Hateful Lies

by Liv Reid

  I’ve never been in love before. Is this what it feels like? Like there’s a force greater than anything else in the entire world and it exists only between the two of us.

  He’s the only one on my side, but he’s all I need.

  “Just tell the truth,” he whispers. “It’ll be ok.”

  And that’s when I know I can do this.

  36

  L

  She looked so alone when I walked into the courtroom. I saw her sitting by herself with just her lawyer and all the empty benches behind her. My dad’s side was packed with people, of course. My heart ached for her. She must feel so alone.

  I hadn’t decided what I was going to do until that very moment. I wasn’t even sure I was going to come to the hearing. So much had happened that I didn’t know if I should even be here or not. I had had a lot of time to think about everything over the past few weeks.

  I stopped talking to my family because I couldn’t believe what they’d tried to do to Violet. Sure, she lied about my father, but she thought she was doing the right thing. She thought she was telling the truth, and it sounded like her lawyer pressured her into it. Sure, she had lied, but did she deserve what my family tried to do to her?

  I can’t believe they could go so far. I always knew we were on the edge of what was acceptable—our whole family skirted that line. I always knew we were a little fucked up, but to try to have someone kidnapped and God knows what done to them? That’s too far.

  In the end, I decided I had to be here. And when I saw those sad, lonely violet eyes, I had no choice. Whatever she’d done to my family, I couldn’t let her face this alone.

  So here I am, sitting behind Violet as the hearing gets underway. My family are giving me death stares and I know I’ll have to deal with their wrath later, but right now I don’t give a shit. She needs me.

  When the judge calls on Violet to speak she stands up. She starts telling her story from the very beginning. Even though I hear her voice wobble a little in parts, she’s so strong. It must be intimidating to face all of this by yourself—and to speak about your father who died. To stand up to such a powerful family when you have nothing. How could so much strength come from such a small body?

  My family is watching her like hawks, waiting to hear what she’s going to say. To be honest, I don’t know what I hope for. Do I want her to tell the truth and risk going to jail? I can’t lose her. Or do I want her to lie again and send my father to jail? I know my dad isn’t perfect. I know he’s a dick most of the time—hell, he’s pretty much only ever been a dick to me my whole life—but he’s still my dad and he didn’t kill anyone. He doesn’t deserve to be in jail.

  It’s a fucked up situation, and I wait in agony to hear what Violet decides.

  “… I came around the back of the house to pick up my father. We only had one car so I would pick him up every day after school because his shift ended later than my last class. It was dark by this time. I rounded the corner and saw two figures in the backyard. One had his arm raised and pointing at the other. The other person had their hands up as if they were begging for mercy… but at the time I couldn’t say with a hundred percent certainty who either of those men were.”

  There’s an audible gasp in the room. She’s doing it, she’s telling the truth. All at once I feel elated but also miserable. This will clear my family’s name but could get her in big trouble. Why does she have to be so noble? Fuck, I love you, Violet Miller, I realize in shock—but I don’t know why I’m shocked because deep down I’ve known it for a long time, I just didn’t want to admit it to myself.

  She tells the rest of her story. The judge just nods before asking her to sit back down.

  I look over and see my family is smiling. They got exactly what they wanted, but I don’t think she did it for them. She did it for herself. I know her now and she couldn’t live with the guilt of thinking she did the wrong thing. She turned down my brother’s proposal even though she would have been set for life. She has integrity, something they wouldn’t understand.

  My dad’s lawyers stand up and argue that since the main piece of evidence against him turns out to be unreliable, the case should be dismissed. The judge reminds them that even though the evidence in the case has changed, my father still escaped the country to avoid sentencing, which is a crime in itself. He also cost taxpayers a lot of money trying to catch him and bring him back to the United States.

  The lawyers huddle up together and talk in whispered tones. Eventually, the oldest, most distinguished one of them addresses the judge. He argues the case be adjourned and my dad released on bail. The judge considers this for a moment, then agrees. She’s about to bang her gavel when someone at the back of the room calls, “Wait!”

  The whole room turns to look, and a man in his early forties stands up from one of the benches at the back. He looks vaguely familiar, but I can’t place him.

  “I have evidence to submit,” he says.

  What the fuck is this?

  37

  V

  It may have been four years, but when the guy stands up, I immediately recognize him. He was sitting at the back of the room when I came in, surrounded by people, so I didn’t notice him, but it’s Tate. He was one of the security guards at the Aston mansion when my dad worked there. He was a nice guy, and we got along great. Seeing him again brings a wave of nostalgia and makes me miss my dad even more.

  I wonder what he’s doing. He asks if he can come up and speak with the judge. She hesitates, but then allows it.

  It’s completely silent so we can hear them talking in hushed tones, but I can’t make out what they are saying.

  After they talk for a few minutes, the judge straightens back up and says, “I’ll allow the evidence to be admitted to this hearing.”

  There’s an uproar on the other side of the room. Mr. Aston’s lawyers start objecting loudly, arguing they don’t know what the evidence is and they should be allowed to examine it first before it becomes part of the case. The judge bangs her gavel over and over until they all fall silent.

  Tate takes out a USB from inside his coat. The judge sends one of her assistants to go get a TV.

  While we wait, I can hear rumbling on the other side of the room. Mr. Aston’s lawyers are not happy and are furiously conferring with each other.

  The assistant soon comes back rolling a TV on a tall stand with wheels in front of her. The TV is hooked up to a computer and Tate puts in the USB. They fiddle around with it for a bit until a black-and-white image pops up on the screen.

  What is this? I wonder, but then I suddenly realize it’s a video of the Aston’s backyard. A figure walks across the screen that makes my heart ache and a lump form in the back of my throat. I clearly recognize my dad.

  He’s walking across the grass, picking up tools as he goes. I don’t have a lot of pictures of him because he wasn’t a man who liked having his picture taken. I only have a couple of photos in my phone, so seeing a video of him brings back so many memories. It’s like he’s right in front of me again and hasn’t been gone for the last four years.

  Another man enters the frame. My brow furrows. I don’t immediately recognize him, and I squint my eyes trying to see the small figure better. He’s under an overhanging balcony and partially obscured from the camera, which seems to be mounted on the second floor of the house.

  “Who’s that?” I ask Logan over my shoulder.

  He leans forward so no one else can hear us. “That’s Heston’s drug dealer. He’s the one who shot your dad. I saw the whole thing from the window of my room but I couldn’t tell anyone because the dealer said he’d kill Heston if we went to the police.”

  My mouth drops open and ice water floods through my veins. Even though I said I couldn’t be completely sure of who I saw, I was still convinced it was Mr. Aston who killed my dad.

  Tate turns to look at me sympathetically. “You probably don’t want to watch this next part.”

  But I can’t look away. I’m
finally getting answers after so long, and even though this is hard to watch, I need closure.

  Just then, a new figure enters the frame. He’s the same height and build as the drug dealer. Even though he’s also obscured by the angle of the camera and the balcony over his head, I can clearly tell it’s Mr. Aston. My dad is still walking across the lawn, but when he sees the new person he freezes.

  The video has no sound but the whole court watches in silence, transfixed, as the Mr. Aston on the screen leans towards the drug dealer. They are clearly talking. They don’t talk for very long before Mr. Aston reaches into his pocket and pulls out his wallet. My dad starts shaking his head, but it all happens too quickly. He doesn’t have time to run. Mr. Aston hands over several bills and the dealer takes his gun out of his pocket and steps out onto the lawn.

  He’s no longer obscured by the balcony, so there’s a clear view of him as he shoots my father. I cry out and look away. Sandy wraps her arm around my shoulders comfortingly. The courtroom is silent as the video continues to play.

  I look up again and see my father’s lifeless body sprawled out on the grass and I’m grateful it’s in black-and-white so I don’t have to see the red of his blood. The drug dealer is now gone from the frame, but Mr. Aston is still there, and he’s… laughing? It’s a bit hard to see him from the angle of the camera, but it’s clear that motherfucker is laughing.

  I want to run over to the other side of the room and kick his teeth in—and then laugh about it. Sandy seems to sense my train of thought and holds me tighter so I don’t do anything stupid.

  Then I watch myself come into the frame. I’m sprinting towards my dad and Mr. Aston quickly slips back inside—something I didn’t notice when I was actually there because my vision was still blurry and I was solely focused on my dad.

  I see myself run up and I watch as I realize my dad is already dead. I can see how hysterical I am, and all the same emotions flood back and it’s like I’m there again. I can’t watch anymore. I bury my face in my hands.

  “This is security footage from the property. We have cameras covering all the outside areas of the house,” Tate explains to the court in his soft, gentle voice. “Someone erased it and recorded over it, but I was able to scrub it and get back the original. I wasn’t going to bring it up unless it was absolutely necessary because I’m risking my career by being here, but it’s the right thing to do.”

  “I don’t think we need to see anymore of this,” the judge says, and her assistant switches off the recording.

  I look back up at her. Tears are rolling down my cheeks, but I can’t stop them.

  “Thank you,” she says to Tate. “You may sit back down.”

  He walks over to the benches, and on the way our eyes meet.

  “Thank you,” I mouth, and he just nods with a sad smile.

  He sits back down, but this time on my side of the courtroom.

  Mr. Aston’s lawyers are huddled in a group furiously discussing this new turn of events.

  “Objection!” one of them yells.

  “You can’t object to this,” the judge says in an impatient tone.

  I don’t think I’ll ever know why John Aston hated my dad so much. My dad was just a genuinely nice guy and everyone loved him. Maybe Mr. Aston was jealous? Or maybe he didn’t even hate my dad at all, and it was just a power trip for him. Mr. Aston is a bully, and he saw an easy target in my father. All the other staff members who he bullied would just quit, but he knew my dad couldn’t because he needed to pay for my schooling.

  I don’t think I’ll ever know the true answer. How can you understand what is happening inside of a monster’s head? And Mr. Aston wouldn’t be honest about it, anyway. I don’t think he’s even capable of telling the truth.

  This whole day was such an emotional rollercoaster that I feel drained and hollowed out. I’m barely able to stay upright in my chair and listen as the judge says, “With this new evidence, it’s pretty clear Mr. Aston poses a potential danger to society. To let him out on bail would be irresponsible. Bail denied.”

  She slams her gavel down and orders a new trial.

  38

  L

  I can’t believe it. After everything, she was right the whole time. My father is a murderer.

  The windows of my room are on the second floor of our house, facing the back. I saw the dealer shoot Violet’s dad when he stepped out onto the lawn. But I couldn’t see him or my dad—or hear them because my windows were closed—when they were under the balcony, so I never knew my dad was there at all. I never saw him ask the dealer to shoot, the money exchanged, or… the fucking laughing. I shiver.

  Never in a million years would I have thought him capable of that. I feel so numb and destroyed, but when Violet looks at me my world melts and it’s just her. She needs me.

  I hop the low wall separating us and grab her. I hold her in my arms, and my heart thrills when she wraps hers around my waist. We’ve never held each other like this, and it just feels so right.

  How could such a small thing mean so much? How could such a small person be so strong?

  “I’m sorry,” she whispers into the front of my suit, and it kills me. She has nothing to be sorry about.

  Before I can respond, Heston comes over.

  “You’ll pay for this,” he growls in a low voice so no one else can hear him.

  I reach out and shove him hard. Everyone is looking at us now and the police are on edge, about to rush over here if it continues.

  “Stay the fuck away from her or I’ll kill you,” I threaten quietly—even though I want to scream it in his face.

  She’s now mine to protect, and I will never let anything happen to her ever again. She’s been through enough darkness for one lifetime, and God help the next person who tries to hurt her—even if that is my own brother.

  Heston looks surprised at my reaction, but then his face grows dark. It’s at this moment I realize how much he looks like our father.

  My mom comes over to us to try to calm us down.

  “You two are creating a scene,” she hisses. “What will everyone think? They’ll think we are a family of animals.”

  I can tell she’s upset, but she doesn’t seem surprised by what we just saw on the tape. I have a sudden disturbing thought. Did my whole family know? Were they still trying to get my dad off even though they knew he was guilty?

  My mom turns to Violet, who’s still wrapped in my protective arms. “Well, you just lost your tuition. I don’t care if you told everyone you weren’t sure he did it, he’s still ending up in jail so our deal is off. Good luck becoming a doctor now. You’ll have to go back to being a waitress for the rest of your life—but that’s where you belong anyway, Poor Girl.”

  “Mom,” I growl, barely holding myself back. “Fuck off.”

  She looks shocked.

  “Logan,” she admonishes quietly. She opens her mouth to say more, but when she sees the look on my face, she thinks better of it and closes it again.

  She and Heston walk away, and I look down at the small woman in my arms. Her pretty violet eyes are wet with tears—and the sight rips my heart out. As I look at her, I make a promise to myself and to her.

  You’ve been strong enough, Violet. Now I’m going to be strong for the both of us. I’m never letting anyone hurt you ever again. Even if you don’t realize it yet, you’re mine. I’m going to protect you for the rest of our lives because now that I’ve found you again, I’m never letting you go.

  Epilogue

  L

  As I push inside of her wet heaven, she moans right into my ear. The sound shoots a possessive streak through me, and I grip her hips hard. I dip my head to kiss along her collarbone and then move lower to give her a bruising kiss where her clothes will cover it.

  I want to mark her, but the marks are only for the two of us. The rest of the world already knows she’s mine, but I want her to see it in the mirror when she gets dressed in the morning and remember. Always.

 
I slide further inside and she wraps her legs around me, pulling me closer, pulling me inside of her eager body. I moan as the heat envelops me. It feels fucking incredible. We’ve been together for a little while now, but every time I enter her it feels like the first time—except now we are finally having sex in a bed.

  She’s laid out beneath me. Her violet eyes hooded in desire and her soft body open for me to explore. The look in her eyes is one of lust, but also of trust. She knows I’m not going to hurt her—except for when she’s been a bad girl and deserves a spanking. She knows I’ll protect her and that she’s safe with me. Finally safe from the big, bad world.

  I can’t resist, she just looks so fucking delicious. I lean down to taste her nipple. At the bolt of pleasure that surges through her body, she bucks up and takes my cock the rest of the way inside of her.

  I’m fully surrounded and I growl against her breast. Every time. Every fucking time, this gets me. It’s not just the feeling of how incredible her pussy feels, it’s because it’s her. My Violet.

  After the hearing where we found out my father paid Heston’s dealer to shoot her dad, I stopped speaking to my family. I couldn’t forgive them for what they tried to do to her. She didn’t deserve any of it; she thought she was doing the right thing—and in the end she was right. My dad was a killer. He may not have pulled the trigger, but he got someone else to and that was just as bad.

  The police located the dealer pretty quickly and arrested him. He was denied bail so he couldn’t even get out and get his revenge against Heston—not that that matters much to me anymore. I realize now how similar Heston is to my father, and I finally see just what kind of men they really are.