Page 75 of Love Rewritten

I finish answering a question about how things used to be when we first moved in together and then she asks the one question that I’ve yet to fully remember.

“Ms. Cooper, can you tell me about the first incident of physical violence you remember between you and Mr. Johnson?”

Something in me snaps and the memory comes flooding back. It’s an effort to fight past tears. I blink them away and start to speak, the words flowing oddly quickly despite the horrid memory. I look at Trisha and then at Dallas, who holds my gaze. He’s a steady wave in this sea of unknown.

“It was a few days after I moved in. We’d finished getting some stuff from my mom’s house and as we were carrying things through the apartment, I accidentally knocked into one of his career awards, and it fell and broke. He started yelling and claimed that I’d broken it intentionally. When I denied it and tried to reason with him, he latched onto my wrist so hard that bruises showed up a few hours later.”

I don’t realize how quickly I’m breathing until Dallas motions for me to take a deep breath. I nod and do as he says, the air feeling far better than it did a few seconds ago.

“Thank you,” Trisha says. She checks her notes before approaching me again. We continue through a few more questions until we start getting into more recent instances. “Has Mr. Johnson ever cheated on you before?”

Sam’s attorney stands up. “Objection. Relevance?”

The judge doesn’t hesitate with his response. “I’ll allow it. Continue, please.”

Trisha nods to me to respond to her question.

“Yes. Twice.”

With my eyes still on Dallas, I notice something there. It’s a pained expression. There’s something deeper there, but I can’t tell what. And for the first time, he averts his eyes. It makes my stomach twist. Why won’t he look at me?

Trisha continues her questioning, running through some of the evidence with me, until she finishes with her final question. “Ms. Cooper, what were the last words Mr. Johnson said to you before he was hauled out of Landry’s last week?”

Not this. I forgot she added this question. I haven’t even told Dallas.

Dallas straightens up, like he knows the answer could be bad, but before I can answer, Sam’s attorney says, rather annoyed, “Objection. Relevance? This was after the incident in question. It has nothing to do with the case at hand.”

The judge takes a few seconds to think before saying, “Sustained. Keep your questions to the date of the event, please.”

What?Are you kidding me? How does this not have anything to do with it? It has everything to do with it.

The judge adds, “Make note that Mr. Johnson’s order violations are being taken into account for the final verdict and sentencing.”

Fine. That I can accept.

Trisha pauses for only a few seconds to check her paperwork. “I have no further questions, Your Honor.” She moves back to her seat, and I almost do the same until I remember that Sam’s attorney gets to question me, too. This is something I couldn’t prepare for, and I can feel it heavy in my chest.

His attorney stands, hands braced on the desk in front of him, but he doesn’t move from behind it. “Ms. Cooper, I would like to bring your attention to evidence number four, the bat. Did Mr. Johnson ever use the bat on you that day?”

I take a short, deep breath. “No.”

“Did you ever see the bat on the date in question?”

Another one. “No.”

“Thank you for confirming.” Now he moves out from behind the desk. “How many times have you called the police on Mr. Johnson before the incident?”

Fuck, I don’t know.“Um, maybe four or five?”

“And did anything ever come of those calls?”

I swallow hard as I realize where this is headed. “Well, no. They didn’t believe anything bad enough had happened to warrant a charge.”

“And don’t you think that’s because they are the police and know what they’re talking about? They do this for a living, you know.”

My mouth drops open at this, but Trisha stands from her chair and says, “Objection. Leading and asked and answered.”

“Sustained. Remove the question from the record.”

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