Chapter 17

As two weeks passed, I finally had to attend the hearing. I hadn’t expected Zephyr to come with me because of his busy schedule, but he decided to drop all his workload for one day to accompany me.

"You really don’t have to do this." I lowered my head and looked at my shoes on the ground. "Mr. Lawson and his team will accompany me into the courtroom."

"They’re your legal team, while I’m your mate. We’re not the same," Zephyr replied firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument.

I felt a warmth creep up my cheeks. His words were simple, but they were enough to let me know that someone cared about me and would be sitting behind me in the courtroom the whole time.

As we approached the courthouse steps, Zephyr gently placed a hand on my back, guiding me forward. "Listen, Samantha," he began, his voice softer now, "I know it will be hard for you to face your abuser again, but I need you to stay calm in the courtroom."

"Don’t let your emotions control you, so he has no chance to manipulate you." Zephyr turned me around to face him. "But if he does, remember that you’re not alone. He can’t hurt you as long as I’m with you."

I wasn’t alone.

My mate was protecting me, so whatever happened, Rowan would never be able to touch me again.

I looked up at him, my blue eyes meeting his gray ones. "Thank you," I said softly. "For giving me a second chance."

If Zephyr had refused my request to renew our bond, I might not have had a chance to escape Rowan’s cage.

Because of him, I found a new purpose in life.

Zephyr smiled faintly. "Anytime."

After strengthening my heart, I entered the courthouse with Zephyr. My legal team was waiting for me in the lobby.

Reece stepped forward with a broad smile. "Good morning, Mrs. Cole," he said. "Are you ready to win your case?"

I nodded and smiled. "More than ready."

Franca informed me, "The trial will begin in five minutes. We may enter the courtroom now."

As we entered the courtroom, I felt my heartbeat quicken. Although I tried my best not to show my emotions, the thought of facing Rowan again made me feel nauseous.

My hand suddenly moved, searching for Zephyr’s hand as he walked behind me. I gripped it tightly as if I wanted to find solace for my fear.

"You’re going to be okay," Zephyr whispered into my ear.

I took a deep breath before turning my gaze to Rowan, who was already sitting at his table.

Unexpectedly, Rowan turned his head so he could see me clearly. He gave me a crooked smile, the kind of smile he always showed when I did something wrong.

Rowan’s eyes narrowed when he saw Zephyr’s presence. He clenched his jaw, looking angry that his own uncle had stolen his wife.

Veronica sat behind Rowan, her sharp gaze fixed on me. It was clear that she was ready to support her son no matter what.

"I’ll be here." Zephyr couldn’t follow me to the plaintiff’s table, but he made sure to sit right behind me. "Whatever happens in court, remember, I’ll always support you."

I nodded and smiled at him. "I know."

Soon after, the judge entered the courtroom and everyone rose. After the formalities, the trial began.

Reece Lawson spoke first and presented the evidence of Rowan’s physical abuse of me. The pictures of my bruises and severe wounds were plastered across the projector, causing the people in the courtroom to grimace.

"Your Honor, as you can see, Mr. Fell has abused my client, Mrs. Cole, on multiple occasions," Reece Lawson continued, "These photographs are evidence not only of physical harm but also of the emotional and psychological trauma she has endured in their marriage."

Rowan’s attorney, Mr. Anders, stood up to object. "Your Honor, the defense contends that these photographs lack proper context. Based on my client’s testimony, Mrs. Cole’s mental state was unstable and she would hurt herself to get her husband’s attention."

My jaw dropped after hearing Rowan’s lawyer’s statement. My mental state was unstable, he said. I occasionally hurt myself?

Like hell, I would do that to myself.

If he said my mental state was unstable, it was because my husband had abused me every single day!

"Objection, Your Honor!" Reece defended me, "Mr. Anders’ allegations are baseless and deeply offensive. My client has no history of self-harm. Furthermore, the majority of these wounds are in areas that Mrs. Cole could not reach by herself."

Rowan liked to use a belt or whip to punish me, so most of my injuries were on my back.

It truly didn’t make sense for me to cause whiplash wounds on my own, and it made even less sense for me to ask someone else to whip me.

Mr. Anders responded to him, "Your Honor, we argue that they lack proper verification of their evidence."

"The wounds have not been examined or documented by a licensed medical professional. Without proper examination, the authenticity of these injuries remains speculative."

Reece’s expression remained calm. "Your Honor, Mrs. Cole is a werewolf, a supernatural being with the ability to heal quickly. Hence, she took the photos of her injuries immediately after the abuse occurred."

He continued, "Also, Mr. Fell forbade my client from leaving the house, so she was unable to seek immediate supernatural medical help."

Mr. Anders smiled. "A werewolf’s ability to heal depends on the individual. Some werewolves need only minutes or hours, but others need days to fully recover from serious injuries."

He continued, "If we want to know how fast Mrs. Cole’s healing ability is, I suggest we do a live demonstration in court. Have someone inflict a minor wound on Mrs. Cole and observe how quickly it heals."

Zephyr immediately turned his sharp gaze on Rowan. He clenched his fists tightly and whispered to himself, "Rowan, you bastard.”