be seated." The room settled into a quiet hum as the judge looked down at her papers. Then she looked up and said, "Let's get started. I'd like to hear the opening statement from the defense."

Aldo's lawyer, adjusting his suit with an air of confidence around him. "Your honor, my name is Andrew Cruz, and I am the defense lawyer for Mr. Aldo Falcone and his family."
"Your honor the facts of this case are straightforward. The plaintiff over there," he said pointing over to where we sat, "Is suing my client, Mr. Aldo, on the basis of a suspicion and not actual evidence."

The judge nodded and he continued, "With me here are documents proving that my client was out of town on the days these two accidents took place, and thus could not have been involved." The lawyer said his voice calm and confident. "I believe that this evidence would cast a doubt on the prosecutions case." He added handing over the file to the judge who leafed through it, her expression inscrutable.