*song for chapter - Never Say Never by The Fray*

Chapter 22 – Harry's P.O.V.

            One hundred and forty-four hours. Eight thousand, six hundred and forty minutes. Five hundred, eighteen thousand, four hundred seconds. In other words, six days. It's been six quiet, agonizingly slow days. No trace of Chloe's laughter was left in the air of my apartment. No hint of her intoxicating aroma of flowers could be smelled. The only small, vivid thing I had left was a beautiful image of her face when I closed my eyes. Even that wasn't enough to satisfy my need for her company.

            Hushed whispers flow around me as I sit in the front of the courtroom, my lawyer gathering his papers next to me. Due to the short expectance of the date, I had to get the quickest lawyer I could find and hope he was good at what he did. Right after Elizabeth marched out six days ago, I went online to begin my surfing. This man—Will Stevens—had decent reviews on his website, so I gave him a call and we made an appointment. Of course I told him everything from day one, and even he agreed that all of this was a bunch of bullshit. It's too extreme for a little fib a desperate, jealous girl made, but at least I didn't go straight to prison. There's minimum decency in this situation right now.

            I wanted to see Chloe, but another part of me—the highly protective part—knew it was better for her to keep out of my sight. I knew she'd be in a patient outfit. I knew she'd have handcuffs. She didn't deserve either, and that would piss me off more than I already am. Elizabeth was right about my overpowering feelings for Chloe, but I can't break the truth to her. She's not fully herself yet, and I want to make sure she could handle such a confession. But nonetheless, Elizabeth was right about one thing:

            I love Chloe Williams.

            People entitle her as insane, but I entitle her as confused. They say she's schizophrenic, I say she's scared. The girl has been through a shitload of family things her whole life, especially this newfound information about the death of her mother and how it all went down. Whether the exact story is true or not, I may never know, but it's hard to deal with all the same. Chloe may not remember, but she does know that she got a bunch of mistreatment from her family. She doesn't know why, she just thinks she's unloved. Honestly, I think that's part of her problem.

            No one loves her, but now I do. Through her eyes she's nothing, but through mine she's everything. She's come a long way in a mere two months, but I feel like I've changed right along beside her. Truthfully, we're both trying to decipher who we actually are compared to who society sees us as. She thinks I'm only helping her, but little does she know just how much she's helping me.

            "Don't worry, Harry." I looked up to see Will shuffling his papers, then his eyes met mine. He gave me a soft smile, but I couldn't tell if it was empathetic or just plain genuine. "We'll win this, all right?"

            Puffing out air from my cheeks, I simply heaved a hand through my hair and prayed he was right. I don't know what I'd do with myself if Chloe and I were both locked away. I wouldn't be able to stand it, not seeing her. Six days has felt like six years and it's too painful for me to keep up with. I just needed her back as soon as possible. I missed the way her small frame molded against mine when I hugged her. Believe it or not, I even missed her crying. At least she was still here with me instead of stored away in an area that doesn't deserve her heart-warming presence.

            Fuck, I need to stop overthinking all of this so much. However, if they would've never snatched Chloe away from me, I wouldn't be thinking any of this at all.

            Dammit.

            Before I could get into a mental debate once more, the judge entered the room. Everyone respectfully stood until he motioned for us to be seated. My foot was tapping anxiously on the linoleum as I clasped my hands and fumbled with my fingers.

            "Bring the victim in," the judge ordered, and with one flick of his wrist, the door adjacent to his stand opened.

            Sucking in a sharp breath to compose myself, I watched as Chloe emerged into the room, two guards gripping her forearms tightly. Her hands were handcuffed in the front like I expected, a saggy blue jumper hanging loosely on her perfectly shaped body. Her hair was in its usual natural and messy waves, falling remarkably graceful over her shoulders. It was slightly damp, so I made the assumption that they allowed her to shower before she came. But the heavy bags under her eyes were evident as she nervously scanned the room. I noticed she had tear stains on her cheeks, even a few fresh ones now freely falling from her eyes.

            Then those hypnotizing brown eyes met mine.

            Taking everyone in the room—including me—off guard, Chloe struggled in the guards' grip as she tried to get to me. My heart broke in two at the sight, a lump in my throat forming as I tried to swallow it down. I didn't want to speak with the guards trying to soothe her, so I met her gaze and hoped she'd get the message that it would all be okay. She'd be with me again soon.

            As if reading my mind like I hoped for, Chloe soon stopped struggling, her body going limp in their grasps as her tears fell rapidly. The judge seemed confused as he looked back and forth between the both of us. When everyone thought Chloe was done, she surprised everyone.

            "D-Don't do this! P-Please," she whimpered, her voice hoarse and cracking mid-sentence as my heart cracked with it into tinier pieces. "He didn't do anything!" she yelled as the judge banged his gavel.

            "Chloe," I finally said, her head snapping to look at me. "It's all right, love. Just calm down and breathe, yeah?"

            Chloe chewed her bottom lip, but she nodded as she let the guards push her down into a wooden seat. It just so happened to be right next to Elizabeth. With all the commotion Chloe had erupted, I hadn't even seen the girl walk in. But there she was, perched in a chair next to the prosecutor lawyer (which was hers), Chloe sitting beside her.

            "She can't sit next to me," Elizabeth said coolly, but her tone was sharp.

            The judge sighed. "Move the patient to the appropriate area," he said, clearly exasperated already.

            I tried to brush off the fact that he called Chloe a patient, but then they moved her ten feet away from the prosecutor table. All she had was her wooden chair, the two guards standing tall on either side of her. It pissed me off to no end.

            "What, Elizabeth? Scared she has cooties?" I grumbled under my breath, but Will elbowed me to cut it out. I knew it was stupid to say something like that, considering I'm on trial for "woman abuse." But thankfully, no one had heard my sly remark.

            Elizabeth's attorney stood, her name being vaguely printed in the back of my mind from seeing her papers on the way into the courtroom—Mikayla Poland. She clacked her stack of papers on the hardwood table before taking the room front and center, turning to the judge. "Your Honor, I'd like to begin representing my client."

            The judge nodded for her to continue, so she smiled and faced the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, your fellow citizen—Mr. Harry Styles—had transferred from Holmes Chapel, England to the United States multiple years ago. Since then he has obtained the substantial record for being genuine, polite, and a complete 'hottie' to the young ladies. With his considerably attractive accent, it wasn't difficult for him to capture a girlfriend during his early years here. That girl was Elizabeth Williams."

            Chewing on my bottom lip, I could feel eyes on the back of my head from the entire courtroom. I was more than uncomfortable, but I could also feel Chloe's mesmerizing gaze on me as well. I didn't dare look over at her, for her sake. I didn't want her to get tossed around, or for any suspicion to rise.

            Mikayla continued with, "Things in their relationship started off well with love gradually sparking between them both. They were the match made in heaven, through some's eyes. Through other's, they were the envious couple that never had a single flaw in their relationship. But both of these assumed statements are wrong.

            "Elizabeth Williams has been conversing with me for a while now over taking Harry Styles to court for excessive abuse."

            Gasped filled the courtroom and I held back the urge to roll my eyes. Elizabeth was full of shit and so was this woman. If people truly believed in her fancy speaking and big words, they clearly needed to get their face into a dictionary, or maybe even get slapped by reality. What she was saying was implausible, highly unlikely for me to ever do, especially with my vow to protect women, not hurt them.

            "As for Miss Chloe Williams," Mikayla said, "she recently reemerged society from being stored away in a rehabilitation center for three years. When taken home, Mr. Styles thought it'd be better for Chloe and Elizabeth to stay with him in his apartment—where he lives alone.

            "Tell me, fellow citizens. Does this not spark up suspicion on Harry Styles' intentions when he drug two young girls into his apartment? Are you saying it's normal for a boy to invite his girlfriend's sister into the house as well?

            "So I tell you all now, dear friends. Harry Styles' genuine personality was a cover up for his true colors. He's an abuser, a molester, and he deserves to be served proper justice for his sickening actions."

            I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth, fighting the urge to scream at all of them how fucking stupid they were. Do I seriously look like a rapist? I know I sometimes have the intimidating effect on some, but isn't a rapist taking things a bit out of proportion? It's a statement Mikayla can't back up with evidence, and in the end, I hope that bites her in the ass.

            "Thank you Mrs. Poland. Mr. Stevens, would you like to present your case?" the judge asked.

            "Yes, Your Honor." Will stood and made his way to the center of the room. I was staring at him with pleading eyes, praying to God he'd make his statement far more believable than Mikayla's. The girl may be lying, but she's good at what she does, and that petrifies me.

            "Ladies and gentlemen of the court, I am here to prove today the innocence of my client, Harry Styles.

            "You say he's a 'woman abuser,' yet you haven't given a reason, nor have you outspoken your evidence. I'd like to share a little backstory with you all before we continue any further," Will said, and I knew he was about to bring up Gemma. To prove my thoughts correctly, he began by saying, "Harry once had an older sister named Gemma Styles."

            Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Elizabeth tense up. Chloe was still staring at me with saddened eyes, but the fact that something had hit a nerve in Elizabeth satisfied me. She deserved to feel pain more than anyone in this room.

            "Gemma wasn't all clear in the head, if you will. Much like the beautiful young lady, Chloe Williams, her brain was fogged by the unknown that no one else could even imagined to feel or hear." Will looked to Chloe, and to my surprise, she gave him a small smile before looking to her hands. He pulled his gaze back to the piled courtroom. "Harry did all he could with Gemma. In fact, they were practically inseparable their entire lives. He cared for her, looked after her, and even played with her when everyone else was too afraid to be near her. Who says she's insane for seeing things differently?

            "But one tragic day, folks, Gemma put an end to her life. That day was Harry Styles' fifteenth birthday."

            Gasps and sympathetic "oh my Gods" filled the room. I wiped the corner of my eye to keep any stray tears away, but my vision was already glossing over. I sucked in a sharp breath, sitting up straighter in my seat. Even the judge looked at me with total empathy, putting up the courage to give me an understanding smile.

            "So tell me this, Mrs. Poland," Will said as he turned to look at Mikayla. She was sitting there, her lips parted in shock as she glanced from me to Will. She clearly didn't know that sappy story.

            Bitch.

            "Tell me how you think Harry Styles could ever harm a female after what he went through? And were you to come up with some improbable theory about revenge, why would he harm Elizabeth who is supposedly clear-minded? And also prove to me this—," Will smirked as he kept his gaze with Mikayla, "—if Harry were to beaten the both of them so violently, how come we see no bruises on either of them?"

            Mikayla sat there, utterly speechless as a smile crept onto my lips. Finally, a lawyer that knew what he was doing. He was putting her on the spot, something many attorneys didn't often do to each other until the main time period for evidence. Never did they do this in the opening.

            Will stood proudly, fixing his tie before he looked back into the audience. "Ladies and gentlemen, Harry Styles is not a violent man. If some of you would have the decency to speak to him sometime, you may learn for yourself just how genuine he truly is to the world.

            "Harry Styles is no way possible guilty of anything you propose," Will finished, nodding respectfully to the judge before he took his seat next to me once more.

             "That was great, man. Truly, I mean that. Thank you," I said immediately.

            Will smiled at me, nodding once in acknowledgment. "Don't worry about it. I think everyone in this room now knows your innocence."

            I sure hoped he was right. I don't think I can go another night sleeping alone in that bed without Chloe in my arms.

            If anything, I wanted to win this case for her. So I could be with her when she needed me. If it were anyone else (say Elizabeth), I wouldn't care all that much about losing and going to prison. Yeah, I'd be pissed. But it they ever tried to keep me away from Chloe, a couple of people would be decapitated. Then I'd have a reputation for violence like they assume.

            But they aren't taking the girl I love away from me. 

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A/N: Whooo, the court scene ^.^ So... do you think Harry will be found guilty or innocent? 

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