"He deserves to hate me...I don't blame him after what I did to him. I destroyed his life and turned him into a monster. I'm responsible for all the turmoil he has encountered, I'm the reason he can't sleep at night. The thing is I did something tha...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Chapter 15
Recollection
I immediately froze when a memory flashed in my mind. I felt myself begin to panic as I recalled everything Ian was talking about. The very reason he treats me like a villain but I was too dense to remember.
It was a few years back when I was still under Ray's control, around the age of fourteen. I was in the middle of cleaning Ray's mess in the living room after a long night of him and his drunk friends drinking when I heard two knocks on the door.
"Who is it?" I asked in a shaky voice hoping it wasn't one of Ray's alcoholic friends again.
The person continued knocking until I finally gathered the courage to answer the door. I was startled when I saw two men dressed in black standing before me with hard expressions.
"Hello is Ray Douglass home?" One of the men asked in a calm voice while looking behind me taking in the mess.
"U-Um..." I said lost for words.
"Who's there?! Who the fuck is it?!" Ray yelled in the background as he limped his way towards me looking hung over.
"T-They're asking for you." I said feeling terrified by the sight of him.
"Ray Douglass?" The other man said while observing Ray's disheveled state.
"Why yes, it's me...who the hell's asking?" Ray said getting impatient and angry.
"You're under arrest for the murder of the Adler family. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say or do will be used against you in the court of law." The other man said while harshly handcuffing Ray.
Everything else the man said blurred out as I stood there in complete shock at what was going on in front of me.
"Wooooah! Hold the fuck up boys! W-Wait! Ow, you're bending my fuckin arm! I didn't do it!" Ray frantically screamed as the detectives began to escort him outside.
"Ivy! Call your fucking mom and tell her these bastards are arresting me! You do it damn it!" Ray yelled one final time as they pushed him in their car.
The following weeks went on in a blur and before I knew it, Ray's court date was up. I was forced by my mom to testify as a witness to save Ray from prison time. I basically was forced to lie and cover up the murder of innocent people.
"Ok listen Ivy...do you remember your lines?" My mom frantically asked me while grabbing the side of my arms.
"Y-Yes. I do." I said in a scared voice.
"Ok. Good girl! Now when you go up on that stand I need you to remember to remain calm! You screw up this whole thing and I swear to god your life will be miserable!" My mom threatened me as she squeezed my arms and embedded her nails into my skin.
Promoted stories
You'll also like
"Mom...please you're hurting me! I promise I won't mess up!" I said as tears began to form in my eyes.
"Good girl. Now wipe those tears." She said before letting me go.
Time in the courtroom went by fast, I flinched when I heard my name being called to come to the stand. I timidly got up and looked around the room as I felt all eyes on me. Once I pledged to tell the truth and sat down I immediately felt like I was about to break.
"Ms. Hale, according to Mr. Douglass's story you were with him the night the Adler family's home caught fire?" A man in a gray suit with fading black hair asked me.
"Yes...I was." I said trying my hardest to keep my voice strong.
"Now can you explain what you two were doing?" The man asked looking at me sharply.
"We were home and Ray was in the living room watching TV as I cooked dinner." I said looking at the man and jury straight in their eyes.
"So while you two were home, at any time did Mr. Douglass leave the house?" The man again asked in an accusing tone.
"No. He did not." I said feeling my body grow cold and nervous.
"Now can you explain why we found not only a footprint the same size as Mr. Douglass's on the property but also a witness who claimed they saw him on the property as the house burned down to flames?" The man asked with a smirk on his face.
"Well for one, the footprint could've easily been someone else's and two, your witness obviously must've mistaken him. I promise you sir; Ray was not there." I said surprised at how convincing my voice was.
"How good do you know Mr. Douglass, Ms. Hale?" The man asked in a rude voice.
I prepared to tell the biggest lie I could muster. I looked into my mom's eyes as I quickly recalled our conversation we had earlier. I took a deep breath as I forced myself to remain calm and made eye contact with both the jury and the man.
"Ray...he's the only man in my life I could call my father. He took me and my mother in when no one else was there. He didn't just save my life...no he changed my life. He gave it some kind of purpose, through all the lonely years and bullying I received in school I always came home looking for both Ray and my mother's comfort. He truly saved my life...I-I almost killed myself not too long ago. I remember coming home from school after a horrid day and cleaning the kitchen. I remember accidentally dropping a bottle of wine and cutting my hand in the process of cleaning it up. As I sat there on the floor feeling the blood rush down my hand I thought to myself, what if I just took my life right now? What if I took that knife in the dishes and slit my wrists and end it all...the pain...the torture. Before I knew it, I was in the kitchen slicing not just my wrists but every part of my body. I remember laying there giving up on life preparing to take my last breath...then that's when I heard his voice. Ray came home just in time to save me from death. I remember him taking me in his arms as he desperately cried and carrying me into the car. If it wasn't for Ray, I wouldn't be here...you see Ray isn't just like a father to me..." I said looking deeply into each jury's eyes as tears fell from the false words I spoke.
"No, he is my guardian angel...so I'm begging you...if you have a heart please don't take him away from me and my mom. Please don't take the only person in my life who gives it purpose." I said feeling more tears fall down my face from lying and telling a story that actually happened except Ray was the one who almost killed me that day.
The man then cleared his throat as if he too was being affected by my big lie.
"Ms. Hale, do you believe Mr. Douglass is capable of inflicting such a crime that involved the death of an entire family?" The man asked in a calmer voice.
