“The morning after they first kissed eight years ago,” she says confidently as her eyes flick to me.
I lift my head and frown-that’s a lie. What are you doing, Bridget?
“How did you find out?” he asks.
“Natasha rang me exited to share the news,” she replies with a determination in her voice.
“Did you tell anyone else?”
“No.”
“Why not?” he asks.
“Sisters keep each other’s secrets, Vincenzo,” Bridget replies coldly. God, this is rehearsed.
“Do you spend a lot of time with them together?” he asks.
“I live with them,” she replies.
“How would you describe their relationship?” he asks.
Bridget smiles warmly at me and I feel my tears rise again. “They are madly in love. I don’t know a couple who are so in love.”
The lump in my throat breaks and I drop my head, unable to hide the tears again. I hear the clicks of the cameras as they capture my tears. Fucking get me out of here.
“Have you ever seen Mr Stanton be abusive to Natasha?”
“Never once. He adores her and worships the ground she walks on. There is no way he would ever raise a hand to her,” Bridget replies, annoyed at the question.
“Would Natasha have told you if there had been abuse?” he asks.
“Definitely, we tell each other everything,” she replies.
“Do you think Joshua Stanton killed your sister Miss Marx?”
She shakes her head. “No, definitely not. He didn’t do this. He has been framed for a murder he didn’t commit.” Her eyes go to the jury. “He is suffering enough. Please don’t make him suffer anymore,” she pleads. She starts to cry and nervously retrieves a tissue from her pocket.
“Are you still living with Mr Stanton?” Vincenzo asks.
“Yes,” she sniffles. “His parents, my mother and Natasha’s, my friend and Cameron, Joshua’s brother, are all staying there at the moment. We are trying to support each other through this terrible time,” she replies.
“But Joshua is not there, is he?” Vin asks.
She shakes her head.
“No, he is in prison for another person’s crime,” she replies in a loud clear voice.
“That is all, Miss Marx. I call to the stand Max Carter.”
My head drops. Fuck this is it. He’s going to crucify me.
Max goes through the motions and takes a seat.
“You are the bodyguard that so much speculation is surrounding,” Vincenzo announces.
“Yes,” Max replies.
“What was your relationship with Miss Marx?”
“I was her bodyguard and had become her friend,” Max replies.
“For how long?” Vin asks.
“Just over twelve months.” Max stares straight ahead, not once making eye contact with anyone.
“What was your relationship with Mr Stanton like?” he asks.
“Normal.”
Vincenzo frowns. “Normal, what does that mean? Did you fight?”
“No,” he replies and I swallow the lead ball in my stomach. He’s doing this for Natasha, not me.
“But I saw vision of you being abused by Mr Stanton on the night of Natasha’s disappearance on the television.”
“Mr Stanton had been drugged. Doctored images had just been sent to him in regards to the two of us,” he replies.
“But he went over the top, don’t you think?” Vincenzo frowns.
“No, any man would have been the same if he had been sent those images,” Max replies.
“Did you ever see any evidence of Miss Marx being abused by Mr Stanton?”
I swallow the lump in my throat.
“No, he loved her. He would never have hurt her.”
I drop my head thankfully as the gallery starts to whisper and the cameras start to click.
“That is all, Mr Carter. I call to the stand Victoria Marx.”
My stomach drops, Natasha’s mother. I close my eyes as the torture continues and slip back into my darkness.
“You have a visitor,” the guard says as he opens the door of my cell.
I frown from my position lying on the bed. Visitors are the last thing that I want. It’s Saturday and I have been in court all week. Two more days to go. I will know my fate by Wednesday. I slowly walk down to the receiving rooms and take a seat, the door opens and my mother walks in. I instantly drop my eyes. We have hardly spoken a word since I found out my true paternity.