CHAPTER 5

Oliver and I made up when he got back home the next morning. He said he had gotten really drunk and went to a friend's house because he didn't want me to see him in that state of mind. He apologized for how he acted and told me he loved me. It sounded like bullshit, coming from a lawyer, but I decided to believe him anyway. He reeked of cheap perfume and for him to have gotten really drunk his hangover wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. He'd have to come up with a better lie, he married a fucking lawyer for God's sake.

Today, I wore a simple dark red tight-fitting dress with matching color heels. I was going to go see Bella today so I could get her testimony, she was a prime witness after all and would be a great help to the case. I put on fake lashes and dark red lipstick before I started to straighten my hair.

Oliver walked in his usual brown trousers and a red button up shirt. "Where are you going?" He scanned my outfit.

"I have to go and see a client's daughter." I continued to straighten my hair, not looking at him.

"I think you should change." I frowned and moved the iron away from my hair, looking at my reflection in the mirror.

"I like this though." He came up behind me and started to slowly unzip my dress.

"It makes your hips seem wider than they already are and plus your gaining weight." I looked down as he kissed my back. I actually thought I looked pretty and professional in this dress but what he said pushed me further down the hole of my insecurities.

I held my dress up so it wouldn't fall while he moved my hair from my shoulder, kissing there afterwards. "Your right." I said, biting back tears.

"You know I tell you this because I want you to look your best right?" I nodded. "I love you."

"I love you too." As Oliver walked out, I let the tears slip down my cheeks. He loves you, I reminded myself. I wiped away the tears, slipping my dress off and continuing to straighten my hair. I walked out to our closer and pulled on cream white high waist tailored trousers, a black lace corset top and my Louboutin red bottoms.

I pulled on a white suit jacket before applying lip gloss over my lipstick and putting in diamond earrings. Oliver smiled when he saw what I was wearing and kissed my forehead. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you." I smiled and let him kiss my lips. I buttoned the one button on the suit jacket and grabbed my briefcase along with my black purse.

He held the door open for me and said, "Have a good day. Please be back in time so we can go to the shop for your dress." I nodded and smiled, placing a quick kiss to his lips then leaving.

From the moment I got this job I always told myself to separate my personal life from my work one. I left the loving wife back home and arrived at Brinda's as the attorney everyone wanted to take down. Her bodyguards patted me down for precautionary measures she didn't trust that Mr. Dubois wouldn't send someone to hurt them based off of his past violence.

We shook hands before she took me to where her daughter Bella was. We walked into a very bedroom, the bed placed near the window, a little desk with a computer, laptop and a few papers on it, and a dresser in front of the bed with a TV propped on it. "Bella, the lawyer is here, Mrs. Escarra. Come say hi."

Bella did as she was told and held her hand out to me, making me smile slightly. She was no older then fourteen years old, a striking resemblance of her mother but with her green eyes. "Hi. You're going to help with putting my dad away, right?"

"I am." She looked just like her mother, blond hair and beautiful light skin. She wore baggy jeans and a tight white top with her hair let loosely down her back.

"I hope you don't mind but I did do my research on you and I'm really glad my mom chose you to represent her." She smiled before hugging me and I hugged back. She looked down at my hand with the butterfly tattoo, "Pretty tattoo. Have any meaning to it?"

"Well, you could say that."

She traced the outline of it with curious eyes. "What does it mean?"

"It's just a representation of a very... memorable night of my life." I smiled at the teenager in front of me.

She nodded, but I could see she wanted more information.

"I got the tattoo when I met this stranger and after we had gotten it, he said something that I want to remember for the rest of my life." I smiled, remembering him and hating how much I wanted to see him again. She bunched her eyebrows together with a curious smile, "You got a tattoo with a stranger?"

I nodded, "Impulsive moment."

She looked up to her mom and said, "When can I get a tattoo? It'll be something small like a rose or something."

"Maybe one day but not today." Bella rolled her eyes playfully and Brinda chuckled before pressing a kiss to her cheeks. The front door was opened and closed, signaling that law enforcement, CPS and child forensic interviewers were here. Brinda went to get them and once she was gone Bella sighed and went back to desk. "What's the matter?"

"Am I going to be a witness for in the trial?" She started to clean up her desk and set papers in folders.

"Possibly." She simply nodded.

Everyone, besides Brinda because they didn't want Bella's answers to be influenced by her presence, walked in. "Mrs. Escarra." I gave her a slight nod in acknowledgement. "Bella. How are you doing?" Bella didn't respond, keeping her head down and finishing cleaning her desk. This was normal for kids her age. It wasn't because they were acting out or just simply didn't want to answer it was because most had been told not to say anything to anyone or they were scared of what would happen if they did.

Bella and I took a seat with everyone else on the little couch she had in her room. They sat across from us in chairs. "Now, you understand why we're here and what's happening?" Bella nodded.

There was a recorder sat in the middle of the small table. "We're going to record this conversation. Is that okay Bella?" She shrugged.

"This is an interview so we can make sure that you'll be a credible witness in the case against the defendant, your father." She, Lucy, started. "First question, how many times did your parents argue?"

She let out breath and closed her eyes as she did so. "Every other night. During these... arguments he'd seem drunk."

"How do you know he was drunk?" The man beside Lucy, Sam, took notes as they spoke.

"His words would slur and he would be a bit clumsy. He'd drink a lot and his drinking was usually the root of their arguments."

Lucy nodded. "How was it like when he wasn't drinking?"

"He was great. The kind of dad every girl would dream of. I remember, when he was sober, he took my mom and I out shopping, then a picnic then we had dinner. He didn't have anything but water that night, wanting to make the night perfect." She smiled slightly.

She saw Lucas writing something down with a serious face and put her head back down, her smile now gone. "Are you scared of your dad?" She remained silent so Lucas wrote down something again. We made eye contact and I sent and angry and annoyed glare his way; he gulped and set his pen down, looking away from me.

The interview went on for another ten minutes before Bella said she didn't want to talk anymore. "I'll have to see him, won't I? He'll be so pissed." She covered her face with her hands and let out a deep breath.