Chase's POV

I suck in a shaky breath, before walking into the room. The eyes of the twelve jury members watch me like hawks, taking in my dark grey dress shirt and black slacks. I want to scurry away, flee from the tense atmosphere, but I take in another shaky breath and approach the witness stand.

Don't slouch, keep your head raised, project your voice, speak at a moderate pace. The main instructions that Dean has drilled into my head the last few months play on loop in my mind.

I lift my head, forcing myself to ignore the deadly siren call, luring me to turn my head to the left, where those terrible men sit, or to the right where the judging eyes of the jury bore holes into my soul. Instead, I try to focus on the faces of Diego, my family and friends, especially on Diego's face.

He gives me a thumbs up and I can almost hear his voice whispering, "I'm so proud of you, little lamb," and that brings a tiny, melancholy smile to my face.

After I'm sworn in, I recount the events of that night. Every time I meet Diego's eyes, he offers me a little smile, and each time his voice seems to murmur to me, "you're doing so well, honeybee. I'm so proud of you," and that gives me the courage to continue.

Although he's trying to hide it, I can tell that this is hard for him, torture even, and while I want to scream that he shouldn't be here, that he should leave and save himself the pain, I can't, because I don't think I can do this without him. So, I cling to him, lapping up all the silent encouragement that he's giving me.

Throughout the entire retelling of the events, I concentrate on speaking clearly, willing myself not to burst into tears or curl up in a ball like I desperately want to do.

The combination of reliving the horrors and having a room full of people that I don't know hear them is almost too overwhelming, but I manage to remain focused on only my supporters, taking strength from each of them to help me get through it.

After fielding questions from the defense lawyer, who seemed to be trying his best to trick me and find inconsistencies in my story, I'm finally allowed off the stand.

As I'm leaving the stand, the burning need to face Mike overcomes me. I need to know if he regrets it, if he feels sorry for uprooting my life, so against my better judgement, I turn towards him.

His cold stare is enough to freeze me on the spot as his muddy eyes rage with the force of a tornado, trying to suffocate me with their vengeance. A tick of his jaw and hard lines frame his features, and it's clear as day that I meant nothing to him, and that if he regrets anything, it's not his heinous actions, but the fact that he got caught.

The air is immediately knocked out of my lungs, but I refuse to show weakness, so I force in a breath through my mouth and tear my eyes away, catching the eyes of the three other men in the process. Brad's eyes carry the same cold, harsh, vengeful glint as Mike's, but the eyes of the other two carry a hint of sorrow and regret.

I straighten up and again rip my eyes away, following the security officer out the door.

No longer will I let them rule my life and determine my self worth. Through the nightmares, the fear of being touched, the self loathing and the suicidal thoughts, they controlled my life, made me fear them, hate them, get angry at them, but from now onwards, I won't be bested by them. I won't waste anymore energy on them.

They're not worth it.

They didn't realize how smart, beautiful and kind I am, but I know within myself that I am all of those things. I am proud of who I am and what I've overcome, and I won't let anyone make me hate myself ever again.

I exit the courtroom, emotions raging within me, and walk straight into what seems like a wall, which engulfs me into a tight hug. The faint smell of musk and mocha wafts into my nose and I recognize the strong, secure arms wrapped around me.

My body instantly relaxes and all the emotions; the new found confidence, the relief that this is finally over, the pride in myself and the last bit of fear and sadness that I have, all gush out of me like water bursting out of a cracked dam, as tears stream down my face.

"You did such a great job Chase," Diego whispers, while rubbing soothing circles on my back.

He positions his hands like he wants to pick me up and I jump up into his arms, clinging to him like a monkey before I feel him walking, eventually stopping and sitting with me on his lap.

I don't know how long Diego soothes me while I bawl my eyes out, but each tear that leaves my eyes and soaks into Diego's collar seems to be cleansing my system, washing away all the horrors and opening up space for new beginnings. By the time I lift my head, I'm feeling carefree and wearing a jovial smile.

I cup Diego's face, wiping away the reminisce of tears from his cheeks before placing a string of soft kisses all over his face. "Thank you for being here today, I can't express how much it meant to me," I say, admiring his deep, brown eyes, which are looking at me with all the love in the world. "I know this was hard for you, so thank you."

"Any time, honeybee," he murmurs, his face brightening with a wide smile as the worry lines, which have been etched onto his face for the past few days, fade. "Thank you for letting me into your life. 'I love you' doesn't even seem to express how much I love you. You're everything I ever wanted or needed."

Fresh tears well up in my eyes, but these ones are full of joy. Diego dabs my face with his handkerchief and peppers my face with kisses. I giggle and also press soft kisses to his face. Soon we're both laughing, trying to see who can give the other more kisses.

Diego's phone rings and he pecks my lips before answering and putting it on speakerphone.

"Dude, where are you?" Bryan's questions. "The jury is soon finished deliberating and they'll be giving the verdict soon."

I place a wet kiss on Diego's cheek, causing him to release a soft chuckle. "We're in the park a few minutes away, we'll head back now," Diego answers, and they both hang up.

Our hands are intertwined and I skip by Diego's side as we laugh and talk about the most random things on the way back to the courthouse.

"Hey!" Mason greets us as soon as we arrive. He squishes me into a hug and from the corner of my eye, I see Justin hugging Diego. Justin also hugs me and ruffles my hair, followed by Aerial and Chloe giving me a tight hug.

"You seem happy," Justin says, a puzzled look forming on his face.

I giggle and nod. "I am. I would like it if they're found guilty, but even if they aren't, I'll be okay."

"They're starting," Jesse says, and we all follow him inside, spilling onto the benches.

I'm sandwiched between Shawn and Jesse, both of them clinging to my arms as we watch the foreperson stand to present the verdict.

Silence settles over the courtroom, all waiting for her to speak. "We the jury find the defendants," she pauses.

A sense of calm spreads over me as I take that pause to appreciate all the people that took the day off to come here and support me. I love each and every one of them so much.

"Guilty, on all charges."

Shawn releases an excited squeak and Jesse has a huge smile on his face, that I'm sure mimics the smile that all of my friends and family are wearing. I'm also grinning, happy that justice was able to prevail.

The judge sentences all four of them to twenty five years in prison, followed by lifetime probation before adjourning court.

We all exit the courthouse, waiting for Dean and Samantha to come out. Save for the few people that were sitting on the defender's side during the trial, the atmosphere is bubbly and everyone is all smiles.

Dean and Samantha pop up in front of us. "Thank you both so much!" I exclaim, rushing towards them and wrapping both of them into a hug. They both release soft laughs and hug me back.

"Should we all grab dinner?" Aerial asks, and we all agree.

As I sit in the booth at the restaurant, next to the love of my life and surrounded by friends and family, I'm smiling and giggling. I know that my future is bright and I can overcome anything. I'm glowing, like the glow stick that I am, needing to break before I could truly shine. 

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