The trial took place a little way from there, at the local courthouse. Apparently, due to all the repercussions of the case, a large part of the city was outside the huge palace building. A large police barrier was needed to reinforce security and prevent a possible invasion.Of course the group of old ladies was there. They created posters with Emanuele's face tinted by a huge red "X", and shouted at the top of their voices. Others were there merely to satisfy their curiosity, to find out what would happen.The broadcast of the whole affair would be by audio, released on a specific platform. So, besides being present, the crowd also tuned in to the indicated channel.Inside the room, waiting for the judge to appear, were Emanuele, Matthew, Joshua, all her friends, including Johnny (who still hadn't spoken to each other after the terrible incident), Alexandra, and a few other people. Crimson emerged through one of the many doors leading to the jury proper. He was a bit more presentab
The trial was one of the most tense things Emanuele had ever witnessed in her life. She had always seen in books how the young girl stood out by shining with authenticity, respect and obvious charisma, but this was real life. In real life, bad things happened to good people, and there was not even a standard to examine. Chaos reigned.The judge must have been sixty years old, but he was extremely well-preserved. His eyes were serious, but not threatening, and his white hair was straight and slicked back. As soon as he stepped up to the rostrum, it all began.It was all very complex for Emanuele, who didn't really understand the technical terms or how the steps proceeded. It was Matthew who, most of the time, explained to her what was happening.When it came time for the witnesses against the girl to speak, the first to stand up was the short-haired middle-aged woman; the same one who had spoken to Emanuele on the day of the protest and seemed to be the one most intent on ending her li
Crimson takes a deep breath and begins to play with his own hands. He had left that for last, of course, but he wasn't sure why. One way or another, Emanuele would be exonerated. So why expose the real culprit?Not even the deputy himself understood. His friend, the coroner, did not attend the jury, but just as everything was heading into the courtroom, the blonde did not spare him a comment that he particularly wanted to disagree with: "you really like attention."Crimson did want a certain amount of prominence in that case; that he couldn't even deny. After all, he was already at the end of his career. It might be the last time that the old man would actively participate in a trial. All he wanted was to retire his badge and enjoy his retirement in peace.That girl, Emanuele, had always been assertive and ready to stand up for what she believed in. She might have had all the reasons in the world to freak out and turn into the monster everyone said she was, but she stood her ground th
Crown's voice echoes throughout the walls of the courtroom."I find Emanuele Parker not guilty of all charges..."Emanuele simply stops listening to the rest of the sentence. The judge's words simply disappear, as if they never existed.The girl can clearly see Matthew's huge smile beside her, as well as the obvious celebration of his friends. She sees Joshua obviously moved, staring at her deeply. She also sees Alexandra, though more restrained, obviously happy with the result.Emanuele also sees the older women grimacing. Some point their fingers at Sarah, who remains silent, and others cross their arms. But none make any mention of looking sorry after the terrible accusations they have made, as well as the harassment and defamation.The sounds around them, however, had all disappeared. That pocket of silence took over, as if someone purposely left their life in "mute mode."Finally it was all over...or almost.As soon as the judge strikes the gavel for the last time that day, Sarah
Emanuele knew that all her doubts would not be answered. She knew she wouldn't get the information she was so passionate about: who were the people who adopted her sister, what was it like growing up with them, when did she discover she had a twin who was lost in the world. But Sarah is unbelievably receptive. She doesn't seem proud that she did it, but she doesn't seem sorry either. "I found out your mother's address a few months ago," she tells us. Emanuele doesn't fail to notice that Sarah says 'your', but not 'our mother'. "And then I planned myself. I thought of every detail... Or almost.""How did you find out the address?""Database."Emanuele raises one of her eyebrows, perplexed. Her twin replies:"Police database."In other words, Sarah had specific contacts to get access to such sensitive information. Could it be that the girl's adoptive parents were police officers?"Did you...did you know that Margaret had another daughter?"The girl looks down."Yes. I found out the d
Sarah begins to cry in frustration, and Emanuele decides that she will stop asking questions. Her sister is obviously too shaken to talk, and now that everyone knew that she was guilty, it was only a matter of time before her conviction was formally announced. The young woman thought about saying goodbye before leaving, but as she cried, Sarah began to cringe and lean against the wall, as if she couldn't bear to answer any more questions.Emanuele was still full of doubts, but she wasn't going to insist. As soon as he got up to leave, Crimson opened the door. The old man frowns and opens his mouth to ask why the commotion, but the girl brings her forefinger to her lips, asking for silence. Then she makes a discreet sign for them to leave.When they are outside, the deputy asks as he locks the door once again:"I thought it would be you crying at the end of the conversation, and not her. What happened?"Emanuele was still shaken, obviously, but manages to control her own tone of voic
Alexandra knew that sooner or later it would come to light. It was impossible that such great information would remain hidden for so long. Opening a hesitant smile, Joshua's sister tried to disguise it:"What do you mean?""I know about the horrible story that haunted Joshua all these years, and haunted you too. But when he was arrested, you were taken away to be adopted. Why did you give up that new life? Why did you want your last name back?"Emanuele didn't care if she was being too harsh. After having proven her innocence, the girl simply felt that she had the right to know the whole truth, even if it didn't affect her directly. What are the chances that this knowledge would one day be useful if her innocence was put to the test?The woman with ebony skin and braids sighed."I will tell. But first, please do as I ask. Think about the proposition I am offering you.""I can't make you do anything.""Evidently not. And that's not what I want. My brother is too proud, but somehow you
Johnny knew that sooner or later he and his ex would need to talk. But the guy didn't expect it would be there, at that moment, especially with all their friends around.The girl didn't seem nervous, angry, or annoyed. She also didn't seem about to make a scene and accuse him of being a coward, although if she did, it wouldn't be entirely unreasonable.She takes him to a more secluded corner of the huge building. Of course, the guy notices that, although discreet, their other friends noticed their separation. Joshua stares at the guy, and the cold judgment hits him like a punch in the face, but Johnny accepts the silent insult.If he could go back in time, he would probably do everything differently. He wouldn't yell at Emanuele inside a burning building, and of all moments, he certainly wouldn't choose that one to let his insecurity speak louder than common sense.Insecure or not, it was clear that that battle had already been lost. Emanuele accepted his request for a relationship, g
. . . . . . . . FIVE MONTHS LATER . . . . . .Emanuele looked at herself in the huge full-length mirror. The girl hardly knew where to look, which detail to care about first.She didn't know whether to look at the beautiful hairstyle in her now dark brown hair; her natural color.She didn't know whether to look at the impeccable makeup on her face, which made her even more beautiful and radiant than she was feeling.And I also didn't know whether to look at the beautiful white dress, simply cut, adorned with small mother-of-pearl beads. Despite the simplicity of the outfit, it was undeniable to say that the bride looked divine that day.Smiling, she turned around in front of her own reflection. Her heart was pounding with happiness, and she felt the stars in the night sky outside wishing her good luck. The curtain behind the door opened. A short, pudgy girl smiled sympathetically as she entered the room, openly admiring her."Miss Parker, you look beautiful!"Emanuele smiled."Thank
The old man falls to his knees at the same instant. Emanuele runs to him and hugs him tight, but Joseph does not respond. Instead, he seems to be doing his best not to scream as loud as he can."Dad!" The girl says."Adriele died? I had two daughters, and one of them died? Is that it?! Is that what you are telling me?!'Emanuele tries to hold back her sobs, but she can't. Instead, she says:"Yes, Dad. I'm really, really sorry. It all happened so fast! I lost my mother, my sister, and now... Now you are all I have left. You are literally all I have as family!"Joseph can't say anything for a while, only cry. The two of them are shaking very hard. Sarah, when alive, said that Morgan couldn't get the proper reaction, that he was too broken inside. But now he seemed quite emotional. I wonder what had happened.The smell of her father, enveloping Emanuele's nostrils, is soothing and familiar. In a snap, she remembers that the same scent enveloped her when she was in the arms of death, tra
Convincing Crimson to enter the police database to find her father's address was not that difficult.In fact, Emanuele was quite surprised when she had to use only one of the six rehearsed arguments. The old man shrugged and said that at that point it was no longer worth trying to pretend not to act unofficially from time to time.What really took a lot of lip from the redhead was convincing Joshua not to go with her. The girl knew that he only wanted to protect her, but Emanuele was very assertive in her arguments. She needed to do this alone, face that part of her past, and see if there was any possibility of fixing it in her future.Sarah had said that he was in a depressive spiral, and that when he saw her he could not react properly, and that it hurt her.Emanuele then prepared herself emotionally. She would not be disappointed or resentful if, by some chance, the man who at one time taught her a beautiful lullaby did not remember her... or was not touched by the moment.The youn
For a few seconds, all Emanuele can do is stare at Joshua. The two of them are still naked, and the distance between their bodies is as minimal as possible. "What?" she asks, softly. I wonder if she had heard right. Had her emotions stunned her enough for her to hear such a request?He gives a quiet laugh, then opens a confident, sentimental smile."Will you marry me?"The girl immediately sits up, leaning against the headboard of the bed. She covers her own nakedness with the blanket, still looking at the man, who also sits down."I..."Several things go through her head.The first was that no, she could not get married. Not in that life and not ever. All the misfortunes that had happened to her, all the horrible and unfortunately scarring traumas that were etched into her skin; all that made marriage itself a terrible idea.According to the books that the young woman read, especially during her teenage years, marriage was the union of two people. Total commitment to each other, com
As soon as he closes the door, Joshua gives warm, soft kisses on the sensitive skin of Emanuele's neck. The man sighs, almost intoxicated with passion, and murmurs:"I love the way you smell."With all the delicacy and romance in the world, Joshua props the redhead's torso on the bed, leaving her legs and feet touching the floor. He caresses her over her clothes. Emanuele moans."The last time we were together like this, I gave only a demonstration of what might come next. Remember?"He stimulates her further with the tip of his thumb, in subtle, gentle circular motions. "Those were the words of a man overcome with desire, and even lust, if I am willing to admit it. Today I may again have those feelings in my body, but... there is a difference. Now I am sure that I love you."Still with his thumb on Emanuele's clit, Joshua kisses her eagerly; the movement of his tongue is smooth and warm. Murmurs come out of her throat, as if the teacher is delighting in that moment.Emanuele's hands
The winter dawn is cold.A month has passed since Emanuele saw her sister die. One month, and even then, the memory was still latent and terrible.The girl had already been to therapy, but the nightmares continued to torment her. Joshua didn't know what to do anymore, since every night at two o'clock in the morning the girl's terrified screams woke him up.The teacher got out of his own bed in the dim light. The clock on his cell phone said it was one hour and fifty minutes, that is, ten minutes before the nightmares began.Standing up, taking care not to make any excessive noise, Joshua opened the door to his room, going towards Emanuele's door.But the door was open.Frowning, the man approaches the room. Her bed is empty.Still not making hasty decisions, Joshua goes to the living room, equally empty. His heart only slows down when he sees the girl sitting at the table, drinking a glass of water. She watches him without saying anything, then goes back to sipping the liquid.Slowly
Joshua immediately embraces Emanuele as soon as she, still very tearful and emotional, leaves the room where Sarah is being held. She clings to the man's clothes, sobbing terribly. Her eyes are swollen and red. "I am here," he murmurs. "I'm right here, my love." The girl can barely respond or say anything. A man wearing religious robes appears. He is middle-aged and wears thick-rimmed glasses. In his hand is a Bible. The man's voice is patient and docile, and he uses all his politeness as he approaches Emanuele. "May God's infinite mercy soothe your heart, child. I am so sorry for your loss." Apparently, the priest was already very well informed of the situation. The girl does not respond, only sinks even deeper into the chest of Joshua, who makes no mention of letting go. The policeman in charge of Sarah's surveillance accompanies the religious man. That was the protocol. Before being formally executed, Sarah would have the right to console herself and at least try to ensure a se
The next day dawned gray, cold and absolutely silent.Of course, cars were still passing by, people were leaving their homes to go to work, and children were going to school. But the noise present, that typical sound that Emanuele's ears were used to, could not penetrate the enormous bubble of silence that surrounded her.The call from the delegate the day before was an answer she had been begging to receive, but now that she knew that her sister's last wish was to see her, an unbearable weight had taken over her heart. Sarah was going to die. And all they had together were brief, monitored, timed conversations.Emanuele looked at herself in the mirror. She was wearing a black overcoat and pants of the same color, as well as dark boots. Her dyed red hair was tied up in a tight bun, and no matter how hard she tried to disguise her swollen face, red from crying with makeup, it was still obvious to anyone paying a little more attention. Joshua appeared in the doorway, wearing dark soci
Emanuele could neither sleep nor eat properly in the days that followed.All the girl could do, and at the massive insistence of Joshua who took care of her whenever he could, was to take a few naps and, very begrudgingly, put food in her stomach. He always tried to be as close as possible, even though he needed to work.With the insurance money, Joshua was able to recover almost nothing from the old apartment, so he opted to buy new furniture and decorate Alexandra's apartment, or rather his apartment. Doing this, however, seemed pointless and even disrespectful, since the present moment was one of mourning, not of celebration.When the man apologized for his attitude, Emanuele just shrugged and continued to stare at some fixed point on the wall.They did not sleep together. Each stayed in his own room most of the time. Joshua tried to get close to her physically, but he was content to give her a respectful cuddle and caress to comfort her. It was not the time for them to get close l