Morning came quickly, and so did the day of the trial.
As Gabriel opened his eyes, he noticed Claire quietly trying to escape the bed.
"Good morning, Claire dear." Gabriel said with a smile.
"Morning, cuore mio. I didn't mean to wake you up." Claire looked around worriedly.
"I don't think you did. It was rather your absence in my arms that woke me up."
"I'm sorry." She uttered quietly.
"Don't be silly." Gabriel grumbled. "You need to stop over-apologising."
"Okay, cuore mio. I'll bring you breakfast up so don't move." Claire decided and run off before Gabriel could protest.
Gabriel didn't listen and as soon as he managed to get up, he followed her down. He watched her cook in amazement. But he could clearly see the level of stress Claire was experiencing. She kept checking the time, counting down to the hearing.
Gabriel started to feel the same. He couldn't eat much as he felt his stomach twisting painfully.
Claire started getting dressed almost straight after making sure that she looked elegant in her simple black dress and a tight bun.
Gabriel put on his tailored suit for the first time since the interview. Somehow it already felt alien to him after wearing t-shirts and sweaters for days straight.
Claire came out of her room as Gabriel left him and she stopped. It didn't even cross her mind that Gabriel will want to be in the courtroom.
"Now, you've got this, Claire dear. Let's go and show them who's the boss." Gabriel said with a wide smile.
"Cuore mio, do you think it's a good idea that you're going? There will be reporters and…" Claire stuttered nervously.
"I've promised you that I will be there for you. I'll stay out of the way, don't you worry." Gabriel said reassuringly as he planted a kiss on Claire's forehead.
Claire silently sat next to him in the car. Gabriel squeezed her hand throughout the ride, his grip tightening as they were closer to their destination.
They came out of the car just around the corner from the courthouse. Claire went ahead with a few bodyguards behind her. Gabriel watched her walk away and he felt his chest tighten. His anxiety was beyond anything he ever felt. This was only made worse when he realised that his father's men were in their cars outside of the courthouse. Claire was ambushed by the reporters who were flashing their cameras and shoving microphones towards her. The bodyguards were effective in getting her across the herd and getting her inside the courthouse where Adam Best already awaited her.
"Good morning." Claire said quietly.
"Good morning, Claire." Adam smiled weakly. "How are you?"
"I'm a nervous wreck." Claire answered honestly.
"Yeah, I barely slept last night." Adam admitted as he looked down at his empty cup of coffee. He noticed a slight commotion behind Claire and his eyes fell on Gabriel. He didn't say anything as he silently watched Gabriel move across the hallway.
"Best of luck." Gabriel said towards Claire as he passed by. Adam looked at him curiously but haven't commented on it. He half suspected Gabriel's words to have been said sarcastically and to throw Claire off the track but Claire only nodded at it, her weak smile still resting on her face.
"Surprisingly, I've slept a bit." Claire admitted. "But let me get you another coffee." She hurried to a small coffee shop at the bottom of the hallway, Adam following her.
"Would you have anything against Alex joining during the next hearing?" Adam asked.
"Next hearing?" Claire repeated.
"Well, yes. Today's hearing will result in the case being moved from a civil case to a criminal case. You're one of the key witnesses. It is unlikely that this is going to be the only hearing."
"I know. I guess I don't fully believe in this case to successfully continue."
"I have some hope. I know the judge quite well and I think he is one of the hardest to bribe so we have some hope."
"I do love your positivity."
"One of us has to pretend that it's all good." Adam laughed. Claire smiled at her uncle with appreciation. She was used to his seriousness and his humour.
She followed her uncle into the courtroom which was still rather empty, with very few people scattered across the room. Adam, again, looked at Gabriel curiously. He was sat on the bench behind the plaintiff's side. Either he was that ignorant or that arrogant. Adam couldn't quite decide. Neither was of course true. He intentionally made sure to sit behind Claire to show his support for her to everyone, especially his father.
Claire sat down carefully, feeling faint from the stress. She was already developing a pounding headache and her hands were trembling.
Adam sat down beside her and started reminding her, again, of what she should expect. He took out a pile of papers and notes that he had prepared.
To Gabriel's surprise, Alex appeared and sat beside him.
"I didn't expect you here." Alex said in a whisper not looking at Gabriel as if he tried not to show any relation between them.
"Where else could I be?" Gabriel asked.
"True." Alex had his gaze fixed on his father's back. "How are you?"
"Never better." Gabriel answered sarcastically.
"She's got it."
"I know." Gabriel admitted. "She's the only person smart enough and courageous enough to have a chance to get through this."
"You can dismiss the amount of support she gets from her husband, family and friends."
"Her husband has done shit so far so I wouldn't put any credit to him."
"Yeah, he can be a bit of a dickhead but she's still with him so I guess he's good enough."
"Could it be that he's with him out of weird obligation?"
"I thought that he gave her a choice."
"He did. He still questions why she would want him."
"She loves him." Alex said confidently. Gabriel smiled at Alex's words. "And I'm pretty sure that he loves her back."
"He does. Very much."
"We'll catch up later, okay?" Alex asked, still not looking at Gabriel.
"Of course. This is not the place or time." Gabriel said in agreement, falling silent.
As Alex was trying to read his father's notes, Gabriel's gaze was fixated on Claire's hands. She was picking at her nails nervously as she spoke to her uncle.
Everyone gathered at last, or almost everyone.
"It's a good thing for us. If he's late, it can be taken as disregard or arrogance towards the judge." Adam whispered to Claire as the time has come and Michael Moore wasn't there yet. The judge was announced and came up as everyone stood up. Michael Moore appeared about five minutes later with his lawyers. He looked smug and arrogant which was met by the judge's scowl.
The hearing began. Claire was called up first.
"Name, age, address, and occupation." The judge demanded.
"Due to the sensitivity of the information, we request that the number of personal details remains anonymous. This information will be directly provided to the judge. The reason for this request is to avoid bias on the panel of jury." Adam spoke as he stood up. "Now, the plaintiff will provide the information directly to the judge and it is requested that it remains confidential throughout the trial."
Claire stood up quietly and walked up to the bench and passed a pile of documents that disclosed her legal name to be Claire Elise Moore, as well as her marriage to Gabriel, and her ownership and assets. "The lawsuit was filed under Claire Elise Thompson and this is the name we request to be used throughout this trial." Adam continued.
The judge carefully analysed the documents in his hands, the silence was deafening and the tension was almost unbearable as Claire awaited the judge's decision.
"Anonymity is granted. Miss Claire Thompson will not have to provide any further information in regards to her identity to the jury." The judge said loudly. Claire gulped although she felt some relief over it. "This is the first hearing and we will start reviewing the evidence from Section A, parts 1 to 20."
Claire walked back to her seat. She managed to catch a glimpse of Gabriel shifting in his seat uncomfortably. She should've warned him. She knew that he didn't like her being called 'Miss'. Although she knew that what she did was in their best interest.
She then caught a glance of Michael Moore briefly looking over at Gabriel and a glimpse of hatred flashing through his face. It was a mere millisecond and she was sure that no one else noticed it. But it hurt her to see that the very person she loved was hated by his own father, because of her as well. Her heart was breaking for Gabriel and his past. She still couldn't comprehend the amount of pain he went through as a child and teen, and then adult. She remembered the scars that she felt under her fingertips last night, and she remembered who was responsible for them. She was ready to fight fiercely and do as much as she could to take Michael Moore down. He needed to pay for everything wrong he has ever done, and there was a lot of it.
Michael Moore went pale as the first piece of evidence was brought up. He realised that the evidence he thought was destroyed was now shown to everyone without the courtroom. It seemed like at last the weight of the entire situation dawned on him, which resulted in a much worse attack on Claire.
Claire barely held up through the hours of every single piece of evidence being scrutinised. Adam did his best to keep up, but even he seemed quite dishevelled by the end of it. Michael Moore's lawyers were vicious. They often defended Michael by attacking Claire. Almost at every piece of evidence, they brought up her mental health problems, stating that she must be delusional. It was a personal attack on her.