Her Royal Charming

Chapter Thirty Four

"I want to call Adira Quinn to the stand."

I stood up and focused on my breathing as I walked to the witness stand. This was nerve wracking and I was trying hard not to hyperventilate. All I have to do is walk up there and tell the truth and open up about the specifics of my past I've tried to repress.

"Can you tell us about your childhood? Specifically when your mother left." These attorneys really don't mince words.

"My mother was packing her bags and told me to go to my room because I was annoying her. The next thing I knew I heard the car starting and she was driving away. My step-father came back a little while later with his daughters and I was at a loss to explain what happened, I still am."

"Can you tell us about how you were treated afterwards and how your mother leaving affected the relationships you had with your step-family."

"Things certainly changed, and I felt no longer welcome. I was expected to cook for all of us, clean the entire house daily, do the laundry, grocery shopping, and whatever other chores they thought of. I had to do homework for the girls, bring them their morning coffee and be on their back and call 24/7."

"On top of this as I grew older I had to get a job to contribute to the house because they constantly reminded me that I should be lucky they kept me in. I had to keep a lock on my door out of fear of what they might pull. I had a right to be worried because Harper, Sophia and Emma broke into my room trashing it and destroying what little possessions I had left, including mementos of my late father."

"My childhood home hasn't felt like a sanctuary or a place of comfort in years. It was just a place to sleep and have more work handed to me."

"Last question, has living with your aunt been difference from your experience with your step-family?"

"My Aunt cares about me and is nurturing and willing to look out for me. In my old house I was unwanted and constantly reminded of it. I'm much happier now in my new environment."

"Thank you Adira."

I walked off the stand and back to my original seat with my ears ringing. Being up there and talking about the shit I've been through was like an out of body experience.

All of that and more really happened to me.

I had trouble focusing on anything else for the rest of the questioning and closing statements. Al the events of my life flashing before my eyes, and I was reliving them in succession.

One of my first memories playing at the park followed by going out for ice cream and hanging on my dad's shoulders. Family picnics, birthdays and Christmases. Then tragedy after travesty struck, becoming recurring themes.

My father died in a car crash. My mother remarried. My step-sisters terrorized me. My mother left. My step-family terrorized me more. Throw in some verbal and mental abuse and that pretty sums up my life.

What a shitty life.

"I've made my decision." The judge announces after a quick deliberation. "The court grants Ava Quinn custody of Adira Quinn and sentences Kenneth Lynch to 30 days in jail and 500 hours of community service. "

Things have been shitty, there's no denying that but it doesn't have to stay that way. The reason I've stayed sane this whole time was looking past the negatives and striving for the silver lining. There's no reason I should stop now.

This was a major win! There was no reason for us to be worried when we clearly had this in the bag.

"However, the house remains in the custody of Kenneth Lynch due to insufficient evidence."

Right now the glass is half full.

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"We didn't get the house" Aunt Ava reminds me gently, puzzled as to why I was jumping up and down in joy. Derric and Edmon left a few minutes ago and I was continuing to unleash my excitement.

"Still, I've officially gone from their control. I don't care about the house as much as I care about my freedom. Things worked out in the end."

" I saw my brother saving to put the down payment. That was where they brought you home from the hospital, and where I saw you grow up." She sighs, "It holds so many memories." It did for both of us, but we didn't need to tie the memories to a physical entity.

When the snowglobe my father gave me was destroyed, I was devastated. It wasn't until recently that I realized I still have memories of us together, and the destruction or loss of the snowglobe didn't alter it at all.

Maybe it's time to say goodbye to memories of the house.

"You can still watch me grow up, I'm not going anywhere. And we both know I have a lot of growing up to do." I add the second statement to lift the mood.

"It's just unfair that the bastard gets to keep the house. It was never his to belong with." She mutters bitterly.

"I think I have an idea to help us." I pull her arm and dragged her to the car.

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"Why are we at the house?" She questions puzzled. I pulled into the driveway and did a dramatic reveal with some jazz hands.

"We're here to make peace with the memories here. Both of us need a chance to say goodbye on our terms."

I haven't driven anywhere near the house since I left. It still looked the same from the outside, slight clipped paint and a lopsided rose bush my dad planted for my mom all those years ago.

This was my childhood and while not every experience I had in there was a positive one, everything that has happened to me has only further shaped me into the person I am today.

I guess it's true when they say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

"Let's do this together." I hold out a hand, physically and metaphorically reaching out towards Aunt Ava.

She grasps it lightly and I give her a comforting squeeze. "Together." She reiterates.