16. Cara

Chapter sixteen

Cara

E verything in my world feels brighter, the colors more vibrant, as I step out of Dante's compound. The sun on my face, the breeze in my hair - it's like I'm experiencing everything for the first time, through the lens of newfound hope.

Seeing June, holding him in my arms, feeling our baby kick against his palm... it's a high I never want to come down from. For those precious moments, the darkness that's haunted us for so long seemed to recede, banished by the sheer power of our love.

But as I settle into the car beside Natalie, reality begins to creep back in. June's road to recovery is far from over. The scars on his body may fade, but the wounds on his psyche... those will take much longer to heal.

"You're quiet," Natalie observes, her tone gentle. "Everything okay?"

I sigh, resting my hand on the swell of my belly. "I don't know, Nat. Seeing June, being with him again... it was everything I've been dreaming of for months. But now, in the light of day, I can't help but wonder... what if it was just a moment? What if he's not ready, not really?"

Natalie reaches over, squeezing my hand. "Recovery isn't a straight line, Cara. There will be good days and bad days, steps forward and steps back. What matters is that you're there for each other, that you keep fighting."

I nod, swallowing past the sudden lump in my throat. "I know. I just... I wish I could fast-forward to the part where we're together, where we're a family. No more drama, no more pain, just... happiness."

"You'll get there," Natalie assures me, her voice ringing with quiet conviction. "You and June, you're the real deal. You've survived so much already... you'll survive this, too."

I cling to her words like a lifeline, letting them bolster my flagging spirits. She's right. June and I, we're survivors. We'll weather this storm like we've weathered all the others - together.

The rest of the ride passes in a blur, my mind awhirl with memories of June's touch, his smile, the love shining in his eyes. By the time we pull up to the safe house, I'm practically vibrating with impatience, eager to start this new chapter of our lives.

But the moment I step inside, I know something's wrong.

Judith is waiting for us, her face drawn and pale, her eyes rimmed with red. She looks like she hasn't slept in days, like she's been carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders.

"Judith?" I ask, my voice trembling. "What is it? What's happened?"

She takes a shuddering breath, visibly steeling herself. "It's June. He's had a... a setback."

The words hit me like whiplash, stealing the air from my lungs. "A setback? What do you mean? I just saw him, he was fine, he was-"

"He was putting on a brave face," Judith says gently, her eyes brimming with sympathy. "For you, for the baby. But Cara... the nightmares, the flashbacks... they haven't stopped. If anything, they've gotten worse."

I feel like I've been plunged into the Artic, my veins running cold with dread. "But he seemed so... so present, so aware..."

"He is, sometimes. But other times..." Judith shakes her head, a single tear escaping down her cheek. "He gets lost in his head, in the memories of what Faulkner did to him. He lashes out, becomes aggressive... we've had to sedate him, more than once."

Nausea rises in my throat, hot and acidic. I picture June, my strong, brave June, strapped down and drugged, trapped in a nightmare he can't escape. It's too much, too cruel, after everything he's already endured.

"I need to see him," I choke out, already moving towards the door. "I need to be with him, to help him through this..."

But Judith catches my arm, her grip gentle but unyielding. "Cara, no. It's not safe, not for you or the baby. June... when he's in that state, he doesn't know where he is, who he's with. He could hurt you without ever meaning to."

"He won't," I insist, even as doubt coils like a snake in my gut. "He would never hurt me, or our child."

"Not knowingly," Judith agrees, her voice heavy with sorrow. "But right now, he's not in control. The only one who seems to be able to get through to him, to calm him down... is Sarah."

The name lands like a punch to the solar plexus, knocking the wind out of me. Sarah. Of course. The nurse who's been there for him since the beginning, who understands his trauma in a way I never could...

Jealousy rears its ugly head before I can stop it, irrational and all-consuming. It's not fair, I know it's not. Sarah has been a godsend, a lifeline for June when he needed it most. I should be grateful for her, should be singing her praises from the rooftops.

But the image of her comforting him, holding him, bringing him back from the brink... it twists like a knife in my heart, sharp and cold and cruel.

"I'm sorry," Judith says, seeing the play of emotions on my face. "I know this isn't easy, Cara. But we have to put June's recovery first. We have to trust that Sarah knows what she's doing, that she has his best interests at heart."

I nod, the motion mechanical, even as everything in me screams to fight, to demand my rightful place at my husband's side. But I can't be selfish, not now. June needs help, real help, and if Sarah is the one who can give it to him...

"Okay," I whisper, the word feeling like broken glass in my mouth. "Okay. I understand."

Natalie pulls me into a hug, her arms strong and steady around me. "It's going to be alright, Cara. June is a fighter. He's going to come back to you, to both of you. You just have to have faith."

Faith. It feels like a foreign concept, a distant dream in the face of so much despair. But I cling to it anyway, to the stubborn, foolish hope that love will conquer all, that our story will have a happy ending.

The days that follow are a special kind of torture, a waking nightmare of helplessness and fear. I'm banned from seeing June, from even being in the same wing of the house as him. Judith says it's for my own safety, for the baby's, but each hour apart feels like an eternity, an unscalable wall separating me from my heart.

I try to distract myself, to focus on the small joys still left to me - the fluttering of life beneath my skin, the unwavering support of Natalie and Judith, the knowledge that somewhere, not far away, June is fighting his way back to me.

But the worry is a constant companion, a leaden weight in my chest that makes every breath a struggle. I'm plagued by visions of June in pain, June afraid, June sinking so deep into the quicksand of his own mind that even Sarah can't pull him out.

It's on one such day, as I'm lost in a spiral of my own dark imaginings, that the summons comes.

"Elaine's filed an emergency petition," Judith tells me, her voice tight with barely suppressed rage. "She's claiming that both parents mental state makes him unfit to parent, that the baby would be in danger if left in his care."

"That's insane," I spit, my hands curling into fists at my sides. "June would never, ever hurt our child. He'd cut off his own arm first."

"I know that," Judith soothes, laying a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Anyone who's seen him with you, heard him talk about the baby... they'd know it, too. But Elaine... she's twisting the truth, painting him as some kind of monster. And with his history, with the state he's in now..."

She trails off, but she doesn't need to finish. I can see it all too clearly - Elaine in front of a judge, crocodile tears streaming down her face as she spins a tale of a unstable, violent man, a danger to himself and others. Next to that, what chance do we have?

"The hearing's tomorrow," Judith says, her tone turning brisk, businesslike. "Dante's lawyers will be there, of course, but Cara... you need to prepare yourself. Elaine's going to fight dirty, and she's got the money and the influence to make a lot of baseless accusations stick."

I nod, already feeling the familiar cloak of dread settle over my shoulders. I've been through this before, this sickening deja vu of legal battles and character assassination. But that was different. That was when it was just June on the line, not our child.

Our child. The thought is a lightning bolt, a call to arms. This is no longer just about me, about the love June and I share. This is about family, about the tiny, innocent life depending on us for protection. And I'll be damned if I let Elaine get her poisonous claws anywhere near our baby.

"Let her come," I say, my voice ringing with a conviction I didn't know I possessed. "Let her spin her tales and cast her aspersions. She has no idea who she's messing with."

Judith's grin is fierce, proud, a slash of approval across her careworn face. "There's my girl. There's the Cara Briers who looked the Devil in the eye and told him to screw himself."

I snort, some of the tension easing from my knotted muscles. "I think you're confusing me with you, Judith. I seem to recall you telling Elaine where she could stick her settlement offer, back in the day."

"Like sister, like sister," Judith quips, slinging an arm around my shoulders. "The Deveaux boys sure know how to pick 'em, I'll say that."

The mention of June, casual as it is, sobers me. Judith must feel me stiffen, because she turns to face me head on, her expression serious.

"He's going to be okay, Cara," she says, quiet but certain. "I know it doesn't feel like it right now, but June... he's the strongest person I've ever met. He clawed his way back to you once before, and he'll do it again. You just have to keep the faith."

"I'm trying," I whisper, blinking back the sudden sting of tears. "It's just... it's so hard, Judith. Being apart from him, not being able to help, to even see him... it's killing me."

"I know," Judith murmurs, pulling me into a hug. "I know it is. But you're not alone, Cara. You have me, you have Natalie, you have a whole army of people ready to go to war for you and June and my grandbaby. Lean on us. Let us be your strength, just for a little while."

I sink into her embrace, letting her love, her certainty, wash over me like a balm. She's right. I'm not alone. I have a family, a team, a goddamn battalion ready to fight tooth and nail for what's ours.

And tomorrow, when I walk into that courtroom, when I face down Elaine and her vitriol...

They'll be right there beside me, an unbreakable phalanx of support and defiance.

The courtroom is a sea of chaos, a maelstrom of flashing cameras and shouted questions. Journalists jostle for position, thrusting microphones and recorders towards me as I make my way up the steps, Judith and Natalie flanking me like guardian angels.

"Cara! Cara, is it true that your husband's been declared mentally unfit?"

"Miss Briers, how do you respond to claims that you're unfit to be a mother?"

I grit my teeth, keeping my eyes fixed straight ahead. Dante's legal team has warned me against engaging with the press, against giving Elaine any more ammunition than she already has. But God, it's hard, biting my tongue as they hurl accusations and insinuations like stones.

Suddenly, a familiar figure emerges from the sea of reporters, her designer suit and perfectly coiffed hair unmistakable. Elaine Deveaux, a smirk playing at the corners of her lips, steps forward.

"Let's get one thing straight," she says, her voice dripping with false sympathy. "Cara Briers is not married to my son. In fact, I haven't seen Juniper in months, and I have no knowledge of his current mental state. All I know is that he has a history of instability, and that any child in his care would be at risk."

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut, stealing the air from my lungs. How dare she? How dare she stand there and pretend to be a concerned mother, when she's the one who drove June to the brink of madness?

I open my mouth to retort, to defend my love, but Natalie's hand on my arm stops me. "Don't," she murmurs, her voice low and urgent. "That's exactly what she wants. Don't give her the satisfaction."

I force myself to take a deep breath, to unclench my fists and relax my jaw. Natalie's right. Engaging with Elaine here, in front of the cameras and the hungry eyes of the press, will only make things worse.

But God, it hurts. It hurts to stand here and listen to her lies, to her poisonous insinuations. It hurts to know that June is out there somewhere, alone and in pain, and I can't even be with him.

We make it inside, the grand oak doors of the courthouse slamming shut behind us with a resounding thud. The sudden silence is almost jarring, a pressure drop after the cacophony outside.

"You okay?" Judith murmurs, her eyes scanning my face with concern.

I nod, not trusting myself to speak past the lump in my throat. Truth is, I'm the furthest thing from okay. I'm terrified, down to my bones, of what's about to happen, of the battle I'm about to face.

But I don't have the luxury of falling apart. Not now. Not when my child's future hangs in the balance.

We make our way into the courtroom, the soft susurration of whispers and rustling fabric replacing the din of the crowd outside. I keep my head high as I walk down the aisle, refusing to cower beneath the weight of curious stares and pitying glances.

And then I see her.

Elaine Deveaux, resplendent in a tailored suit and blood-red heels, her lips curved in a smile as sharp as a serpent's fang. She's flanked by a phalanx of high-priced lawyers, a veritable army of legal might at her beck and call.

Our eyes meet across the room, a crackle of electricity passing between us. In that moment, I see her for what she truly is - a predator, sleek and ruthless, who will stop at nothing to get what she wants.

And what she wants is my child.

Rage surges through me, hot and bright, chasing away the chill of fear. How dare she? How dare this vicious, soulless creature think she has any right to my family, to the precious life growing inside me?

I'll see her in hell before I let her lay a single perfectly manicured finger on my baby.

We take our seats, Judith on one side of me and Natalie on the other, a bulwark of fierce, feminine strength. Dante's lawyers fan out around us, a small army of our own to match Elaine's legions.

The judge enters, a severe-looking woman with steel-gray hair and a gaze that could cut glass. She takes her seat at the bench, her robes billowing around her like a thundercloud.

"This hearing is now in session," she intones, her voice ringing through the suddenly silent room. "We are here to determine the fitness of Juniper Deveaux and Cara Briers to retain custody of their unborn child, given the recent questions that have arisen about Mr. Deveaux's mental state."

She turns that gimlet stare on Dante's lead attorney, a whip-thin man with a shock of silver hair. "Mr. Moretti, I understand you have a motion to present?"

Moretti rises, buttoning his suit jacket with a practiced flick of the wrist. "Yes, Your Honor. We move to dismiss this petition as baseless and prejudicial. Mr. Deveaux is undergoing treatment for the trauma he endured, and there is no evidence to suggest he poses any danger to his child."

Elaine's lawyer, a shark-eyed woman with blood-red nails, leaps to her feet. "Objection, Your Honor! Mr. Deveaux's history of violence and instability is well-documented. To allow a man in his condition unsupervised access to a child would be grossly irresponsible."

"I'm afraid I must agree with Ms. Sterling," the judge says, her brow furrowing. "The court has a duty to ensure the safety and well-being of the child, and given Mr. Deveaux's current state, I have serious concerns about his ability to provide a stable environment."

Moretti opens his mouth to argue, but the judge silences him with a cutting look. "However, I am not convinced that removing the child from its mother's care is the answer. Mrs. Deveaux has made some compelling arguments about her ability to provide for her grandchild, but I am reluctant to separate an infant from its mother without incontrovertible evidence of unfitness."

My heart leaps into my throat, a wild, desperate hope taking flight in my chest. Is she saying what I think she's saying? That I could keep my baby, even if June...

But the judge's next words send that hope crashing back to earth.

"Therefore, I am ordering a full investigation into the fitness of both parents. Psychiatric evaluations, home studies, character witnesses - I want it all. We will reconvene in one month's time to review the findings and make a final determination."

A month. A month of prying eyes and prodding questions, of my every move being dissected and analyzed. A month of Elaine's poison seeping into every crack, every crevice of my life.

I feel sick, my stomach churning with a noxious blend of dread and fury. This is just another one of her games, another way to make me dance to her twisted tune. She knows I'm not unfit, knows June would rather die than let any harm come to our child.

But she also knows how to plant seeds of doubt, how to spin even the most innocent action into something sinister. And with the court's baleful eye turned on us, the slightest misstep could mean losing everything.

The judge's gavel comes down like a gunshot, jolting me from my spiraling thoughts. "This hearing is adjourned. We will reconvene on June 15th to review the findings of the investigation. Until then, the child is to remain in its mother's care, with supervised visitation for Mr. Deveaux as his doctors see fit."

Supervised visitation. The words land like a blow, driving the air from my lungs. June, my June, treated like a criminal, like a danger to his own flesh and blood...

It's too much. It's all too much.

I'm barely aware of rising from my seat, of Judith and Natalie guiding me out of the courtroom and into the blinding flashbulb glare of the media circus outside. Their questions batter at me like hailstones, but I'm numb, insensate, lost in a haze of grief and rage.

How could this happen? How could I let Elaine blindside me like this, let her wield the broken pieces of my husband's psyche like a weapon against us?

"Cara." Natalie's voice cuts through the fog, low and urgent. "Cara, look at me."

I force my eyes to focus, to meet the fierce, blazing blue of her gaze. "This isn't over," she says, her hands gripping my shoulders like a vice. "Okay? This is just the first round. We're going to fight this, with everything we've got."

"She's right," Judith chimes in, her jaw set with grim determination. "Elaine may have won this battle, but the war's just getting started. And trust me, little sister - that bitch has no idea what she's just unleashed."

I nod mechanically, trying to absorb their words, their conviction. They're right. Of course they're right. I can't let Elaine break me, not now. Not when my child needs me to be strong, to be the mother they deserve.

But God, it's hard. It's so hard, when all I want is to curl up in June's arms and let the world fade away. When all I want is my love, whole and healthy and here, ready to take on the universe by my side.

"Okay," I breathe, squaring my shoulders as I pull back. "Okay. Let's do this. Let's show Elaine Deveaux what the Briers-Deveaux clan is made of."

Judith's answering smile is a thing of beauty, sharp and bright as a blade. "That's my girl," she says again, pride ringing in every syllable. "That's my warrior queen."

As I stand there, my child stirring beneath my heart, my sister-in-arms at my side, I feel a flicker of something long forgotten kindle to life in my chest.

The unshakeable conviction that love will find a way, that good will triumph over evil.

That even in the darkest of nights, dawn is coming.

And when it does...

Elaine Deveaux better watch her fucking back.