Too Late for Regret novel Chapter 77

The Trial Begins

Chapter 77

Ana’s POV

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Today was the first day of court for my case against Tiffany, and it should be the easiest. I had plenty of proof against her. I know Tiffany. She never admits to any wrongdoing. She is going to show up, act innocent, and hope that the jury is filled with men. Yeah, good luck with that.

Charlie was wearing black dress pants and a black button–up shirt, and he looked yummy. If we didn’t have to

be at court early, I would have taken him right back to bed after he got dressed.

Jon and Drew picked us up in the SUV and drove us to the courthouse. I hadn’t mentioned how nervous I was,

but Charlie already knew. He held my hand in his and rubbed the back of it with his thumb. I wish he could sit

next to me in court, but it would just be me and Rodney sitting at the table. Charlie assured me that they would be right behind me. He told me that Tiffany would never be able to get her hands on me again.

I didn’t eat breakfast. My stomach was fluttering a lot. I was scared that I might get sick seeing her and Gretchen again. So I just had coffee on the way there. I used the breathing techniques that Charlie taught me last night. I just wanted this to be over, once and for all. I knew that the Vaughns would be there today. I also

knew that they wanted me to let Tiffany go. To be totally clear, they didn’t want her to go to prison for her

actions. They’re now realizing that she lied to them about what she had done.

My mother was the one who told me what they wanted. I was wondering what they would do when they saw

who their daughter really was. Would they still support her, or insist on her going to treatment instead of

prison? I’m sure it will be the former. I live in the real world. Money talks, and the only reason it wouldn’t help

them is if my father personally blocked their request.

I didn’t call him or my mother to remind them of court today because it’s going to be rough on them to hear

what happens. I stayed quiet to keep them from losing their best friends. Things would only get worse if they came. So, to spare them, I didn’t remind them. We entered the courtroom thirty minutes early. Rodney hadn’t even arrived yet. Tiffany always ran late, but I didn’t want to take a chance and run into her in the bathroom

again. So Charlie and the guys stayed outside, while I quickly ran in to do my business.

They followed me every step of the way. I have to say that I felt much safer with them here with me. This was

draining enough without fear being added to the mix. I didn’t want to go sit at the table up front. No one else

was here, and the only reason we were allowed to enter early was because Charlie and the guys knew the

officer at the door. We sat down, with me seated on the aisle, so I could get out easily when Rodney arrived.

Charlie sat next to me, then Drew, and Jon next to him. We all sat quietly.

I appreciated the fact that no one spoke. I was already stressed out. As much as I wanted it over and done, I knew this wasn’t going to be easy. We were there for a little over ten minutes before the door opened again. Rodney was the next one through and headed up front to put his briefcase down. “How are you feeling,

Analise?” he asked.

“Ready to get this over with,” I replied. I didn’t even try to smile; it seemed like too much effort at the moment. “Do I need to come up there now?”

“No, stay with Charlie, he will help keep you calm. We’re going to win, but to get there, things might get a little difficult. I have everything ready to go. He hasn’t provided anything, and when I asked him for his evidence for

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rebuttal, he said that Tiffany didn’t have any. I’m pretty sure she told him that she didn’t do anything, and he believed her, just like her parents did. I guess several people will be learning a hard lesson today,” Rodney

advised.

The case involving Sasha and Joyce was the one I was actually looking forward to. I wanted them to feel the same sting of humiliation that they had put me through. It might not be the amount that they deserved, but soon, the whole city would know the extent of their actions. There would be no coming back from it once the outcome was known, and that was good enough for me. It was actually the perfect punishment for Joyce. The very thing she prided herself on the most was her high level of respect in society.

More people started to enter the room quietly ten minutes before the trial was to start. The mood was somber and respectful. I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see my parents and Seth sitting behind us. I felt my eyes sting, and turned around to speak to them.

“I really don’t think that you should be here. You don’t know the extent of her actions, and that was the whole reason I stayed quiet all this time. I didn’t want to be the one who ruined your relationship with the Vaughns,” I told my mother as I cried on her shoulder.

“It was never on you, Analise. This was always Tiffany’s fault, not yours. Whatever happens today, the blame lies at her feet. Not yours, or her parents. You can do the best you can to raise a child. But in the end, their actions are just that, their actions. You just speak the truth, and let justice take its course,” my mother told me. She rubbed my back, helping to calm me down. My emotions are close to the surface today.

My father and brother had both stepped forward to hug me. Charlie stopped me to give me a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“You’re so strong, love. I want you to remember that. We’re all right here for you,” He told me before giving me another kiss and letting me go.

Tiffany’s attorney was young and handsome. Surely one she had picked out herself. She thinks that will work in her favor. She always got away with so much because she always played cute and innocent. I scoffed, knowing she would use that act again today. I wonder how that little act of hers is going to work after today.

“Last chance to drop the charges, Rodney,” her attorney said with a smirk like he thought he had already won.

“Not going to happen, Craig. We happened to have evidence. We came prepared, didn’t you even look at the evidence we supplied?” Rodney asked.

“My client assures me that she’s done nothing wrong. Your client has always been malicious and jealous of her. There was no need for this petty squabble to go to court. Your client just wants attention. Don’t forget, the burden of proof is always on the plaintiff. I’m not worried about what you have. I believe my client,” he said before turning away and crossing over to his seat. If you are reading this on any other app than Dreame, it has been stolen. This copyrighted work belongs to Kat Von Beck and is called Too Late for Regret.

I heard whispering behind me and saw that the Vaughns had stopped to speak to my parents. Naomi and Hudson both gave me a tight smile before taking their seats in the first row on Tiffany’s side of the courtroom. Tiffany slipped through the door, with Gretchen on her heels. They were both dressed appropriately, which was a surprise. I see her attorney nod at her, pleased that she had done as he requested.

Holden quietly entered the courtroom Surprisingly, he didn’t go to sit with his parents behind Tiffany. He walked down the third row, on my side of the courtroom. He then went to the far end of the second row and walked back up to sit next to Seth. The fact that he was throwing his support behind me did nothing for me. I

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didn’t need his support. All I needed was for justice to be carried out.

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Just because she dressed appropriately today doesn’t mean anything. I smiled back when she gave me a mocking smile. She was the one who was about to be caught off guard. She looked confident, her attitude smug. Like this was just a formality, before she could waltz away from everything she’s done to me. She honestly thought that she was going to get away with it, which was laughable.

Just because I hadn’t exposed what she was doing before didn’t mean I couldn’t. I kept quiet for my parents‘

sake, not hers. The fact that she had recently assaulted me made me want to pursue this. She honestly

thought that she could do whatever she wanted, with no penalties. I might not be able to get her punished for everything she did. But I was going to get her for most of it, as well as pain and suffering.

Maybe if she had admitted to what she had done, her attorney would have been able to help her. Rodney

patted my hand to comfort me, and I just looked at the desk. I knew how this was going to go, but that didn’t

mean the trial would be easy for me to get through. I went through the motions. Standing for the judge.

Taking my seat again, I listened to the instructions and waited for the trial to start.

Rodney had gone over everything in his office. We had more evidence than we needed. Rodney had been working while I was on my honeymoon. It really just boiled down to what kind of punishment was going to be

handed down. I hope it is more than just a slap on the wrist. She tormented me physically for years. Causing

me a great deal of emotional abuse as well. I started having nightmares again after she assaulted me the

last time.

To me, she needs to go to prison for what she has done. She’s had me in one for almost the last decade. She

should know how being tormented feels for a little while. I believe she’s earned it. I don’t want her to be

physically hurt, but I do want her to realize what she’s done. The weight I’ve had to carry, both physically and emotionally, has been tremendous. It changed me, and I don’t know if I will ever be the same person that I

used to be.

I just hope that my family doesn’t suffer from having to hear what I experienced. It was all going to come out today. As the plaintiff, I was the one who had to prove that Tiffany had gone too far in her actions.

As Rodney made his opening statements. I felt Tiffany’s eyes on me. I looked over at her, and she was

enraged. She thought I was just crying about being mistreated. She had no idea that I had proof, including

doctors‘ reports, going back to the start of it. With each comment Rodney made, she became even angrier.

Her attorney was trying to get her to calm down. Whether she was aware of it or not, she was being watched

by a jury of her peers. She couldn’t stop this now. Everyone in this room was going to hear what she had

done.

KatVonBeck

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