36.2 Alexander

"How is this any relevance to this case?" the DA asked, and I agreed with her. Why did he need to know why they never came forward? It wasn't his business.

"Because this case is useless," the defense lawyer said as he looked at the audience, making me clench my jaw. "Why wait 20+ years to show your face instead of pressing charges on them when you had the chance back when you knew what your parents had done?"

"I did press charges on them when I was in the hospital after I had fallen ill, but those were dropped after Angelo lied to the police, saying that I was unstable and liked making up stories for attention," she said, wiping her tears away. I wanted nothing more than to run up to her and pull her into my arms, but I couldn't—not until the trial was over. "Everything blew up in their faces when the police began to question them about my health and why they had bought a tranquilizer three weeks prior to me falling ill."

"YOU FUCKING BITCH!" Margaret snarled, slamming her hands on the table. The judge yelled at her to stay quiet, or else she and Angelo would be removed from the courtroom.

"They lied about my husband being dead when he was alive and in a different state recovering from battle. Every day was torture knowing that Alessandro and I couldn't get near Alexander for fear that we were being watched. We kept our distance from him for years, only watching him from afar. My life was ripped apart by those monsters, and I want them to pay for what they did to us."

I furrowed my brows at her words. Had they been there all this time? Had they been watching me? Were they proud or ashamed of the man I've become?

"Any other questions, Mr. White?" the judge asked, but the defense lawyer shook his head. The judge then asked my mother to step down before the DA called their next witness, which happened to be my father.

The doors to the courtroom opened just as they had when my mother walked in, and I felt my breath leave my lungs as I looked at the man with midnight black hair, dressed in his Marine uniform. He took the witness stand, and just like before, when my mother had been on the stand, he promised to tell the truth. He was asked the same questions that my mother had faced before joining her once again on the far side of the room. I could see them hugging each other as my father held my mother close against him, whispering in her ear.

The rest of the proceedings went by quickly, and before I knew it, the jury was leaving the room, and recess was called. We left the courtroom, and I loosened my tie as soon as we were outside.

"Alexander." I turned around at the sound of my name and came face to face with the people I had thought were dead. As soon as my eyes landed on them, I broke down right then and there, not caring what anyone thought. My mother was quick to wrap her arms around me. "We're so sorry, baby. So sorry." I wrapped my arms around her as I buried my face in the crook of her neck, letting my tears hit her skin. I felt my father's hand on my shoulder. I could feel eyes on us, but I didn't care right now. All that mattered was that I got my parents back. I don't know how long we stayed that way, with their arms around me and me crying like a child who fell on his ass while riding his bike, before pulling back.

"Goodness, Alexander," my mother whispered as she wiped the tears from my eyes. "God, look at you, sweetheart. You've grown to be such a handsome young man, and we couldn't be more proud of you." I swallowed the lump in my throat before looking over her shoulder to see Kat giving us a warm smile. I beckoned her over, and she mouthed, "You sure?" I nodded, pulling back from my parents when she reached us, and they smiled when they saw her.

"Mom, Dad," I said, making my mother smile as tears welled up in her eyes, "I'd like you to meet my fiancé, Katerina. And babe, I want you to meet my parents, Valentina and Alessandro De Luca."

"Hi," Katerina smiled, holding her hand towards them. My mother pulled her into a hug, whispering, "It's good to meet you," she murmured.

"Likewise," Katerina murmured back before pulling back and exchanging a hug with my dad. We talked for a bit longer with the rest of the Montgomery family before we were called back into the courtroom to hear the verdict.

"Have you reached a verdict?" the judge asked as the jury walked back into the courtroom.

"We have, Your Honor," a lady at the front replied.

"Please read your verdict."

"We, the jury, find the defendants..."