The Billionaire's Housekeeper (Betsy Jones Book 1) - Unedited

The Billionaire's Housekeeper - Epilogue

The bang of the gavel sent shockwaves throughout the courtroom. Where before there had been anticipatory silence, the final judgement broke the tension. Low excited murmurs filled the air even as the judge rose from his chair and slipped from the room.

The press were having a field day and why wouldn't they? There had been much speculation about what had happened that day in his home. Nick's arsenal of lawyers and PR experts were good, too good. Only limited information had been leaked about the true events during the months preceding the trial. Yet, even his deep pockets had been unable to prevent their presence in the courtroom. They knew everything now and no doubt it would be splashed over every media site within the hour.

Nick spared the vultures a quick glance before shaking his head and refocusing his attention on the only one who mattered. He had been forced to sit away from Betsy for the majority of the proceedings. He could only offer his support from a distance. It had hurt. She had recounted each and every painful detail of her ordeal and lost herself in those nightmares once more and all he had done was watch.

Out of the corner of his eye, Nick registered the police officers hooking an arm under that of the jumpsuit clad woman. They hauled her up on to her feet and marched her back towards the concealed door in the wooden panelling. Nick knew it eventually led down to the court cells. The woman was unmoved by her impending sentence. She hadn't screamed. She hadn't cried. She hadn't even tried to defend herself. All she had done was smile and wave at the press throughout the proceedings. In her broken mind, she was actually enjoying her five minutes of fame. Nick took some small comfort in the fact that those delusions would be broken pretty quickly when she was back within a cell.

Betsy stood at the front of the courtroom. As her attacker was marched past her, she had abruptly stood from her seat. For a second her legs threatened to give out beneath her. Nick watched as she thrust out her hands and clutched on to the desk in front of her for support while her eyes followed every move of the woman who still tormented her sleep.

Forcing his way out of the spectators stand, Nick battled against the current of people leaving the court room. People cursed at his back as he forced his way through but Nick didn't even spare them a glance. He didn't care about their opinions of him. He was focused only on her.

With her hair drawn back into a sleek bun and her body encased in a formal black suit, she looked so different to the woman he had first met. Nick, dare he even admit it to himself, preferred her raggedy jeans and loose top know. She just looked uncomfortable. Her face was drawn and her shoulders were hunched as if weighted down.

As soon as she was close enough, Nick placed a hand on her shoulder. Betsy jumped at the unexpected contact, her body physically jolting aware from the touch. Nick snatched back his hand.

"Don't panic, it's just me." Nick murmured calmly, watching as she closed her eyes and slowly forced her body to release the tension muscle by muscle.

It brought a physical pain in his chest every time she reacted in such a way. It was reflexive. He knew it would take time to heal from the ordeal. The incident hadn't taken much time but the effects would likely be felt for years to come. She may never fully get over it. Still, Nick vowed to himself that he would do everything and everything he could to make sure that she was safe and happy. It was the best that he could do.

Turning her head, Betsy's lips wavered into a shaky smile. "I'm sorry."

"None of that, you have nothing to be sorry for." Nick replied. Then, opening his arms, Nick needed no other words as a moment later she was burrowing into his chest. Her arms wrapped around his waist as she held on to him tightly. Uncaring that some of the press were still very much in the room, Nick closed his eyes and rested his cheek on top of her head.