After I declined to speak with or answer any male police officers' queries, they seated me with a female detective. The woman immediately introduced herself as Diana Ross. The brunette looked to be in her forties and had sharp facial features with blunt, shoulder-length hair. A stern nature surrounded her.
However, I could not even look a man in the eyes right now. I was grateful when Lorenzo was arrested. He is being held in custody under interrogation. In addition, they detained his father. The false paperwork he filed made him trial for fraud.
The hospital kept me for three nights. A doctor x-rayed my arm, finding that the fifth metacarpal and scaphoid bone on my hand were both fractured. A thick cast was put on my wrist; I chose for it to be black. It was bulky, always getting in my way, and ugly to look at.
"Jayden," Diana said as she redirected my attention back to her.
I could not help but feel irritated by her prying. "What?"
Her lips pressed into a tight line as she repeated herself. "I need to know what happened the night you were kidnapped."
"Is she dead?" I asked vaguely, scratching at the plaster that trapped my wrist. It almost made me feel claustrophobic because I couldn't move my hand much.
The detective crossed her legs, clicking her pen to write something on her notepad. "Who?"
"My aunt Amanda. Is she dead?"
"I am sorry to say that she is."
Tears immediately slid down my cheeks. I held my breath as I ran my left hand through my scalp, tugging at the roots. So Lorenzo had not lied to me about that, after all. I was hoping that he had. Amanda was not a great person, but she did not deserve to die.
I anxiously nibbled on my bleeding lower lip, more pieces of skin getting chewed off. A metallic taste fell on my tongue. My mind was blank at the information. "It is really hard for me to remember that night right now." I whispered.
All I can focus on is that Amanda's actually gone. I did not know what to do with myself since Lorenzo was caught, but I did know that being grilled over all the details repeatedly would drive me crazy.
"Would you like breakfast first? I could get a cinnamon roll and a cup of coffee for you." Diana offered.
"Yes, please." I said eagerly.
I would accept anything at this point to get a break.
The detective laid a pen and piece of paper in front of me. "Okay. Think hard for me while I am gone. This is for you, just in case you remember something. You can write it down."
Diana walked out of the room, leaving me in a blissful silence.
At the crack of dawn, an officer picked me up and brought me to the station since my injuries weren't declared as life-threatening. The man had tried to talk to me on the way, but I could not bring myself to answer.
Before that, the nurse who called for help in the bathroom gave me a pair of sweatpants and a sweater from the hospital shop. She introduced herself as Laura. I know she just wanted me to feel a sense of normalcy because I definitely could have been given a scratchy hospital gown.
Laura helped me take a shower, washing all the makeup off, and assisted the orthopedic technician who placed the cast on my wrist. I can't say it did not feel weird to be swabbed, poked, and prodded, but the kind nurse helped me through it all. She performed the medical examination and confirmed I had signs of sexual and physical abuse. Pictures of my injuries were documented on my file.
Bruises in the shape of Lorenzo's fingerprints scattered across my arms, and there was a handprint on my thigh. Lacerations and burns were wrapped around my limbs due to being tied and chained for so long. Skin discoloration and purple marks littered my face from being disciplined, and my cheeks were swollen.
There were questions regarding the wound on my lower back from the piece of metal that punctured the area when Lorenzo was chasing after me. I grabbed the pen and began to write as my memories hit me in waves.
'Lorenzo broke into my room and held me down. I fought the intruder off and tried to run away, but my aunt stopped me at the door because she heard the commotion. She blocked my exit. Amanda thought I was just being rowdy until she saw Lorenzo and realized what was going on. I got out of the room, but Lorenzo got her before she could run with me.
Amanda was stabbed more times than I could count. I escaped from Lorenzo and ran to the neighbors for help. They refused to open the door. When I turned around to try another house, I saw Lorenzo standing at mine with the knife he stabbed my aunt with in his hand. I got scared and ran farther down the road. I made it to the old playground near my house and hid behind a tree.'
My handwriting was terrible due to me using my left hand. I stretched my hand out because it ached from not writing in so long. My eyes clenched shut, and I took deep breaths before I could continue.
'Lorenzo found me and tackled me. He caused me to fall to the ground on a piece of metal. From both of our weights landing on it, I was pierced. I got away from his rough grip and ran deeper into the forest. I climbed a tree to get away from him and begged for Lorenzo to just go away, but he refused. Lorenzo waited for me to pass out, and then he took me, hiding my body in the trunk of his car. When I woke up, I was lying in his bed, and a chain confined me to the posts.'
The door clicked shut behind Diana as she entered the room. I was handed a packaged cinnamon roll and a cup of coffee. Her chin nodded at the piece of paper, "I can see that you remember quite some things. Do you care to share that with me?"
"You can read it." I stated, sliding the piece of paper towards her.
She took it, her witty gaze reading over my sloppy writing. I slowly began to eat the tasty roll.
"The neighbors did report someone beating on their door and claimed that it was some druggie. The next day, the house was found burned to the ground. Have you ever been on drugs?"
I shook my head. "No, never. My aunt did some though."
"It was also reported that you skipped school the day before your aunt was found and you were absent the following day."
I nodded. Of course I did not go to school the next day. I was kidnapped.
"An altercation happened between me and another student at school the day I skipped. I was upset, so I left."
"You go to school, sneak off and leave school, then get 'kidnapped'? Do you not see how it looks like you regret running off with Lorenzo? Let's just say you killed Amanda. After that, you hid away at Lorenzo's house, and when he became abusive towards you, all the blame was pinned on him."
My mouth dropped open in shock. The detective implying those terrible things made me physically sick.
"I did not leave with him willfully. If I did, why would I even come back if I wanted to run? He stole me and held me against me captive. He did things to me that I did not want. All. Against. My. Will." I declared angrily.
"Lorenzo told us you came with him willingly. That everything was mutual. You are here for questioning, and I have to do my job, so answer truthfully."
My eyes watered as I shook uncontrollably.
"What happened to me was wrong, Diana. If you or anyone else tries to defend Lorenzo, you all are sick. The only time I complied with Lorenzo was when I feared for my life. I would never kill someone, and certainly not my aunt. I had never seen him before he kidnapped me. He deserves to rot in prison." I seethed.
_________________________________
Though I no longer liked Diana in the slightest, I told her everything. I told her about the house being deep in the woods, about me running away from him, and what he did to me while I was held there against my will.
When I was done, the detective turned a little tape recorder off. She told me I would have to talk to a trauma specialist about what Lorenzo did to me. They wanted to make sure my words of what happened matched.
I was already annoyed from having to speak about everything that happened when two heavy raps knocked on the door before it opened.
"Jayden, your dad is here to pick you up. He has offered you a place to stay." Diana informed me, stepping into the room with him behind her.
To say I was shocked was an understatement. My jaw dropped open, and anger coursed through me. John looked completely different. Heavy eye bags sat underneath his guilty eyes. His hair was longer and unkept.
"Come on, Jayden." My dad said softly, holding a hand out to me while staring at the floor.
I stood up and ignored the gesture, storming right past him. He followed me to the parking lot. A truck beeped as it unlocked. I did have much of a choice; there was nowhere else I could go. I plopped in the passenger seat, and he sat in the driver side. The sound of metal connecting sounded as the doors slammed shut. The engine rumbled and air blasted in my face, making my hair fly back.
"I apologize for everything." John said.
I crossed my arms. "You knowingly abandoned me. How could you ever mean that apology?"
His long fingers nervously tapped on the steering wheel. "What I did was wrong. If I would have known then what would happen...." He trailed off.
"You would of what? Took me in like you are now? Like a stray dog?" I asked angrily.
It was quiet for a moment as he gathered himself before he spoke. "Your birthday was last week."
Shock ran through my body. How did I miss that? Nineteen already? Basically, a whole year of my life wasted? I felt like I had just turned eighteen yesterday.
"You missed every single birthday I have ever had, and you just so happen to comment on the one where I was probably chained to a bed for most of the day."
"God, I am so sorry that happened to you." He whispered, sounding desperate, "I am not asking you to instantly forgive me. I know that comes with time, but I want to be apart of your life. We could work on things between us. You can stay in another house I own. You do not have to live with me. I can even put it in your name if that would make you more comfortable."
He is willing to give me a house? It is crazy that he wants to buy my love now.
"So if I agree to live in one of your house's and allow you to give it to me, what then?"
"You will not owe me anything, if that is what you are getting at. I can help you. I know you need it—you don't even have your license. Please just let me be a part of your life, Jayden. I feel so terrible."
I looked at him. His eyes leaked tears as they lingered on my bruises and marks all over my face. My insides yearned to forgive him, and I needed support right now.
John took a deep breath. "If I would have known you were mine, I would have taken you in, but I didn't. Your mother was a one-night stand. I didn't know what to think when you arrived at my house... I didn't recognize you. Your mother never told me about you, so I thought it was impossible to have another child."
I chewed on his words. He didn't know I was his kid.
"So you don't even check?" I growled, letting anger take control of all the other overwhelming emotions I was feeling.
He shook his head. "I thought I was being scammed. If I had known you were actually my daughter, I would have never thrown you out. When you went missing, I was contacted about you. They suspected me to be your father. They did a paternity test at the hospital and confirmed it."
So that's what that was. The nurses told me they needed to swab the inside of my cheek. There were so many tests and long q-tips that got shoved everywhere that I did not listen to what all they were testing me for.
My nails scratched at the cast. "I will never forget what you did to me, but I will forgive you. Do not make me regret it." I whispered as my seatbelt clicked, signaling that it was buckled.
"You will not regret it." He declared.
As he backed up to pull out of the parking lot, he spoke. "We are going to my house. My wife has many clothes she would not care to give you, and you can meet your brother."
My eyes clenched shut. So I do have a brother. I wondered what he would think about me. Being a big sister was not something I knew how to do, especially right now. As if reading my mind, my father spoke again.
"He will love you. I am already getting things in order. Diana told me that you have an appointment in three days to talk to the specialist. Do not worry about a thing, especially about Lorenzo. He will never see sunlight again." John promised with an angry frown etched in his features.