Chapter 92
Sunday morning I was baking cupcakes and Hunter was enjoyed each other’s company in silence.
ming at my kitchen table with his sketchbook and pen. We talked from time to time, but mostly we just
“Don’t make any sudden movements, but look at your offer door.” Hunter whispered to me. I saw he was glancing in the direction of my office without making it obvious. I slowly turned and glanced at the door. In the small opening, Cuddles was looking out at un. He looked tense, but curious. I smiled. He would be alright. He had already shown he was curious about me and Hunter when he had been sneaking into our bed. He just wasn’t ready to deal with us full on yet. It was alreadi I understood him. He had trusted people and they had shown him they couldn’t be trusted. He could have his space as long as he needed it.
“Isn’t he the cutest?” I asked Hunter as I went back to decorating the cupcakes.
“That is one word for him. We should name him Ninja,” Hunter huffed. I laughed, his grumpiness didn’t fool me. His excitement at finding Cuddles looking at un was making it a hard sell. As we were making hinch, Hunter took a piece of cheese and threw in the direction of the door. Next time we looked, the cheese had disappeared
“I think this will work out fine,” I told Hunter as we sat down to eat.
“I think so too.” be agreed with me. We ended up on the couch after lunch. Me with my new cook book and Hunter with his sketch pad. I was laying down with my head in Hunter’s lap. A while later he tapped me on my shoulder and pointed towards the balcony, Cuddles were slowly creeping closer to the balcony door while keeping an eye on the two of us. When he was almost there, he made a mad dash for the door and scurried out onto the balcony. I ploded.
The day passed by quickly and before I knew it, I was saying goodbye to Hunter. I had given him a big box of cupcakes to give to Jason and a smaller one for himself. We had also decided I was going to come and work in the kitchen that Friday for my first official catering ziz. It was for Clair’s niece’s wedding. I was doing a cupcake and doughnut table for them instead of the usual wedding cake. Hunter had wanted to come and pick me up, but I refused to let him drive from his office to my place, pick me up and bring me to his office and then come back with me when I was done. I was a capable grown adult woman I could take the bus one way, I planted myself on the couch and turned on the TV, I needed some distraction to chase away the sadness before I went to bed. I had almost dozed off when I sowa cat head appear over the armrest on the other end of the couch. Cuddles looked at me for a moment. I let him look and pretended to watch the TV. Slowly, he got up on the armrest and stopped. Laying like a little suspicious fur ball.
“Isn’t this better?” I said in a calm voice, still not looking at him. “I think we will get along just fine, you and L. We are both good at giving each other space when we need it and I suspect that once you get to know me, you will live up to your name, so I won’t change it.” He didn’t reply, or move, or hardly blink. I took it as a victory that he didn’t flee as soon as I opened my mouth. We shared the sofa for a while before I decided I needed to go to bed before I fell asleep. I gently got up Cuddles jumped down from the couch, but didn’t retreat all the way into the office. He just stayed a little to the side, watching me.
“You can have the couch for the night if you want. Or you are welcome to share the bed. Just don’t sneak up on me like you did with Hunter,” I told him and giggled to myself as I got ready for bed. Montents after I had curled up in bed and turned the lights off, I saw the outline of Cuddes joining me on the bed. He was staying put at the far come from me, and I could feel his stare. “Good choice,” I said.
Time moved forward. I got used to my new life. Cuddles became more trusting and outgoing, even when Hunter was around. He didn’t live up to his name yet, but we had got to the point where he could be next to Hunter or me and we were allowed to pet him. My first catering job had gone off with no issues. I had been nervous as a wedding is an important event in people’s life and I didn’t want to mess it up for the couple. But they were ecstatic about the cupcakes and doughnuts. 1 had also discovered the power of word of mouth as after the first order, new anders started coming in from people that had been at the wedding or that had heard trends talk about it. Hunter enjoyed it as well, as it gave us opportunities to get together in the middle of the week when I needed to use the kitchen. The relationship between us had found a new normal as well. We spent each weekend together and had even introduced Cuddles to Hunter’s apartment. It had gone well and now we alternated between the two apartments. As the weeks passed, the case against Simon moved forward. I didn’t attend any of the hearings leading up to the trial, but Hunter did. It always put him in a bad mood and he would come and stay the night with me. Seymour had advised that we tried to avoid talking about the case, which made it hard for me to help Hunter work through the feeling he had or understanding what had him in such a bad mood. That was, until the day I got my subpoena to appear as a witness for the prosecutor. Then the preparation work for me began.
to believe your ex–husband will use the defence that he is innocent and the one with the ties to the mafia is you” Emma, the prosecutor, told me.
“We have reason to
“Me?” I asked and looked at Seymore. I had no clue how to handle the accusation.
“What is your point of view on his defence?” Seymour asked the two prosecutors.
“We have looked into Miss Bishop’s background well enough to know the accusations are false. That being said, it can be an effective defence in the sense that they can use it to create doubt in the jury and therefore make the jury unable to convict him on the premise of ‘beyond reasonable doubt,” Tim told them, Seymour nodded as if he understood. I looked at him, hoping he would explain because I didn’t understand.
“They are going to use your background, how you grew up and try to infer that it would be more likely for you to have connections to the criminal side of society.“” he explained. I went from being confused to being pissed.
“So blame the cephan that grew up in the foster system instead of the golden boy from a family with money?” I asked.
“Yes.” Seymore said.
Chapter 92
“Well fuck them.”
“I agree,” he told me with a smile. “My client will cooperate fully to make sure the jury has no doubts about who is the on with the connections to the mafia,” he told the prosecutors. Emma smiled and nodded. It was the start of a very long and frustrating process to get me ready for being a witness. The prosecutors and Seymour peppered me with questions. Some of them were so personal it took erything in me not to refuse to answer. I prayed they never got asked in emert. My He was scrutinised in detail. There were days I got back home and I spent half an hour crying in the shower, But I was determined not to break, to take advantage of every minute of prepping. I needed to be prepared for when 1 was sitting in the witness booth in front of everyone. I refused to break dirum in front of Semons and his mother. They thought I was weak. I would show them who I really was. Hunter surprised me after a session with the prosecutors. He was waiting for me ichurri Į got home, he had made dinner. When I saw him standing there, all amazing. I burst out crying. The look of horror on his face would have been funny if I wasn’t as dramed and feeling like a fifth class citizen
“Hana, sweetness, what is wrong?” he asked as he walked over to me and wrapped his arms around me.
“Nothing.” I sobbed
“That can’t be true. You don’t just start crying like this for no reason,” he insisted.
“It’s past been a long day and in all got to me more than I would want it to. And then I get home and here you are, cooking for me when you never cook. And I’m just causing all these problems in your life and after the trial everyone will know all the things about me I’m ashamed of and that are ugly and here you are, conking for me.” Lunloaded on him.
