"How long have you known the couple Mr. Godfrey?" As one of the men asked, Isabella eyes trained on the man who was a little on the chubby side. He looked familiar, but she really couldn't place his face.
"For about a year now."
"A year... And who do you have a relationship with?"
"Gabriel."
"How would you describe Gabriel's attitude towards his wife?"
"He is usually good to her. Sometimes, when I come over to their place, he makes me so jealous because there are times he would cook for her and make her feel loved even while she did nothing."
"What if that was just a show?"
"A show?" As Mr. Godfrey snickered, Isabella instantly recalled where she had met him. He was the drunk guy from the time she told Gabriel she was leaving him. "Even in public, he never failed to show how much he loved her."
Isabella could not even bear to be angered by the man. He was probably bribed with beer or something. And something as little as that could be used to fill his head with scripted thoughts.
"How close are you with Mr. Manifold exactly?" Isabella could tell the dark haired man who was questioning was not going to spare anything or anyone.
"We uh... we used to go to college together."
"Which college?"
"Uh... Lannister."
"Lannister College." The man took a folder and went through the contents. "Mr. Godfrey..." His eyes met the tired looking man at the end of the table. "Do you know giving a false statement could get you into trouble?"
"Uh?"
"It says here that Mr. Manifold studied in New York's business college." Isabella frowned. Gabriel actually went to school? One could only wonder why he had such a twisted view about... a lot of things. "So... Mr. Godfrey, let's refrain from telling lies. Okay
Isabella noticed the chief Judge had her hands underneath her chin as she watched silently.
"I... I must have it mixed up then. Because I met him in a college. I am not certain which."
A stern look came from the man who was questioning, before he said, "One more question Mr. Godfrey. What is your take on spouses who abuse their other half?"
"Oh, I find it really disturbing and disgusting."
Isabella felt the question was unnecessary. But what did she know? The man was doing with he did best.
"Okay Mr. Godfrey. That will be all. Please make yourself available as much as possible as we may have to request your presence again."
"Definitely." As the man got up, Isabella tried to make eye contact with him but his eyes stayed glued on the floor even as he walked out.
Perhaps he felt guilt for being used in such a manner, Isabella reasoned.
"Well, let the defense call in their witness."
"Thank you your Honour," Mr. Richards said as he got up. "The defense first witness is Dr. William Jones."
Isabella drew a breath and as the young woman who came with the Judge got up to call the doctor in, Isabella prepared herself. Almost a minute later, the man who, for almost ten years now, had diligently taken care of her health-wise walked in, his head sporting a new look contrary to the curliness his hair used to have.
"Your Honour," he greeted before having his seat just where Mr. Godfrey had sat.
This time, it was the second man who took on the questioning. He was quite tall and wore a low cut well. His plain white shirt hugged his body well revealing results of probably several months of workout. "Please introduce yourself."
"Of course. My name is Williams Jones and I am Isabella's Shade personal doctor."
"Personal doctor? So, you have never attended to her husband, Gabriel Manifold?"
Isabella noticed how the doctor's eyes quickly scanned Gabriel before he replied with, "I am afraid this is the first time I will be setting my eyes on him."
"So, how long have you known Ms. Isabella?"
"I'd say about ten, eleven years."
"That's a long period."
"Yes, I have been in charge of taking care of Isabella for a long time by orders of her father."
"Would you say you and Isabella had a close relationship?"
"Well," he made a thoughtful face. "Not really, but she was certainly not stiff around me. She never made it seem like I was her doctor. It was almost like I was her friend."
"So, you were aware of her marriage then?"
"I found out when she visited me in the hospital with an injury on her shoulder." He made a gesture at his right shoulder and Isabella just had to grip something.
"An injury?"
"Yes it was very deep. And when I asked her what happened, all she said was she had finally gotten married. The funny thing is, since that day, she always came by the hospital for treatments of more injuries like that."
"Didn't you ask what happened to her?"
"She never gave me a response and I never pushed her for it. Until..."
"Until?"
Dr. Jones's eyes met Isabella's and she could read his apology. He was about to mention it. The one thing that made her hate Gabriel more and more.
Jones sighed and faced the man. "Until she suffered a miscarriage."