I swallow and nod. “I understand. What’s the next step?” I glance at Aiden, he seems optimistic so I give him a somewhat weak smile. Frankly, it’s all I can muster right now.
The lawyer runs through the papers in front of him. “This matter will end up in court, and the evidence will be presented to a jury. It’s my job to make them understand Mr. O’Connell’s innocence. The hardest and most important issues facing us right now is to attempt to discover who has framed him.” The lawyer looks at me over his glasses.
“Jeni, you trust me, right?” Aiden states while tears form in my eyes, but I blink them away as I nod.
The evidence isn’t in Aiden’s favor, but the lawyer believes in his innocence, so I should too. Blinking a few times, I make eye contact with Aiden’s melancholy blue eyes, and my lip starts to quiver.
“I love you,” his voice breaks reaching his hand to try and meet mine, but his handcuffs stop him, so I lean forward, and my skin tingles as warmth floods me when our fingers join for the briefest of moments.
“Aiden… I—”
The door opens, and a detective walks in, effectively ending our moment together. “Time’s up.”
Sighing, I mouth ‘I love you’ and regrettably stand and walk to the door. I hesitate, take a step, then stop, and as I look back, Aiden’s being led out of the room.
Seeing Aiden in handcuffs is a sight I won’t soon forget. I turn back and continue to walk with my chest feeling like an elephant’s sitting firmly right in the center.
As I walk out to the waiting area, Sarah and Chris have arrived at the station. Sarah spots me and rushes over, giving me the tightest of hugs.
I feel like I’m internally breaking. Seeing Aiden in there like that is twisting my insides, but I don’t want his family and our friends to know how bad this truly is. I need to be strong, for him, and for them right now. So, I take a deep breath, pulling my shit together, and draw back from Sarah straightening my shoulders and putting on a brave face.
Everyone watches me like they’re expecting me to break. Hell, I’ve given them no reason to think I won’t, but right now I need them to believe Aiden is fine. I need them to believe I’m fine.
I am not.
I’m far from it.
But if I fall apart in front of them, then we will all be panicking. I have to hide how scared I am until I’m behind closed doors.
“Are you able to tell us what’s going on?” Daniel asks.
I take another deep breath to steady my nerves as Niall and Killian walk back in to sit with us.
I exhale, preparing myself to tell them what happened. “Basically, the embezzled money was sent to an offshore account in Aiden’s name.”
Their eyes are all wide, but no one says anything except for Niall. “Of course, he’s stupid enough to put the money into an account with his name. What a complete fucking idiot.”
“Father… no one wants to hear what you think! Especially not in here and especially that you believe he’s guilty. We all know he’s innocent. So, shut the hell up. No one wants your stupid, no value-added, uneducated opinions,” Killian grunts.
“Boy, you are stepping close to the edge…” Niall pauses and then mumbles, “Personally, I say, let him rot,” under his breath.
“Niall O’Connell, if you truly believe our oldest son could be responsible for this, then you should leave right now, right this second. We’re all here to support Aiden. Do us a favor and get the hell out of here. I’m completely over your fucking stupid, callous opinions.” My eyes open wide as we stare at Callie in surprise.
Niall huffs loudly, storming out of the police station like a bull raging in a bullpen.
“Go, Mom.” Killian hugs Callie as Aiden’s lawyer steps out of the interview room and walks over to us. My adrenaline surges through me at the sight of him.
“For those who don’t know me, I’m Jenson Monroe, Mr. O’Connell’s attorney. Mr. O’Connell will be held here overnight, and will see a judge in the morning, where he’ll be held for arraignment.”
“What’s an arraignment?” Daniel asks.
“The judge will ask if Mr. O’Connell is the person identified in the felony charges. The judge will then discuss whether Mr. O’Connell would like to plead guilty. Before you say anything, we will be pleading not guilty, of course. Then bail will be arranged and a court date set for his trial.”
“He has to stay here overnight?” A single tear rolls down my face. I hate the thought of him alone in this place.
“Yes,” Jenson answers with one simple word.
Sarah takes my hands in hers. “Do you want to stay at my place tonight?” she offers, and I nod.