Confession of a King

I could see the scowl on Matt’s face when Red was standing in front of me, smirking. I’m sure Matt wanted to jump over the table and kill him, because I honestly wouldn’t mind doing the same. I began to fidget with my fingers in my lap, remembering that conversation Behemoth had with the mystery man on the phone. If that mystery man’s source was Red, I was in deep shit if he brought up Matt and I’s relationship. We had gone over possibilities of things we could say to try to deflect the subject, but I was going to have to think fast on my feet for this.

“Ms. Miada,” Red smirked. “You recently left the prison due to a pregnancy?”

“Yes,” I responded with a smile. “My doctor and I had a conversation regarding working in a high-stress environment. I decided to leave the prison for the ease of my pregnancy and health of my child.”

“You continued to visit Mr. Sanders after you left, correct? How did that fit into the fleeing of a high-stress environment?” Red crossed his arms over his chest.

I breathed in through my nose, “I visited Mr. Sanders a handful of times between then and when my child was born. Although I wasn’t working at the prison anymore, I had a conversation with him stating that I would still be there for him to talk to, and ultimately I moved my focus toward working with him so that he could walk free.”

“And why would you want him to walk free? You of all people have heard nothing but the truth from him? You know about what he has done.”

I smiled, “I believe he paid his dues and it is time for him to enter society. I am lucky to have gotten to know Mr. Sanders for who he is as a person, not as who he is as a criminal.”

Red nodded and tapped one of his forefingers against his chin, “So you believe that he is mentally stable enough to be released? You do not believe that he may have any personality disorder that would make him a danger to society?”

“That is correct,” I replied flatly.

“Excuse me if this comes across wrong,” Red said while turning to face the remainder of the court room. “I believe that Ms. Miada’s opinion on Mr. Sanders is biased due to her relationship with her client.”

“Objection!” Brian shouted.

“Silence,” the judge looked at Brian. “Continue on.”

I could throw up from how on edge my nerves were. My stomach was twisting. This was really happening and he was throwing a wrench in it. I needed to do something… there had to be a way to turn this around. Red’s gaze fell back on me and I instantly felt small in my chair, glancing at Matt with sad eyes. He looked nervous himself.

“Ms. Miada, are you aware that there were many conversations circulating around the prison that you were having sexual intercourse with Mr. Sanders?” Red asked with that smirk plastered on his face.

“I am aware of those accusations,” I replied. “I am also aware that a majority of those accusations came from you and your team once I granted Mr. Sanders the freedom of wearing his wrist restraints.”

Red nodded, “Are you aware that when Mr. Sanders attacked you and the officers sedated him, he told you that he loved you in front of both of them?”

I bit my lip, “Yes, I am.”

“Lastly, are you aware that when Mr. Sanders broke out of his handcuffs and attacked me, he repeatedly told me that you are his, and are always going to be his property?” Red spat.

I sank back into my seat, “I was not aware of that, no.”

“Now you are,” Red retorted. “Do you have any idea why Mr. Sanders would tell you that he loved you, and tell me that you belonged to him repeatedly as he beat my face in? Don’t you believe that makes it sound like you two were not only sexually, but even romantically involved?”

“Mr. Sanders and I have a good relationship as if we are close friends. I am not aware as to why he may have said that to you when he attacked you, but when he told me he loved me he was emotional and under a sedative. His mind was not totally there with the drugs in his system,” I responded.

“Mr. Sanders had a personal cellphone, against prison policy, that you had the number two and called one night when it had been confiscated by an officer. Is there a reason why you had his private number and called him late at night?” Red’s smirk was bigger than ever.

“I honestly cannot remember why I had called. We exchanged numbers previously as a fail-safe if I could not get in contact with him through the prison. There were multiple times that you, along with other officers, would not allow Mr. Sanders his right to contact with the outside world via phone, and therefore if I needed to get in contact with him it was better for me to have his cellphone number.” I was getting aggravated now. He was really pulling everything out of his ass that he had on Matt and I to try to say that my report didn’t matter.

Red nodded, “Interesting. I have one more question for you, then I would like to speak with Mr. Sanders himself on the subject if that is alright.” He paused for a minute, “The last time I saw you, you were meeting with Mr. Sanders and had a piece of paperwork in your hands. That paperwork was a birth certificate, which I am assuming belongs to your son. There was a photo of you holding your son seen by an officer in Mr. Sanders cell. Please answer truthfully, Ivy, is Mr. Sanders the father of your son?”

“You leave my child out of this,” I snapped. I looked up at the judge, “I would like to go back to my seat now.”

“Granted,” she responded flatly and looked to Matt. “Mr. Sanders.”

I brushed past Matt as we both walked in opposite directions. I so badly wanted to grab him and tell him to keep cool, not to fuck this up, but I couldn’t. I just hoped for the best as I took a seat, gaining a sad smile from Brian. I looked up at Matt who looked absolutely furious, and said a quiet prayer to god that we would get out of here in one piece.

“Mr. Sanders,” Red smiled. “Let’s go back to that day you attacked me in the hallway after breaking out of handcuffs and threatening another officer. Why did you do what you did?”

Matt looked to me then to Red, “Word in the prison was that you were part of a scheme that was out to get Ivy. I wanted to let you know that I was aware of it and wouldn’t let you or anyone else hurt her.”

“So you care about Ms. Miada, is that right?” Red paced in front of Matt. “If you care about her so much why did you attack her?”

“We got in an argument and one thing led to another. I said something she didn’t like and she hit me, and I agree that I let my anger get the best of me and I pinned her on her desk. I was not going to hurt her,” Matt said lowly. “I would never hurt her.”

“What makes Ms. Miada different from other psychologists that you’ve dealt with? You did not have such a good relationship with the previous, and neither with the current?”

Matt shook his head with a laugh, “She understands me and looks at me as if I’m a person, not a criminal, not a gang lord, not an animal. She’s an actual heavy-hearted person in that cold prison, and I enjoyed having someone like that to talk with.”

“When you first starting seeing Ms. Miada, you were very rude and demeaning, but then after a while everything changed. Is there a reason for this?” Red smirked, as if he knew it was because we started sleeping together.

“Everything I just said. I ultimately gave up with the, excuse my language, hard-ass attitude. It was nice to actually hear from someone that I wasn’t crazy, and that someone cared about me in that place,” Matt spoke and my heart was melting.

Red paused his pacing and leaned all his weight onto his right side, “When Ms. Miada left, she convinced another officer to let her see you in your cell because you were acquitted from the counseling program with her. Why do you think she would risk her life entering your cell without an officer present?”

“She trusts me.”

“She told you to behave yourself and work with your new psychologist, isn’t that right? Why would she tell you to behave?” Red questioned.

Matt laughed, “Why would anyone tell me to behave? I had a history of getting into fights here and there. She wanted me to keep my head on straight because she believed in me that I could make it out of there once my trial came. That’s why we kept in touch.”

“Interesting,” Red said once again. “Did Ms. Miada confide in you that she was pregnant and that is why she was leaving her job?”

“She did, that day,” Matt responded.

Red nodded, “Why did you have a photo of Ms. Miada holding her son in your cell? That seems like a fairly personal photo for you to have a hold on.”

“I asked if I could see her son and she gave me the photo. Like she told you, we are close,” Matt spoke while looking at me. I knew that he was probably feeling some pressure about what to say. “Can we take a break? I need to use the restroom,” Matt asked, looking up at the judge.

“Fifteen minute break, then Mr. Sanders will be back up at the podium,” she spoke.

The room cleared out and I followed behind Brian out the door. Matt really did have to go the bathroom, as he practically ran there as soon as the judge made that statement. When he walked out of the bathroom he stood with Brian and I, shifting on his feet. None of us said anything for a couple minutes, then I just thought to myself, fuck it. I grabbed Matt and wrapped my arms around him, pressing myself firm against him. I stood on my toes and pressed a kiss to his lips. He was frozen for a minute, then gave in and pulled me into his embrace, allowing his lips to put pressure against my own.

I pulled away from him with a smile, “I say we’re honest. You can tell them that Alec is yours. There is no point in fighting it or trying to deviate from it, because he’s not going to let it go.”

“Ivy, this can ruin everything,” Brian muttered. “But you’re right, this is what you both have to do. I think it is obvious enough because Matt lights up like a damn firework when he talks about you.”

I looked up at Matt who was slightly blushing, his dimples creased into his cheeks. He pulled my back into his chest and rested his chin atop my head, “We get through this then I get to go home with you. I have a plan.”

I turned and looked up at him, “Don’t fuck it up.”

“I’m not, baby,” he responded and leaned down, catching my lips with his. “Let’s get this over with.”

We re-entered the courtroom, this time Matt and I were hand-in-hand, fingers intertwined. Brian took a seat and I continued to stand up with Matt. He leaned into me one more time, kissing me lightly, then let go of my hand. I felt the entire court room’s eyes on me and I ignored it, re-taking my seat and pushing all my nerves to the back of my mind.

Red’s smirk seemed to never leave his face, especially now that he just saw Matt kiss me. He walked in front of Matt and laughed, “Mr. Sanders, care to explain your relationship with Ms. Miada?”

Matt smiled, his dimples owning every female in the room’s heart, “I am in love with her. I’ve been in love with her since the moment I met her.” I glanced around the room, seeing smiles on some of the jury’s faces. I sighed out of relief to myself then looked forward, locking eyes with Matt who spoke again. “One of the first times I met her I told her that the first thing I would do when I got out of here was make her mine, and I’m still planning on putting a ring on it.”

I smiled, my cheeks heating up at his words. Everything had been so stressful lately, I had somewhat forgotten about how sweet Matt could be when it came to me. I loved him with every ounce of me, and I was really praying that tonight would be the night I could fall asleep in his arms.

“So, Mr. Sanders, do you admit to having a romantic relationship with Ms. Miada while she was your psychologist?” Red asked, still smirking.

“Yes,” Matt responded, his dimples still present. “I am very lucky to say that we have been together for quite some time now.”

Red shook his head and turned to the jury, “Sounds to me like Ms. Miada’s report regarding your mental health may be biased because she wants her lover out of jail. That is why she also wanted Mr. Sanders to remain on his best behavior with his new psychologist. So that it would earn him and A to come home to her.”

“Look, I may have killed someone and not be the best guy in the world… but, I’m not unstable nor am I crazy.” Matt looked at me with soft eyes then to the jury, “That being said, I’ve done my time and believe that I am worthy of being able to go home and be with my girlfriend outside of cinderblock walls. Be able to actually sleep next to her. Be able to hold my beautiful little boy, and have him know who his daddy is. All I want is to be able to live a normal life now.” Matt looked to me, “With you and our son, Iv.”

Notes