Page 189 of Return Policy
54
SOPHIA
Two Months Later
I shift against the hard wooden seat, swallowing nails as I clutch Elijah’s hand for dear life. His fingers must be turning blue, but he hasn’t complained yet as he talks quietly with my dad on the other side of me.
In the front of the courtroom, my eyes snag on the back of Seth’s blonde head. He’s dressed in a suit and seems way too put together for someone who’s about to go to prison for a long time.Hopefully. In a few minutes, the judge will return, giving the verdict for his case.
Charlie and I both testified last week and thanks to the video, there wasn’t much of a defense. Seth pleaded guilty, and his lawyer has only been negotiating regarding his sentence. His family is filthy rich, but I pray to whoever’s listening this isn’t a case where they use money to make the problem go away. Seth’s mom won’t stop glaring at me, and the fire in her eyes tells me they’ll probably do whatever it takes to save him from this.
“How could you do this to my Seth?”she asked me in the hallway last week, and it took all my strength to ignore her and walk away.
If only she knew what a piece of shit her precious Seth really is.
She should be happy we didn’t add attempted murder, aggravated assault, and sexual assault to his list of charges.
Elijah leans down to my ear. “You okay, darlin’?”
“Mm-hmm,” I hum, squeezing his hand tighter.
“You sure?” he asks, glancing at our joined hands, and I loosen my grip.
“Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize,” Elijah says, lifting my hand and placing a soft kiss on my knuckles. “I’m right here.”
I lean my head against his shoulder, releasing a heavy sigh. He’s been by my side through all of this—preparation with the lawyers, the days of trials, and the late-night freak-outs. He’s not just my rock, he’s my goddamn mountain, and I’m so overwhelmingly thankful for him.
Janine was right. Telling Elijah the truth about everything really helped my healing process. I’m still not entirely past what happened, but I’m slowly moving forward, and a lot of that is thanks to Elijah’s patience and support—letting me set the pace with things both physically and emotionally.
He leans down, kissing me softly on the lips, and I allow myself to forget the rest of the room. One selfish moment to pretend it’s just us. I immediately feel calmer, lips curling upwards as I pull away, resting my head back on his shoulder. I’m so ready for this to be our normal again. Stolen kisses and sweet words between the two of us without all the chaos and darkness.
“All rise. This court is now in session,” the clerk bellows, and we follow his orders. I glance at the back row toward Charlie, Noah, Sage, and Julian, who are sitting together near the door. Charlie almost didn’t come, but it looks like she wanted to see Seth get what he deserves as much as I did. She gives me a weak smile, and I turn back around.
The door near the front opens, and Judge Hammond comes out and takes her place at the front. “You may be seated,” she says to the courtroom, and we sit while Seth and his defense team, along with the prosecuting lawyer, remain standing. Seth shifts on his heels as I clutch both Dad’s and Elijah’s hands. Theo squeezes my shoulder from his spot behind me. I won’t be able to inhale another ounce of oxygen until he’s sentenced.
“Seth Miller, you have been found guilty of vehicular manslaughter in the second degree.” Although I shouldn’t feel guilty, a small part of me does. I know what happened was an accident, but it was the absolute turmoil following that led us to this moment. “I sentence you to ten years in Cross City Correctional facility with the possibility of early parole.” I straighten my shoulders and flick my gaze to Seth, who hangs his head as he grips the back of the chair in front of him.
They take Seth out of the room in what feels like slow motion. I struggle to remove my eyes from him, and he turns his head, gaze connecting with mine. Anger rolls off him in waves, feeding the lion of my nightmares.
I swallow hard, trying to collect myself as the court adjourns, and we leave the courthouse. The sunshine warms my skin as Elijah’s arm hangs loosely over my shoulders.
I let out a heavy sigh of relief. “It’s over.”
“Yeah.” He nods. “It’s over. You’re safe now.”
“I’m safe now,” I repeat.
Dad places his hand gently on my shoulder, tugging me away from Elijah and into his arms. I hold on to him tightly. “I’m so proud of you, Bear. That took courage,” he tells me, pulling away.
“Thanks, Dad,” I grumble, ready to just move forward from all of this.
“You gonna be okay?”
“Yes, Dad,” I assure him. “I’m fine.”
“Good.” He smiles sadly. “Call me anytime, okay?”
