Chapter One Hundred and Twenty One

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-ONEADRIAN'S POVIt was finally the first day of Nathaniel's trial. The charges against him were enough to keep him behind bars for the rest of his life.Kidnapping, assault, and the murder of Dominic and the other two men who had taken Isabella. They planned to bring the money-laundering charges on a different day. They wanted to focus on Isabella’s kidnapping and the murders first.I personally wanted to drive Isabella to the courthouse but she was supposed to go with the detective.“Are you okay?” Seb asked while he watched me straighten my tie.“I’m not the one you’re supposed to ask that question. Have you spoken to Isabella?” “Yeah. I called her this morning. Did you?”“I sent her a text. I didn’t want to overwhelm her.”“She’s going to be fine. Nathaniel is going to pay for what he did to her.”“I’m a bit scared for her. She hasn’t seen him since. I don’t know how she’s going to react.”“She’s going to be fine.” He patted my back. “Let’s go. We d

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Two

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-TWOISABELLA’S POVI was still sitting in the small room with the detective. The proceedings had already started.“Are you ready, Isabella?” Detective Jones asked.“Yes.” I was fidgeting with my fingers. “I am.”“Like Adrian said, if it gets too much just say something okay?”“What if they don’t believe me? What if they say I’m lying because of my amnesia?” I asked. That was what I was most worried about.“They won’t. Your story corroborates the physical and forensic evidence. The doctor’s report too.” He assured me.“What if I say something wrong? What if they ask me a question and I can’t answer it?”“Don’t be nervous, Isabella. You’re going to do great.”We spent about 20 minutes in the room and then walked into the courtroom. The first person I saw was Nathaniel. Chills ran through my body when our eyes met.His relaxed face turned into a creepy smile. He wouldn’t stop staring at me, even when I took my seat. After a few minutes of waiting, the judge

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Three

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-THREEADRIAN’S POVAfter Isabella’s breakdown inside the courtroom, there was a small break. I sat down with her until the break was over and we returned to the courtroom.The rest of the trial went without any interruptions. I wanted to sit with Isabella but the court wouldn’t allow it.The prosecutors called more witnesses to the stand. Isabella’s doctor was one of the witnesses. He spoke about her injuries, the brain trauma, and the amnesia that followed.He explained that her memory loss did not mean that what she remembered was false or inaccurate. The defense tried to argue but the doctor brought out the facts and evidence.The police officers also testified. They explained what had happened during the pursuit. The video evidence was shown right there. I kept glancing at Isabella to make sure she was okay.The forensic investigator also testified. Isabella’s account of the event matched the evidence they found on the scene. There was no way Isabell

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Four

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FOURISABELLA’S POVI wanted nothing more than to let Adrian come home with me and hold me until I fell asleep but I wanted to want him less. I wanted to learn how to be okay on my own without waiting for him to make me feel better.“Are you sure you’re okay? You don’t need Adrian to be with you?” Detective Jones asked.“No.” I shook my head. “I’m going to be fine. I just need a shower and then I’ll get to sleep.”“Okay. If you need anything, call me. Two officers are also right outside your door.”“Is that necessary? Nathaniel’s not going to do anything to me again, is he?”“No. It’s just a precaution. Don’t worry about it.”“Okay.”“I’ll see you tomorrow.”I got out of the car and went into my apartment building. There were two officers waiting there for me.“We’re right outside here if you need anything.” One of them said. “Thank you.”“I’m officer miller and this is officer grant.” He introduced them.“Isabella.”“We’re going to stay here until we r

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Five

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVEISABELLA’S POVFour weeks had passed since Nathaniel died. The first two weeks, I had nightmares every night. Those ended with me being the one shot and not Nathaniel. I also had to deal with the aftermath of getting my memories back. The doctor said that when Nathaniel had thrown me to the wall, it may have triggered something in my brain that made me regain my memories. By the third week, the nightmares were less frequent. I had pushed Adrian away but he stayed with me for a whole week. He helped me time my nightmares and helped me get over them quickly when I woke up panicking.I was also taking a lot of meds to help with my headaches and anxiety. By the fourth week, I’d started to feel a little bit normal. I didn’t think anyone in my position would ever go back to feeling normal but I was having a bit of normalcy in my life. I didn’t have to worry about Dominic or Nathaniel coming after me again.Since Nathaniel was dead, the case was closed.

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Six

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SIXADRIAN’S POVONE YEAR LATER A lot had changed in a year. Isabella and I were finally in a better place after lots and lots of therapy. We were now boyfriend and girlfriend, and with the label on our relationship, it was easier to navigate it.Isabella had gotten her GED and got into a college not too far from where we lived. Therapy had helped her manage the aftermath of everything that happened to her. She had nightmares a few nights but they weren’t as frequent as before.Theo also did some therapy. We had been so focused on other things that we hadn’t noticed how much everything that happened affected him. He developed separation anxiety after being away from Isabella and me so much.At first we couldn’t figure out what was wrong. Some days he would throw a tantrum when it was time to go to school, or he wouldn’t go to sleep unless one of us was holding him. He finally admitted that he was afraid he wouldn’t see us again and that was when we put