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MOLLY
Molly got up and ran from the courtroom with a hand over her mouth. She rushed blindly down the long courthouse hallway, dodging out of the way of other people until she finally found a ladies’ room.
Pushing her way inside, she slipped into the nearest open stall and fell to her knees. She hadn’t had much to eat that day—just a coffee and a croissant for breakfast—but now it all came up in a hot, loose rush. She heaved again and again, dimly aware that Torus was trying to reach her through their TET link.
“Molly? Little bird? I’m sorry—so sorry! Please?—”
Without thinking about it, Molly reached up and peeled the tiny clear plastic chip off the side of her neck. She threw it in the toilet with the rest of the mess and flushed, tears running down her cheeks as she did so.
With the TET link broken, she felt more alone than she ever had in her life. She’d gotten used to having the big Kindred’s voice in her head and feeling his warm, steadying emotions. Now it felt like she’d cut off a part of herself—like she’d amputated one of her hands or maybe even torn out her heart.
But that was secondary to the thoughts churning in her brain. So Torus had seen everything. He’d watched as Zach forced her to give him what he wanted over and over again. Molly didn’t know, even now, if she could call it rape. After all, in the religious culture she’d been raised in, a man had the right to use his wife’s body however he wanted. And she had no right to deny him.
Back when she and Zach had been married and she’s still been on speaking terms with her family, she had tried to talk about it to her older sister, Judith. But Judith had just given her a blank stare.
“What do you mean he ‘makes’ you do it every night?” she’d demanded. “Why is he having to make you? You know a good wife meets her husband’s needs without complaining, Molly. You ought to offer to meet his needs—then maybe he wouldn’t be rough with you.”
Her older sister’s words had shut Molly up. She hadn’t even tried talking to her Mom—she knew her response would be the same as Judith’s. It was a wife’s duty to meet her husband’s needs and she should do it willingly and without complaint, even if she didn’t get anything out of it herself. Even if it hurt sometimes and she felt used and dirty afterwards.
So she hadn’t resisted Zach—he wouldn’t have let her anyway. But she slipped into the bathroom afterwards to try and reclaim herself—to reassure herself that her body was still hers, even if her husband had used it for his own pleasure—and never for hers.
That was when most of those videos were made, she thought. After sex—or what passed for sex with Zach. She’d thought he was sleeping when he was secretly recording her and her private activities.
And Torus had seen it all—seen it and never told her.
He probably felt sorry for me, Molly thought, feeling sick all over again. That’s why he’s willing to stay with me even if it means we can never have sex—poor, pitiful Molly who was stuck in a bad marriage where her husband forced her every night. Oh how sad!
Tears were streaming down her face as she finally rose and went to wash her mouth out in the sink. A moment later, the door opened and Councilor Paige walked in.
“Oh, there you are!” she exclaimed. “Molly, you can’t just run out in the middle of the trial like that. I had to ask Judge Hudson for a recess and she was not happy with us.”
“I…I’m sorry.” Molly let out a shaky breath and grabbed for a paper towel to blot her face. “I just…what Torus said was a shock to me. I didn’t…didn’t realize that he saw all that.”
“I didn’t know either and it would have been useful information to have,” the lawyer said grimly. She put an arm around Molly’s shoulders. “Hey—are you all right?”
“I will be.” Molly sniffed. “I just…I couldn’t deal with it.”
“I know it’s been rough but the trial is almost over,” Councilor Paige said encouragingly. “We’re basically finished. We just have closing arguments and the jury is going to be sent away to convene. Then you and Torus can leave and go back to his ship.”
“Okay.” Molly nodded automatically and ran a shaky hand through her hair. “Thank you. How…how do you think it went?”
“Pretty well, actually,” Councilor Paige said. “I’ll call you and let you know when the verdict comes back but I can tell you right now, I’m fairly certain we have this in the bag. The jury hates your ex—he comes off as arrogant and abusive. And they love Torus. So I don’t think it will take them long to decide.”
“Great…that’s great,” Molly mumbled. But inside she was thinking that she wasn’t going back to Torus’s ship. In fact, she wasn’t going anywhere with the big Kindred. She was going to let him go—set him free.
She’d been on the fence about continuing their relationship before but now she was absolutely certain. Her life was going to be lonely and sad without the big Kindred, but that was better than staying with someone who was only hanging around out of pity. Molly didn’t want that—she had too much pride and self-respect. She’d lived alone before and she could do it again.
Lifting her chin, she followed Councilor Paige out of the ladies’ room. She would make a clean break and end it, she promised herself. She owed it to both Torus and herself not to drag things out.
41
TORUS
“Molly? Molly, where are you?” Torus was getting nearly frantic by the time she finally came back into the courtroom with Councilor Paige. He couldn’t reach her mentally, no matter how hard he tried. In fact, it almost seemed as though the TET link had been severed. But she wouldn’t do that, would she? No matter how upset she got, she wouldn’t just cut him off. Right?
He had finished testifying and was sitting in the main part of the courtroom again. Molly came up and sat beside him but she wouldn’t look at him. Torus put an arm around her but while she didn’t push it away, she didn’t lean into him either. In fact, it was like putting his arm around a block of wood—she was completely non-responsive.
He sent a few more mental messages and then noticed the side of her neck—the TET device was gone. No wonder he couldn’t reach her! He tried to get her to look at him, but Molly stared straight ahead, not saying a word or even glancing in his direction.
