Chapter 282 Aslan
Chapter 282 Aslan
Aslan
The second I walked into that courtroom, I found my wolf.
Garrett sat behind the prosecution with his hands locked together and fear written all over his face. He looked as terrified as I felt, and somehow, that steadied me.
This was the one thing I could still do for the man I loved. I hadn’t been able to stop them from doing anything they’d done, but today, they had to let me speak.
I took the oath and sat down, trying not to look at Graves. The prosecutor approached me and offered a reassuring smile. “Mr. Rivers, when did you meet Garrett Williams?”
“At the beginning of last year. We both attended Crownwell.”
“What was your relationship like when you first met?”
“We hated each other.”
A few quiet laughs moved through the courtroom.
“Why?”
“I thought he was an arrogant asshole. He thought I was an annoying one.” I glanced at Garrett. The smallest smile pulled at his lips. “We didn’t understand each other, and neither of us wanted to admit we were attracted to the other. Fighting was easier.”
“When did that change?”
“Slowly. We spent more time together, and eventually, he let me see the person underneath everything he showed the rest of the school.”
“What did you discover?”
“That he was terrified.”
“Of whom?”
“His parents, Spring Creek, and mostly Dr. Graves.”
The prosecutor moved closer. “What did you personally observe?”
“Before his sessions with Dr. Graves, Garrett would become quiet. Sometimes he couldn’t eat, and his hands would shake. Afterward, he came back pale and exhausted. I saw him cry. I saw him wake from nightmares believing he was back at Spring Creek.” My voice tightened. “Sometimes he didn’t recognize me. He begged Graves to stop even though Graves wasn’t there. Then, when he realized where he was, he apologized for waking me.”
“Did Garrett eventually explain why he was afraid?”
“Yes. He told me what happened at Spring Creek and how Dr. Graves had physically and mentally abused him.”
Graves’s attorney shifted in his chair, but he didn’t object.
“Did you ever personally witness Dr. Graves intimidating Garrett?”
“Yes. I overheard two video calls between them. Both times, Dr. Graves told Garrett how disappointed he was in him, that he had failed, and that there would be consequences if he didn’t prove himself. He threatened to have Garrett locked inside Spring Creek again and subjected to what he called stimulation therapy. Garrett was terrified. He would freeze because he knew those weren’t warnings. They were promises.”
“What was Garrett’s response on those ocassions?”
“It was like watching him disappear. He stopped arguing. His shoulders folded in, his voice changed, and he started agreeing with everything Graves said.”
The prosecutor allowed a brief silence before changing direction. “Did you have an interaction with Helena Williams shortly before your scholarship was withdrawn?”
“Yes. She had approached me under the impression I was not coming back the following year, but I told her I would be returning to Crownwell. I had excellent grades and had secured an internship. Two days later, I was informed that my funding had been denied.”
“Was Mrs. Williams connected to that decision?”
“She served on the board.”
“Had your grades fallen?”
“No.”
“Had you violated the scholarship conditions?”
“No.”
“What did losing the scholarship mean for you?”
“I thought my future was over. Without it, I couldn’t afford Crownwell.”
The prosecutor returned to her table and picked up another document. “Please describe the last night you saw Garrett before he was taken to Spring Creek.”
My mouth went dry. Garrett’s smile was gone. His hands had separated, and both palms now lay flat against his thighs.
“His mother arrived with Dr. Graves. Garrett was terrified the second he saw them. He knew they had come to take him.”
“What happened?”
“They wouldn’t listen to him. Graves kept giving orders, and people grabbed Garrett. They restrained him so he couldn’t move.” My chest tightened as the memory forced its way back. “I tried to reach him, but they stopped me. The guards restrained me too, and at some point, one shoved me against the wall. Garrett fought them when he saw them hurt me.”
“What happened to you?”
“My heart started racing. I couldn’t breathe, and then I collapsed.”
“What is the next thing you remember?”
“The floor. Garrett struggling. Shouting for them to help me.” I forced myself to look toward Graves. “Then I saw Garrett being taken, and after that I passed out.”
“Before you lost consciousness, did anyone approach you or attempt to help?”
“No.”
“When did you next see Helena Williams?”
“The day I woke up in the hospital.”
“What did Mrs. Williams say to you?”
“She said I would never see him again. She told me Garrett was moving on and that they would make sure he forgot me.” The pressure behind my eyes burned, but I refused to look away from her. “Then she said he already had.”
The prosecutor nodded. “No further questions.”
Graves’s attorney rose.
He adjusted his jacket before approaching me, moving slowly as if I were something unpredictable he didn’t want to frighten.
“Mr. Rivers, you have a diagnosed heart condition, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, commonly referred to as CPVT?”
“Yes.”
“That is a hereditary condition.”
“Yes.”
“It can cause a dangerous heart rhythm during physical exertion or emotional stress.”
“Yes, it can.”
“And you experienced cardiac symptoms before the night in question.”
“Not a cardiac arrest, but yes.”
“So neither Mrs. Williams nor Dr. Graves gave you this condition.”
“No.”
“And no doctor has told you that Mrs. Williams caused your cardiac arrest.”
“No.”
The attorney turned slightly toward the jury. “Your heart failed because you had a hereditary condition that could be triggered by emotional stress. Isn’t that correct?”
“My heart failed while they were dragging Garrett away from me.”
“That wasn’t my question.”
“It’s the only answer I have.”
His mouth tightened. “You testified that Mrs. Williams spoke to you shortly after you regained consciousness.”
“Yes.”
“You had recently suffered cardiac arrest.”
“Yes.”
“You had been sedated and intubated.”
“Yes.”
“You were receiving several medications.”
“Yes.”
“You were confused when you first woke up.”
“At first.”
“You panicked and had to be sedated again, correct?”
“Yes.”
“So your memory during that period may not be entirely reliable.”
“I remember what she said.”
“But you don’t remember everything that happened that day.”
“No.” I looked toward Helena. “I remember her.”
The attorney moved closer. “You also testified about statements Garrett allegedly made concerning Spring Creek. You have no personal knowledge of what happened to him there, do you?”
“Not while he was fourteen.”
“So that information came from Garrett.”
“Yes.”
“And you believed him because you were in love with him.”
“I believed him because I watched him fall apart every time Dr. Graves came near him, and every night he suffered nightmares shouting his name.”
“But you are in love with Garrett Williams.”
“Yes.”
“Would you do anything to protect him?”
“Anything I could.”
“Would you say anything to protect him?”
“I would tell the truth.”
“That wasn’t my question. Would you say anything if you believed it would protect Garrett?”
“No.”
“But you just said you would do anything for him.”
“Lying wouldn’t protect him. It would give you another reason not to believe him.”
The attorney studied me for a moment. “Isn’t it true that your feelings for Garrett affect how you see his parents, Dr. Graves, and everything that happened?”
“Of course they do.”
“So you’re biased.”
“I love him. That doesn’t change what I saw.”
The attorney glanced at his notes. “The man you love ordered the Silver Star against you, didn’t he?”
“Yes.”
“He encouraged the bullying you suffered.”
“At first, yes.”
“He physically attacked you.”
“Yes.”
“And during that fight, your heart began to fail.”
“Yes.”
“Yet you still believe Garrett is the victim in this courtroom.”
“I don’t believe it. I know it.”
“No further questions.”
The prosecutor stood again. “Mr. Rivers, your heart condition may explain why you collapsed. Does it explain why no one came to help you before you lost consciousness?”
“No.”
“Did loving Garrett force him out of Crownwell while he begged someone to help you?”
“No.”
“Did loving him leave you on that floor alone?”
“No.”
“Did loving Garrett make Mrs. Williams appear in your hospital room to torment you?”
“No.”
The prosecutor held my gaze. “Then did loving Garrett make a single word of your testimony less true?”
“No.”
The prosecutor thanked me, and the judge excused me from the stand.
I stepped down on legs that didn’t feel steady and passed close enough to Garrett that I could have reached him in one step. The court officer watched us carefully, so I kept moving.
For one second, my wolf’s eyes found mine.
The prosecutor waited until I sat down before addressing the judge. “The State calls Garrett Williams.”