Justice Served

37 | Outside -- Inside

Chapter Thirty-Seven
Jayce Mirella

As if I wasn't already scarred enough by the event as that transpired in the courtroom, the officers begin to take me back after they were alerted by someone on their black walkie-talkie's to do so thus they turned around as we were moments from leaving the courthouse and begin to walk back into the courtroom. Rhys was pacing behind the defendant's table, worry written across his face and I couldn't help the way a small smile graced my face at the way his fingers ran through his locks of dirty blonde hair, messing up his hairstyle.

When he saw me renter the room and walk over to the defendant's table with officers by my side he damn near sprinted over to me just as I had walked through the swinging doors. I wanted to feel his arms around me because they provided me with warmth like no other, but instead, I felt his hand grab mine tightly, the look of worry swapped with a look of disappointment. The disappointment wasn't directed at me, he looked like he was disappointed in himself and that made me feel terrible.

"I'm so sorry, Jayce. I could've done so much better, I'm sorry..." his voice drifted off into a whisper, the words, 'I'm sorry,' breaking me into pieces inside.

I shake my head, my bottom lip trembling as I pull my hand away from his. I reach up and caress his cheek the best I can with my bound hands, a small smile on my face but the frown on his face remains.

"It's not your fault, Rhys. You did everything you could, it's not your fault." I try to reassure him, I didn't want him to live with that kind of guilt. It pained me knowing that he was burdening himself with inevitable results, though it is 2020, justice was as hard to obtain now as it was years ago; that's something that has yet to change. "I can appeal later you know."

I try to put on a brave face but Rhys could read right through me as he clutched my hand that laid softly against his cheek with his hand. He shakes his head vehemently. "No, nothing about this trial was right, nothing. You don't deserve this, you didn't do it and it was my job to get you proven not guilty and I couldn't even do that."

"Don't blame yourself." I scold him firmly. "If you continue to blame yourself, I'll feel like shit Rhys so please — " I swallow as my hand slips off of his face and out of his hands embrace. My throat felt tight but I didn't want to cry in front of him, I didn't want the guilt to continue to eat at him, I wanted to bear the pain alone because that was better than having him feel it with me. I choked out, " —please stop blaming yourself." 

Rhys's eyes grow soft.

Finally reading the mood, the two officers beside me cough uncomfortably and walk back to their original post by the entrance doors in the back of the room. I could hear reporters talk loudly as well as the murmurs of others in the courtroom who were just as confused as I was. We still didn't know why we were still here as the court was adjourned five minutes ago and yet we were all still here waiting and there was no judge nor jury in the room.

I could hardly pay any mind to it as Rhys's gaze on me made me feel like we were the only ones in the room but it wasn't in the way where I felt like I was on cloud nine, it was like we were both stuck alone on a dreary island that was moments from crumbling, leaving us to drown in a pool of our sorrows. What broke that suffocating fantasy were arms that wrapped around my shoulder and the appearance of familiar faces in front of me.

Turning around, I see Dimitri who looks down at me with his arms wrapped around my shoulder while Blue and Luna are in front of me.