Page 92 of Cuffed By Your Love
She looked up now, brows raised. “You understand filing this order could result in your involvement in a departmental internal review, correct? You’re aware of possible employment repercussions?”
My voice caught in my chest like a sob I wasn’t ready to release. “Yes.”
And just like that, the floor under my feet tilted because, while I was trying to save my peace, the badge I wore, the job I bled for, might treat my pain like a liability. They might not care that I was the victim. Just that I brought attention.
As the judge reviewed my statement, my ears filled with white noise. I watched the words she read like they weren’t mine. Like they belonged to some other woman with the same name. The one who got dragged by her wrist and slammed against a shelf in a grocery store. Who flinched when someone moved too fast behind her. Who kissed a man that wasn’t her abuser and still cried later because her body didn’t know the difference yet.
Kam’s attorney stood, oily voice slipping through the room like a rat. “Your honor, we object to the restraining order on grounds of hearsay and lack of physical evidence?—”
“That’s a lie!” I snapped before I could stop myself, voice sharp enough to slice the silence clean in half.
The judge raised a hand. “Miss Jacobson. Please remain composed.”
Elias placed a hand on the small of my back again. Not to calm me, just to anchor me. The heat of his palm seeped into my skin like sunlight through a window I hadn’t realized I needed.
The judge turned back to Kam’s lawyer. “There are medical records, witness statements from multiple bystanders, and a responding officer’s report. Your objection is noted. Overruled.”
I exhaled for the first time in minutes.
She tapped her gavel once. “Restraining order granted. Mr. Sweets is to have no contact, direct or indirect. Any violation will result in immediate arrest.”
Kam’s smirk finally faded. He stood too fast, tried to speak, but the bailiff shut that down with a stern warning and a firm hand on his shoulder.
The judge dismissed us, and I turned to Elias like my knees might give out.
“You did it,” he whispered. “You did more than survive. You reclaimed your name, your voice, your story.”
We walked out in silence, his arm firm around me again. The courtroom behind us disappeared, but the thoughts in my head stayed loud.
We got back to his truck, and I just… froze.
The sky was dull gray, overcast and sticky, like the clouds were grieving too.
“Get in, baby,” Elias said, opening the passenger door for me like he always did, like it was second nature to protect me even when I didn’t ask for it.
But I didn’t move.
“What’s wrong?” His voice dropped low. Not scared. Not impatient. Just open.
“What if I lose my job?” I asked quietly, not looking at him. “What if Internal Affairs pulls my file? What if someone says I’m a liability? That I got involved with a detective and brought drama to the department?”
He sighed and closed the passenger door slowly. He walked around and stood in front of me, hands in his pockets like he was holding back fire.
“You think I give a damn about that badge if it means losing you?” he asked, voice a mixture of anger and ache. “You think I won’t walk out of that precinct today if they so much as breathe sideways at you?”
I looked up at him, lips trembling. “It’s not just you. It’s EJ, too. What if I put you in danger? What if they come after your job? What if I’m the reason y’all lose your stability?”
His jaw flexed. “We’ll rebuild from nothing before I let you walk away from me ’cause of fear. You hear me?”
I tried to blink away the tears, but they came anyway. “You deserve peace, Elias. I’m not trying to be no storm.”
“Baby, you are my peace,” he said, stepping closer. “You think I don’t know how to handle storms? I was born in chaos. Raised in fire. I’m not scared of what love costs. I’m scared of what it costs not to have it.” He cupped my face, thumbs brushing beneath my eyes like he was catching my tears before they fell too far. “I done buried a woman I love before. Stood over a casket and wished I could rewind time. I’ll be damned if I let fear bury another good thing. If they come for your job, I’ll go to war. If they come for mine, I’ll stand on business.” He leaned in, forehead to mine. “If it’s me, you, and EJ against the world… then the world just gon’ have to get jumped.”
I choked out a watery laugh, and he kissed it away. His lips were soft but strong, full of a promise that didn’t need ink or a witness.
Later that night, I sat on his couch with my knees tucked under me, a blanket around my shoulders, and EJ nestled on the other side of me watching cartoons with crumbs on his shirt. Elias was in the kitchen making tea and still glancing over at me like I might disappear if he blinked too long.
Leila texted,
