Steph's P.O.V

The trial went on. Alex and Brad had given their accounts of what happened. And then I was called to the stand. Here goes nothing.

"So, can you tell us what happened the night you were taken?" Joe and Teresa's lawyer asks.

"Sure. Carter had sent me home because I was done for the day, so I went home. Walking into our bedroom, I put my bag down and went to take a shower. After my shower, I had changed into one of Carter's shirts and a pair of shorts and then when I felt someone behind me grab me. We struggled for a bit, and then I got knocked out when I hit my head on the mirror," I reply.

"And what happened after that?" Their lawyer asks.

"I'm not sure how much longer after that it was, but I woke up in a dark place tied to a chair. I tried breaking free, but whoever tied the knots was very skilled. At first, I couldn't figure out who was there with me, but eventually, I was able to figure out that it was my ex-boyfriend Jake and one of Carter's old business partners' sons, Timothy," I say.

"And where are these people now?" the lawyer asks.

"Hell most likely," I say nonchalantly.

"Hell? As in they're dead? How did they die?" the lawyer asks.

"Yes. They're dead. And they died because they were shot," I reply.

"Interesting. Interesting. So, how did you come to the conclusion that my clients Joe and Teresa were involved?" he asks.

"Well, after they moved me to the old abandoned church, my mom came out and basically told me she kidnapped me and that she wanted me to wire some money to her from Carter's account. As for Joe, he would come and hit me a lot. It was only close towards the end of my kidnapping that Anastasia came into the picture and I found out that Joe was cheating on Tara. He was only using her so that he could get access to her family company," I reply.

"Now, Carter claimed to have an open communication system with you, but obviously you didn't know that he knew about your parents not being your actual parents. How are you so sure that Carter wasn't somehow a part of this whole thing? How are you so sure that Carter didn't plan this whole thing out?" the lawyer asks.

"Sure, Carter did hide the parents' thing from me, but he wouldn't plan for me to get kidnapped. There was this one time that I was talking to his Chef, Steve, and he almost fired him on the spot. Carter is possessive. He wouldn't plan for anything bad to happen to me. So stop trying to make my boyfriend the bad guy here," I reply. This lawyer was really getting on my nerves now.

"Yes, but-," their lawyer starts again.

"No. Why don't you answer me this. How could you represent two people like them? That man cheated on my best friend with my boyfriend's ex-fiance, who shot me. He starved me for days at a time and abused me. That woman kidnapped me as a baby and then tried to give me some sob story so I could wire her money from Carter's account. How could you represent people like that? All the evidence is there. There's no getting them out of this one. So what is it that they're offering that made you take this case, because you, me, and all the other people in this courtroom know that they're going to jail for a long, long time. So tell me, other than the pay, what else are you getting out of this?" I ask.

"That's all for now," the lawyer says, walking back to the table. It was up to the jury now. They would decide what was going to happen from here. To say I was worried was an understatement. I needed them to get life in prison. If they got anything less than that I would have to live with the fear of them coming back for me again one day. Walking out of the courtroom, I go outside to get some fresh air. I was still upset at Carter for not telling me that he knew, so I'd prefer to give the silent treatment rather than say something I might regret later.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" a familiar voice asks. Turning around, I see my brother, Chase. Well, at least I thought he was my brother.

"Chase? What are you doing here?" I ask.

"Always answering a question with a question," he says with a smile. "I came to check on my baby sister to make sure she was ok. But now I can't even call you my baby sister anymore," he says sadly.

"Chase, I'll always be your baby sister. That's not going to change," I say.

"Good. Because I like having a little sister. Who else am I going to call at three in the morning about my girl problems?" he says with a small laugh.

"That's true," I say.

"Come here," he says, opening his arms. As soon as he engulfed me in a hug, I lost it once more. "Hey, hey. No need to cry. I'm right here," he says, petting my hair softly.

"I know. But I just don't get what I did so wrong in my life to deserve this. And Carter? He knew. I don't care how long he knew, but he knew. And he didn't even think to tell me," I say, practically sobbing. "And mom, she isn't even my mom. She took me away from my real parents when I was little. Her cousin kidnapped me and abused me. Where in my life did I go wrong, Chase?" I ask.

"Steph, you did nothing wrong. Life isn't fair. Life can be shit at times. But, we have each other. Regardless of if we're blood-related or not, you're still my baby sister and nothing is ever going to change that. I hate mom for what she did to you. If I could have been here to protect you, maybe this wouldn't have happened," Chase says, kissing the top of my head.

"You don't have to hate your mom because of what she did," I say.

"Steph, she took you away from your family. That's enough of a reason for me to hate her. I hope she rots in jail and then in hell. I think someone wants to talk to you," he says. Turning my head, I see Carter standing in the doorway.

"I'll be inside, ok?" Chase says, kissing the top of my head once more and then walking inside as Carter walks towards me.

"Hey," Carter says.

"Hey," I reply, looking at the ground.

"I'm sorry," he says.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I ask, looking him in the eyes.

"At first I didn't think it was true. I thought my father was just trying to play some sick joke or something on me. But when I looked into the records and the information my father gave me, I realized that my father was right. I just didn't know how to approach you about it," he says.

"Carter, we are in a relationship. And in any relationship, there needs to be trust. And there needs to be communication. You should've been able to come to me with this," I reply.

"I know, I know," he says sadly.

"How long did you know?" I ask.

"Steph..." he says trailing off.

"How long did you know?" I demand.

"Remember when we built that fort? We ordered pizza and watched movies in it. Well while we were building it, I got a phone call. That's when my father first told me," he says.

"So, not only did you lie to me about who called you, but you knew for a whole month?" I ask in disbelief.

'I didn't want to hurt you," he says.

"Oh trust me, Carter. You've hurt me plenty already," I say. "How could you hide this from me for so long?" I ask.

No answer.

"Is there anything else I should know about?" I ask.

"Yes. Your parents, the biological ones, I got in touch with them. They want to meet you," he says.

"They-they want to meet me?" I ask in disbelief once more.

"Yeah. They said they never gave up hope that they would find their lost daughter and eventually meet her one day," he says.

"When and where?" I ask.

"They're flying in once this whole thing is over. As soon as I give them the call they'll be on my private jet ASAP," he replies.

"Ok. Thank you for getting in touch with them," I say.

"You're welcome. Is there any way you could forgive me for not telling you?" he asks.

"I love you too much to stay mad at you. However, if you ever, and I mean ever, lie to me or hide things from me again, I will not hesitate to get my brother on you," I threaten.

"Don't worry, baby. It will never happen again. I promise. Now come here and give me a kiss," he says, pulling me in. God, I love this man.

"Hey, the jury has reached a verdict," our lawyer says, interrupting us.

"We'll be right in," I say.

"C'mon. Time to see if this is finally all over," I say.

Walking back into the courtroom, I see Chase and Brad sitting directly behind where Carter and I would be seated.

"The jury finds Joseph Valente guilty of kidnapping, attempted rape, and abuse. He will be sentenced to life in prison without parole. The jury finds Teresa Ryder guilty of kidnapping, abuse, and criminal conspiracy. She will be sentenced to life in prison without parole,"

It was over. It was finally over. Anastasia, Timothy, and Jake were dead, and Joe and Teresa were heading to jail for the rest of their lives. This nightmare that I was living for over a year, was finally over.

I'm glad I kept holding on, even when it got tough. Because what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger.

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