"That’s a lie…how can you sit up there and lie," Raymond stood up and hollered.

"Order. I want order in my court," the judge yelled as her gavel came slamming down repeatedly.

"But your honor she’s lying. Please let me tell my side of the story," Raymond begged as his lawyer tried desperately to calm him down.

"Mr. Pierson, did you hear what I just said," the judge called out angrily again. "We are going to take a ten minute recess so you can calm your client down," she told Raymond lawyer scolding the both of them with her fierce brown eyes. "If you continue with this behavior, I will hold you in contempt of court," she added as she dismissed Raymond wife Trina from the stand.

Raymond blood boiled beyond control as he used every once of energy to contain himself. He wanted to slap that silly smirk off of Trina face as his lawyer quickly escorted him out the courtroom.

"Raymond, what the hell are you doing in there?" John screamed at him like he was a child.

"First of all you’d better lower your tone," Raymond told him. "You are working for me and if anyone should be angry it’s me," he added in disgust. He couldn’t believe he was here in court in the first place as he paced back and forth in a small area outside the courtroom. After ten years of marriage it all boiled down to this. His vindictive wife was trying to take everything that he had worked so hard for…the house, car, and their only son Charles.

"Believe me Raymond, I understand your frustration but you are making matters worse with these outbursts. You’ll have Judge Taylor believing the allegations that you’ve been abusive towards your wife."

"Abusive, that’s far from the truth," Raymond panicked thinking back to the incident that happened over two months ago. Trina was willing to do anything to get what she wanted. Raymond never imagined she could stoop this low.

"Well, you’ll have your chance to tell your side of the story but you have to be patient. Anytime you get angry in there just think about your son. It will be worth it in the end if we win, so calm down," John told him with a slight tap on his back.

"Yeah, you’re right," Raymond replied taking a deep breath. After he gathered his composure they took their seat back in the courtroom to wait for the proceedings to begin again. He shuffled his feet back and forth underneath the table as sweat began to bead on the top of his forehead. This was very uncomfortable for him as he took his handkerchief out to remove the sweat. It didn’t do him any good as he looked over to his soon to be ex-wife. How could Trina be sitting over there all calm, cool, and collective? Well that’s easy Raymond thought angrily to himself. She wanted out of this marriage and she didn’t give a damn about him or his feelings. And the sad part was he was still in love with her as a lump clouded in the back of his throat.

Raymond was glad the proceedings started back on time as he stood until the judge was seated. He took every once of pleasure as his lawyer grilled Trina on cross-examination. She was squirming up there like a worm as Raymond laughed quietly to himself. "That’s just what she gets," he said underneath his breath as he jugged down his glass of water. By the time his attorney John was finished with his attacks, and believe it was very ugly, Trina stepped off the stand shaking in her shoes. Raymond was sure if he blew at her she would fall over as he grinned a conspicuous smile at her.

"Go to hell you son-of-a-bitch," Trina screamed as she passed Raymond by.

She didn’t make matters any better when she spit directly in his face. Raymond could have choked the living life out of her but instead he sat back in his seat as Judge Taylor nearly fell out.

"MRS. PIERSON, IN MY CHAMBERS NOW," Judge Taylor ordered in disdain. "My court will not become a circus. Do you understand that?" she yelled as she ordered the bailiff to escort Trina to her chambers.

Raymond just looked on enjoying ever minute of this. All the hell Trina put him through had been devastating, not only to him but their precious son as well. All that didn’t seem to matter, she just wanted out of this marriage thinking only about herself.

When Trina walked back in the courtroom you could tell she regretted her actions as she sashayed past Raymond without even a glance.

"Okay, let’s continue on," Judge Taylor said putting back on her square frame spectacles. "And let me warn anyone in this courtroom that the next outburst will land you behind bars," she hissed angrily looking over towards Trina.

Raymond immediately got himself together as he straightened up in his chair. He wiped any signs of enjoyment he was getting from Trina’s rude behavior off his face.

"Counsel, call your next witness," Judge Taylor ordered.

"Yes, I call Raymond Pierson to the stand," John called out.

Finally, Raymond thought to himself as he stood up. He was definitely ready to tell his side of the story as he was sworn in. He took a seat on the stand as he answered a series of questions.

"Raymond, who’s choice was it to dissolve this marriage?" John asked.

"It was my wife Trina. I had no idea about her feelings until I caught her in bed with another man," Raymond stated thinking back to that day. He remembered it vividly as he told his account of the story. Raymond normally worked fifteen-hour days but when the machinery broke down at his job they were sent home early. When he walked through his door he recalled his son sitting on the living room floor watching cartoons.

"Where is mommy?" Raymond asked his son as he picked him up giving him a fatherly hug.

"She’s upstairs," he replied as his eyes stayed glued to his favorite television program.

"Daddy will be back soon," Raymond told his son as he headed up the stairs with a dozen red roses. He was looking forward to enjoying some quality time with his family as he went to surprise his wife that he was home early. As Raymond came closer to his bedroom door he could hear a series of moans escape his wife mouth. Seconds later a male voice followed as the clanking of the bed echoed loudly throughout the hall.

Raymond was stunned as he stood there momentarily in shock. Did he just hear what he thought he wondered as he cracked the bedroom door? All he could see was the behind of some man as he slid in and out of his wife aggressively. They were so into themselves that they hadn’t even realized Raymond presence. Not only was he outraged but he couldn’t believe his wife was wearing the sheer dark green negligee that he had bought for her the other day.

It only took a second for everything to register in as he lost control. "What in the hell is going on?" Raymond yelled as he charged at the man hitting him on the top of head with the glass vase full of roses.

"Oh my goodness…Raymond what are you doing home?" Trina called out in surprise as she quickly turned around to see her lover laying flat on his face.

"The last time I checked this was my house," Raymond hollered. "Now pack your things and get the hell out my house."

"Is that all you can say," Trina panicked as blood continued trickling all over the sheets. "Call for help," she yelled desperately.

"My pleasure," Raymond told her as he picked up the phone. "And the next time you bring a man in my house it will be you laying up there beside him," he vented angrily as he threw the phone at her.

Trina just ignored him as she hollered for the emergency to get over here as quickly as possible. She tried to turn him over but he was unresponsive as her deceitful eyes looked towards Raymond. "Well are you just going to stand there or are you going to help?" she yelled with contempt in her eyes.

"Don’t push it," Raymond told her. When she finally was able to roll him over Raymond almost choked as he grabbed his wife off the bed with one hand.

They both landed on the floor as his muscular frame fell on top of hers. Raymond went crazy as his hands started unconsciously pounding on his wife. Her scream snapped his mind back to reality as he stood up trembling. It was only a matter of minutes before the emergency crew came and before Raymond was handcuffed and arrested by the police.

"Your honor, I never meant to hurt anyone," Raymond told the judge telling his side of the story. "There’s no excuse to ever hit a woman but I lost control when I saw my wife in bed with our son grade school teacher."

"What did you just say?" Judge Taylor asked making sure she heard right. She thought she just about heard it all but this was despicable as she glared a nasty look over towards Trina.

"Your honor, I could hardly believe it myself. My wife was having an affair with Joseph Calloway, our son second grade school teacher," Raymond said as tears welled up in the corner of his eyes. "I’ve done everything to provide a descent life for my family. I work fifteen-hour days so my wife could live in the home she dreamed of. She never had to work and I even put her through college," Raymond said looking directly over at his wife.

"Other than that one incident, is there any other time that there was a reported act of abuse?" John cut in.

"No," Raymond replied sincerely to get his point across that he wasn’t a violent man. "As I said before that never should have occurred and I even went to get counseling and encouraged my wife to come along so we could try to mend our marriage back together. Trina flat out refused and she still carries on with this sorted affair with our son grade school teacher," Raymond said in disgust. "All the years we’ve been married…I had no idea," he added as he watched ten years of his marriage slip out of his hand. He couldn’t believe his life had come to this point but he held on to his pride as he sat there and waited the outcome of what would happen so he could move on with the rest of his life.