Never Again.

Chapter Forty-Eight

"Kane, I don't think I can do this."

"It's not too late to not testify."

"It's not even saying it, its just facing him and telling my parents for the first time, and Lily, and Kat." She started on the same rant as this morning and again I just pulled her close and held her.

"They'll understand, I promise. And remember what we agreed on, just look at me. Act like we are the only two in there."

I wish I could sit with her, or even just hold her hand, something while she had to relive it again, especially in front of strangers. Not to mention him.

"Just me and you."

"Just us. Are you sure Dani?"

"Yes."

Her lawyer was coming as the trial was starting soon and I pulled her close for a hug. She held on like I was the last person she would ever see.

"Oh, one second."

I went to the bench and picked up the wrapped gift.

"What is it?"

I had persuade her this morning to wear the black dress pants and white blouse, and thankfully she had.

"Just open it, right before you go in to the trial, open it."

"Why not now?"

"I want you to get a real smile in before facing him. Please do it, for me?"

"Of course. Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet."

"Sorry, it's about to start, we have to go Mrs. Lodting." Her lawyer said professionally before Dani nodded, hugged me one more time and went to pull away but I held her close and whispered in her ear, "Just you and me in the room. Don't forget the gift."

"I love you."

"I love you more."

I winked and let her walk with her lawyer, she tried to turn back to look at me but her lawyer turned them around the corner.

I sat on the bench and closed my eyes until the public were allowed to enter the courtroom.

The evidence had all been shown and they just called Dani to the stand. When she walked out she had a tear in her eye and I smiled a huge grin seeing she unwrapped the gift.

She was wearing the green scarf I had gotten her, which brought out the green in her deep brown eyes. She also had the bracelet on her wrist that I had seen the other day in the store, it was thin silver with green emeralds along it. It matched the scarf so I wrapped them together.

Lastly in the gift there was a rose with a note I wrote to her on it, it was the quote from the door about smiling and I signed it with 'Kane xox' afterwards.

She caught my eye and stared at me until they asked her to swear an oath, and she had to look at the officer.

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For the last hour and a half Dani had to go through the seven and a half years. The beatings, rapings, torturings, and nightmares. Everything was brought to the surface.

She had shed only one single tear but her voice cracked many times, but throughout the whole question time she had looked right at me. I was mesmerized by her and only caught half of what she was saying. I would nod to encourage her and smile when she mentioned escaping.

It truly felt like we were the only two in the room.

When she was done being questioned she was brought down from the stand and the officer whispered to her. I saw her question him and point towards me.