"All rise for the Honorable Judge Hamilton" The officer recited in a monotone voice as a man in a black gown entered.
We all stood as he sat, and I could get a better look at my dad and Larry at the front. As if feeling my gaze, he turned to meet my eyes, and I involuntarily looked away as my anxiety rose. We both knew that today was the day.
He would go away in prison forever, and I will never see him free again.
I had cried on my way here, and Tristan was with me all the way. Gosh what would I do without him? I loved him so much that words couldn’t even tell. My mom, Emily and even Jessica were here for support too, and I couldn’t even express my love for them anymore.
I was still confused as to why my mom was still here, but after two weeks, I learnt that she and her husband didn’t have just a 'fight' after all, but they were actually filing for divorce. It forced her to naturally want to be closer to me. And though at first I was hurt that she want completely honest with me, I got over it.
I realized that life was too short for me to be holding grudges. All grudges do, is lodge distance between friends and families, when in the end, it doesn’t benefit anyone.
So no, I didn’t hold a grudge against my mom for being partially honest with me. I simply hugged her when she told me, after seeing how hurt she was.
So, I helped her find a job in town so that she could afford her own place. She needed to start over, and this was the first step.
She made a lot of mistakes in the past, and some twisted minded person would even see her as the reason why my dad was even in court today. But that's just what the past does to you. It drains you emotionally, mentally and most of all, hold you back.
As humans beings we ought to learn how to let go of the past. It's called the 'past' for a reason, because it has indeed passed. The present is a gift, and what you do with that gift is solely up to you.
If only we had all realized that sooner rather than later. Maybe Sheldon would still be alive, meeting Mia would've never happened and seeing my dad behind bars wouldn’t have been a reality for me.
But that's just life. It teaches you lessons. Some in the hardest ways, some in the best ways. As for me and my story, it was the hard way.... But at least I learnt something form it all. I leant that the present is indeed a gift.
And we ought to cherish it.
The past month had been quite hectic with everyone preparing for the trial. After our stunt at the station that had my dad confessing, everything else fell into place from there.
Emily advised me weeks ago to see my dad one last time, just to have a talk to free myself and be prepared for the future. I didn’t consider it until last night.
And I did just that.
I went to his house, and there were a lot of crying and apologizing, but most importantly, there was a lot of healing. I wasn’t lying when I said I forgave him. I really did. And as much as I will never be okay with what he did, I just had to accept it and move on. This is our lives from now on, and I had to simply shape that to my liking.
The trial was going as Tristan predicted. First there was a few testimonies from officers, forensic scientists and 'witnesses'.
I was asked by Larry and the District Attorney to testify also, for different reasons. Still, I didn’t hesitate to agree. I knew they wouldn’t have called on me until the trial was almost over, so I was ready.
They called for a fifteen minute recess, and I was grateful. I shuffled through the crowd as I searched for Tristan. He wasn’t sitting close by me, so he got lost in all the people.
He had testified earlier too, simply because he was the detective on both cases. I guess the jury needed to hear how the detectives viewed the charges against my dad.
"Cianna" I heard a voice I knew too well from behind me. I quickly whipped around and blindly threw myself at him.
Though I knew how it would end, the trial was harder than I expected it to be.
"How are you holding up?" Tristan asked as I snuggled my face in his chest. From the corner of my eyes I could see some officers eying us weirdly. With our relationship now out, a lot of people didn’t approve of it for obvious reasons.
I was the ex and a former suspect of Sheldon and his murder, and Tristan was the one cracking the case. I knew it was a bit 'inappropriate' to some people, but we didn’t care. Love found its what in some of the strangest, most forbidden occurrences, and there was nothing anyone could do or say to change that.
"I'm trying to hold up" I chuckled a little as I pulled away. He brushed a tendril of my brown hair out of my face as he cupped my cheek.
"Ready to go up there?"
I nodded. "As ready as a daughter of a murderer could ever be" I attempted dark humor, but found myself cringing instead. He pressed his lips to my forehead as I relished in the feeling of having him close.
"You'll do great. I'll be here right after waiting for you with open arms"
"I know" I smiled gently. "I love you "
"I love you too baby." He mumbled, taking me in his arms again.
Recess was over, and I was sitting on the stands with my hand on a Bible.
"Do you swear to tell the truth, the only truth and nothing but the truth?"
I nodded. "I do"
The man nodded as he retreated, as Larry approached me for his set of questions.
"Cianna. You have lived with you dad all your life correct?"
"Yes. Up until I left for college at 17" I responded easily.
"And he's been a loving father? No?"
"The most loving, caring and fantastic man I know. He was a great dad." I spoke truthfully. He really was a great dad. I met his eyes quickly, seeing that he was smiling at me.
Larry circled my space for a while before popping the next question. “Does that very father who raised you when your mother left-"
"Objection, Your Honour. Speculation" The DA opposed immediately.
"Rephrase" Larry conceded. "Does you father seem like a man who could've hurt someone?"
I paused as my eyes flickered to my dad quickly, and I felt them burning with tears again. "I didn’t want to believe it, because no. He didn’t seem like a man to do something like that."
"So in other words, no?" Larry questioned, which had me remembering that he was trying to get my dad OUT of trouble, not put him in more.
"No but-"
"That will be all, Your Honour" Larry dismissed, before throwing me a look as if saying 'are you trying to send him away?'. I wasn’t, I was only doing what's right.
The DA then rose as she came to stand before me. "Cianna Leir. Is it?"
"Yes." I replied flatly, not understanding the need for such an obvious question.
"You obviously have no shame in your name. It is your father's, correct?"
"Yes" I repeated.
"Yet you are so troubled at the act your father did. Why is that?"
"That's a little vague. Don’t you think?"
"Answer the question Cianna" She had an edge to her voice that I didn’t like.
In fact, as much as I was on her side on getting justice, I didn't like her. She was always a bit too 'accusey' for me. She probably thought I had something to do with it too.
"I was troubled, because I didn’t expect such an act from him. I didn’t recognize him" I stated in all honesty. I vowed to tell the truth, after all.
"And he was accused of murder twice on your account? Right?"
I squeezed my eyes shut as I held back the tears.
'This is not your fault Cianna. Don’t let it get to you. She's only doing her job at being the persecutor'.
"That is what we believe. Yes"
"And when you look at Sheldon's family, do you think it would be fair if one of them should kill you for what your dad did to Sheldon?"
"Objection Your Honour!"
"Overruled" Judge Hamilton dismissed. That meant I should still answer the question. Right?
"No it wouldn’t be fair. No human have such right"
"So to say that what Renold did for the sake of his beloved child could be overlooked, would be quite unfair. Wouldn’t it Cianna?"
I met each and every eye of Sheldon's family, watching the hurt on their faces. My tears actually fell at that. If only I had stayed away from their dear Sheldon..
"Yes it is. My dad had no right and I'm so sorry that Sheldon's life was taken on my account. I'm sorry" I wept for the first time in front of so many people.
Sheldon's mom, who had always been a softie, looked sympathetic after that, but his brother still had a stone cold expression. I didn’t expect them to be okay with everything, but overtime I guess we all could put it behind me.
"That would be all, Your Honour" She ended after handing me a tissue.
I flew from that area so fast, rushing to Emily and Jessica who welcomed me in opened arms. Tristan was still too far away, which I hated. But I understood that the setting wouldn’t be appropriate.
Finally, my dad took the stand. I tried to contain my sniffles as I listened to Larry ask him questions. We all knew the trial wasn’t going in his favour after all the evidence presented, testimonies and reports. But Larry was a good lawyer. He didn’t stop fighting.
When the District Attorney was questioning him, he confessed again, this time in person. I squeezed my eyes shut again as I listened to him give details about each murder that only someone who was there or who committed it would've known. Larry threw his head in his hand as my dad spilled, and I watched as every face watched in amazement.
He was able to make his way through the station that day when he killed Mia, because apparently he had a 'lover' years ago who would sneak him inside the station without being caught. That was how he knew where all the cameras were at, and how he got to Mia's cell without being spotted.
He then proceeded to apologize to Sheldon's family for the pain he caused. He realized after the DA asked me that question, that he would've hated anyone who thought it would be okay to kill me for the sake of someone else that they held dearly.
He asked them not to view me as the culprit, as I was as much a victim as they were. I lost Sheldon too, as much as we parted on terrible terms. I was happy when he did that. It reflected the man I knew all my life.
And finally, he apologized to me. He met my eyes across the courtroom and gave me his final, heart filled apology. He closed it. He closed the chapter just like that. And I was grateful.
"Have the jury reached a verdict?" Judge Hamilton asked after the lawyers gave their final statements.
A man stood, eying the room once before looking back to the judge.
"We have, Your Honour. With the charges of murder in the first degree of Mia Walters and Sheldon Myers, we find the defendant guilty"
A series of mumbles went around as I felt as if someone punched me in the stomach. It wasn’t that I didn’t know, but hearing it being set in stone was so much more.
It took me a while to process it all, and I could hear shuffling around me as people left. This is it.
It was all over.
Sheldon, Mia, dad. It was all done.
"Hey.." I felt strong arms being wrapped around me, and the world suddenly came alive again. The courtroom was almost empty by now, and I looked up to meet Tristan's eyes.
"Hey" I mimicked in a mumble as I melted into him. "It's over Tristan."
"I know baby. I know" He caressed my hair as I finished grasping it all. "Are you okay?"
Oddly, I realized after he asked that question that I indeed felt okay. After the initial shock was gone and reality came alive again, I felt okay.
"Yes" I offered him a small smile. "I'm okay"
"Good" He kissed my forehead as my eyes flickered to Larry and my dad talking, but an officer held onto him.
"Cianna?"
"Hhmm?" I spun around at the sound of my name, and I was met face to face with Sheldon's mom. My heart beat fast in my chest as she came closer.
"How have you been?" She asked me in her usual motherly tone. Sheldon's siblings followed behind her as well as his aunt, but they weren't throwing daggers at me with their eyes anymore.
"I've been...good" I decided. "H-how have you been?" My heart broke at the thought that it all might've been so hard for them.
"Better now knowing the truth" She smiled slightly as she held my hand with her frail one. "I just wanted to tell you that we don’t resent you for what happened. It would be easy of us to blame you, but this all must've been so hard for you. Harder than anyone would notice. I hope we can all move on and be happy after this"
Tears threatened my eyes again, but I refused to let them fall. "Thank you. I wish you nothing but peace" I said truthfully as I pulled her into a hug.
"Same here. I heard you even got stabbed in all this mess. You are lucky to be alive Cianna. Take care of yourself."
"You too" I sighed contently. "I'm sorry I wasn’t at the funeral..."
"That's okay. I knew it was a lot. The good thing is that we all have closure and can move on"
I nodded in agreement. "I really am sorry for everything. Be happy and live happy" I smiled at each of them as I said that. She patted my back once last time, gave my hand a squeeze as she led her family out.
His sister, who was the youngest and always got along with me, shot me a quick wave before they all disappeared.
I felt better.
That was exactly what I truly needed to have everything behind me. And now knowing that there were no loose ends between me and anyone, I felt free.
Free to be happy with Tristan.
I met eyes with my dad across the room as a cop carried him away. I sighed deeply one last time as he too disappeared. Not before mouthing, 'I love you' first.
Yep. It's all over for real.
I looped my arm in Tristan's as he led me outside too, and I moaned in relief when the outside air welcomed me.
"Oh before I forget, there was something your dad gave me to give to you." Tristan mumbled as he fished something from his blazer. He emerged with a piece of paper, and at first I thought it was a letter from my dad.
But when I opened it, I saw that it wasn’t from my dad at all.
It was from Sheldon.