Liam felt like a coward.
He'd never hated himself this much in his life.
His wolf kept howling at him, cussing at him for siding with his best friend, and lying against Amy and Kayla.
The look of shock and hurt in Amy's face as he lied to the judge that he sacked them was still vivid in his mind. No matter how hard he tried to think about something else, he couldn't. His wolf kept bringing back the moment he betrayed someone he claimed to have feelings for.
And there was Cole, thanking him for lying.
He couldn't stand himself. He couldn't bear to see Amy's son being taken away from her, so he was heading for his car. He needed to leave the court premises as fast as possible, so he wouldn't encounter Amy or Kayla.
Liam was so engrossed in beating himself up that he didn't see the person in his way. His eyes were on the floor and as a result, he bumped into her.
"Shit," he heard a lady cuss in frustration.
Her voice brought him back to reality and until he saw her packing the contents of the bag he'd just fell , that he realized he bumped into her.
"I'm really sorry. Let me help you," he squatted to join her in packing the papers on the floor when she slapped his hand away very hard.
"Ouch! I was only trying to help!" He caressed his hands.
The lady raised her head up, and Liam gasped.
It was Kayla.
"Don't bother. I don't want you touching my stuff," she replied coldly and got back up to her feet.
This was the reason he wanted to leave badly. The same person he was running away from was who he bumped into.
As he watched her leave, he felt the urge to say something. He couldn't just let her go. He needed to explain himself.
"Kayla, wait-," he reached for her hand, to stop her from going any further.
"Don't you dare touch me!!" She yanked her hands off his grip. Her eyes threatened to spit fire that would consume him, as she shot him a death stare.
"Just let me explain myself-"
"What do you want to say that I can't already guess? That you did it for your best friend? I hope the lie was worth it. I hope you'd feel satisfied when you see Tris being taken away from his mother - a woman who's devoted her whole life to the boy," she spat and walked away from him.
As he watched her leave, he felt even more ashamed of himself. It seemed as though he didn't know the consequences of his actions until now. He didn't think this through.
How could he undo his wrongs?
Was he going to live by himself if Tris was actually taken away from Amy?
He thought of going back into the court premises and telling the judge that he spoke a lie, but that would mean betraying Cole, and it would also land him in trouble.
"Shit! Why can't I pick a fucking side?!" He groaned in frustration.
Driven to the point of confusion, he concluded that leaving was the best idea.
"Just so you know, I'm ashamed of you," his wolf muttered from the back of his head.
"Well, thank you very much. I feel the same way too, if that makes you feel any better," Liam replied as he got into his car, turned on the ignition and sped away.
***
The court process resumed and soon enough, everyone was ready to hear the judge's verdict.
Kayla was consoling Amy who had a pale, red face that told anyone who cared to know, that she'd been crying for the past fifteen minutes.
Finally, the judge walked into the room, and everyone got up to their feet at the court clerk's announcement.
They got back to their seating positions once the judge took his seat and put on his glasses.
"Weighing the arguments that these esteemed lawyers have brought and delved before me; after several minutes of thorough consideration and deliberation, I have come to a verdict"
Everyone's ears perked in anticipation.
All except Amy's. She already knew what the verdict was going to be. There was no way she had a chance against Cole and his battalion of lawyers and connections.
The judge cleared his throat.
"Miss. Amy has done a lot of good, grooming Mr. Tris, but the fact that she doesn't want his father to be a part of his life is ridiculous, to say the least. You kept him in the dark for seven years, and because of that, he has every right to take the son away from you. Considering the points that Mr. Tom pointed out concerning the poor living conditions of Miss. Amy and her friend Kayla, the fact that they are both unemployed - and sacked and their previous place of work, and Kayla's unstable emotions, we can only come to the conclusion that Mr. Cole is best fit to take care of the boy"
From the corner of Amy's eyes, she saw Cole wearing an emotionless expression on his face. Things were going in his favor, and she expected him to have a big smile on his face, but she didn't see any.
Maybe he was leaving the celebration for later.
"And this is my verdict on this case - I hereby transfer the custody of Mr. Tris from Miss. Amy's care to Mr. Cole-"
"I'm dropping the case," Cole stood up.
A cloak of pin-drop silence covered the courtroom, as they were all shaken by Cole's sudden outburst.
"Ermm... I'm sorry, my Lord. I would like a moment with my client," Mr. Tom stood up and nervously tugged Cole.
"There's nothing for us to talk about, Mr. Tom. I'm dropping the case, and that's final," Cole stood adamant on his decision.
"But why so suddenly?" The judge asked.
"It's my decision, My Lord. Please annul the verdict you just made, as I wish to drop the case"
The judge sighed.
"As the case has been dropped by Cole, I hereby annul the verdict recently made. Mr. Tris will still be in Miss. Amy's custody, until this case is brought up again before the court," he hit his gavel on the lectern, and the court stood up.
Amy and Kayla stared at each other, lost for words as to what just happened.