The room is filled with reporters and people wanting to see and know the verdict first hand. It was filled with chatter as everyone waited for the judge and the defendants to arrive in the room. It wasn't much of a secret that everyone in the room, except for the attorneys of the defendants, wished for a guilty verdict.

The trials have been shown to the public from day one. It wasn't even a secret what happened to me now, it's mostly public information. Every one knows the secrets of my past now, and I can't help but somehow feel embarrassed when people stare and point at me whenever I find myself walking in the streets of the city. The four walls of the room seemed to close in on me as I feel more eyes on me. It was like a crawling feeling on my skin.

A hand on my shoulder made me snap back to reality. I looked at the owner of the hand and found Dustyn behind me, in his black suit, looking worriedly at me. "Are you okay?"

I nodded my head despite being nervous. I know all eyes are on us right now. Whatever I do, whatever emotion I show, it will end up in the news. "I'm fine." I replied, forcing a smile on my face. A stiff smile that anyone could see through.

"Mara, honey, breathe. We will win this case." Dad said with a confident look on his face. He has not failed to remind me of his never ending support whenever possible. I would say he's been nothing but great throughout this process. So much more himself than the father I've come to know these past few years.

I wonder if this is how he really is. Before Mom passed away. Before Amelia entered the picture.

"It will be ridiculous if they even win." Alec said with a frown on his face.

Dustyn nodded in agreement. "There's no reason to doubt victory." He said.

The sound of the door opening and the loud shutters from the cameras around us made all of us aware of their presence.

Dressed in expensive suits and accompanied by their lawyers are the Natividad. Noah stands proudly, as if he had done nothing wrong in his life. They stride with pure confidence. Noah turns his head in my direction and stops a smirk that was threatening to show. Shivers ran down my body as

Not a few seconds later, Amelia arrived. Out of her prison clothes and into normal ones, with handcuffs on her hands. Her hair is a mess without all the products that she used to put on her hair. She doesn't make any eye contact as she was escorted to her seat on the same side that the Natividads are.

Not long after the judge enters the room as his assistant say, "All rise."

Alec stood up from his seat, thanking the lawyers with a smile on his face. Dad does the same as we all stood up to leave. Emil is quick to call in his fellow bodyguards to help make way as we leave the room crowded by the reporters hoping to at least get a word out of us.

But Alec is quick to order Emil to personally make sure that my face is not seen as we leave the place. It was crowded, I could feel Emil being pushed as we walked out of the place. He successfully and safely escorted me back to the car which thankfully is tinted just for this exact reason. I released the breath I had been holding once I was sitting safely in the car.

Alec then entered the car and sat beside me, while Dad sat at the passenger seat. I looked out of Alec's window and found Dustyn standing outside of the car, surrounded by the rest of the bodyguards. Alec rolled down his window.

"You coming?" He asked.

Dustyn nodded his head. "I'll be right behind you." He said and looked past Alec to me. "I'll see you at your place."

I nodded my head and sat back as Emil drove us home.

Dustyn's parents are in our living room when we arrived. Jaclyn looks so worried until her eyes landed on me. She immediately stood up and hugged me, as if she was in relief of everything, just like all of us are.

"I hope you don't mind, Jack. I used your kitchen to cook lunch." She said to my Dad as he hand rubbed my arm up and down in a comforting manner.

"Of course. There's no problem at all." Dad said, removing his own coat. "Why don't we get change and have that lunch?"

"Yes, you do that." Jaclyn said pulling her hand away from me. "You too, Mara."

I nodded my head and headed up to my room. Still dazed from today's events.

I can't believe I can somehow say that that part of may life is finally over and done with. That I don't have to see them again for the rest of my life as their sentence did not allow for them to get any parole. It was something to be relieved by but there's still the feeling of being extra careful.

I shake my head to clear my thoughts. "It's a good day." I said to myself as I head for the bathroom.

"Hey.." Dustyn said as he took notice of my presence. "You hungry?"

I smiled. "Famished."

"Then let's eat."

Dustyn and his parents just left the house. Dustyn promised to come visit but it wasn't sure as he is planning to take a vacation for the wedding which we had rescheduled for two weeks from now. Things has been set into motion again with the help of Jaclyn, who had promised to take care of somethings for us. It's been decided that Dustyn and I would travel for the next month after the wedding, making sure that we take our time to relax after everything that had happened.

"Heeey." I hear her before I see her as the phone was faced up on the ceiling. Her long hair is in a messy bun on top of her head. Her face in unusually red as she lays in bed covered in a thick blanket.

I raised my eyebrows at her. "What happened to you?" I asked as she wipes her nose. "You weren't that sick last time we talked."

"I might've forced myself to eat shrimps." She said, cringing at the memory of her stupidity.

I shook my head at her. "Do you need to sleep? What about medicine?"

"I'm good." She said, despite the fact that her voice is low and dry. "I saw the news, by the way. How do you feel?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know."

When I heard the verdict I was shocked, but at the same time happy that I won't have to look over my shoulder every time I go outside. That for once I would not have to think twice before going outside of the walls of the house because now, I am safe. They're all being locked away to prison for life with no chance of getting paroled. Still there's still the fear instilled in me. If someone tried before, why wouldn't they try again?

It was stupid but I can't help it. It might be trauma or just plain fear itself.

"I don't think I'll know either." She said, looking at me with a sad smile on her face.

"Mom said to get off of your phone." Apollo's voice was loud from Artemis' side as he entered the camera frame. "Hey Tamara. I hope you don't mind but miss stupid needs rest."

I nodded my head in understanding. "I'll see you two weeks from now, okay?"

She nodded her head. "Yes, of course. It's your wedding rehearsal. I'm kinda excited."

I laugh, rolling my eyes as her eyes lit up in excitement. "Go get some rest."

"She thinks it's a fairy tale come true." Apollo said as he pulled the phone away from Artemis' reach. "Go to sleep."

"But that's my phone." I heard Artemis shout.

"Confiscated, sis. Nighty night." Apollo said and closed the door to her room. "The parents are asking about you."

"Me?" I asked in disbelief as Apollo walked down their hallway and into his own room.

"Yes you. Mom's worried. She wanted to call you but I told her to wait a few more days." He said. "But she did ask me to tell you to stop by."

I nodded my head in understanding. Somehow, she has treated me like her own daughter and she must be worried with everything that the news has been reporting lately. "I'm just glad its over." I said sighing.

Apollo smiled at me, knowing how those events had tormented me. "I'm glad."

Finally. Things are looking up for me and my family.