Chapter 14 - Return to the Nightmare
Stepping off the airplane in Portland felt exactly like walking completely directly back into a massive, heavily suffocating, incredibly terrifying nightmare.
The gray, rainy weather perfectly matched the heavy, anxious dread constantly swirling in my stomach as the taxi drove me toward downtown.
I checked into the secure, anonymous hotel and completely refused to leave the room, ordering cheap room service and aggressively pacing the carpeted floor.
My parents had officially announced they were completely attending the trial to fully support Liam, which completely shattered the last remaining piece of my broken heart.
They genuinely believed the charming, handsome architect over their own bleeding daughter, completely manipulated by his massive wealth and entirely fake, polite demeanor.
The federal prosecutor came to my hotel room the night before my testimony to give me one final, highly encouraging prep session.
"He is going to smirk at you, Emily, he is going to try to intimidate you with his stare, but you absolutely cannot look away," he warned me.
I nodded slowly, taking a deep, entirely calming breath as I mentally built a massive, completely impenetrable wall around my fragile, healing emotions.
The next morning, I put on a conservative, highly professional navy suit and pulled my dark brunette hair back into a tight, incredibly neat bun.
I looked absolutely nothing like the blonde, fragile, highly abused wife who had fled the city in the dead of the night months ago.
I looked like a fierce, entirely confident survivor who was absolutely, completely ready to finally deliver the ultimate, highly devastating blow to a monster.
As the heavy police escort drove me directly to the massive federal courthouse, I watched the familiar city streets blur past the tinted windows.
May you like
I was no longer the incredibly scared victim completely trapped on a hardwood floor, desperately begging for her life while tasting her own blood.
I was the absolute star witness for the prosecution, and I was going entirely to burn his perfectly constructed, incredibly fake life completely to the ground.
