She relented, but as I went to retreat, she latched on to my hand like a lifeline, lacing her fingers with mine. Alexis was squeezing so tight her knuckles turned white. But I didn’t care. As long as she wanted me, I was hers.

“You’re a victim too, Lex.” As she tried to shake her head, I raised the back of her hand to my mouth so I could seal the truth into her skin. “Not in the same way. But you ended up being collateral damage through no fault of your own. Whatever happened back then, you were a part of the fallout from the gigantic bomb Everly manufactured and dropped on us.”

Alexis straightened, a spark igniting from the mention of the devil herself.

“Tell me she suffered, Owen. Tell me she didn’t get away scot-free.”

“Of course she didn’t. I sent the bitch to jail.”

Alexis’ jaw dropped, then she gestured for me to continue.

“After I found out everything, I-I kind of lost it,” I said. “I first reported the sexual assault, which didn’t get the desired outcome. They had no evidence to convict her, so it was my word against hers. And Everly was still fucking delusional enough to claim it was consensual. Then, I was truly on the warpath and nothing could satiate my thirst except for the destruction of her world. At that point, I didn’t care who got railroaded.

“Barry claimed that when he hit me, it was in reaction to his baby and the mother of his newborn in distress. Since he had no previous record, he was discharged without conviction. I was frustrated at first until I found out he had no knowledge of Everly’s lies. He didn’t know she was pregnant until the day she delivered. He was also lost with misinformation, trying to piece everything together. He did apologise to me, and I accepted. They were extenuating circumstances, and I understood he was just trying to protect them in such a vulnerable state. He didn’t know the extent of who I was.”

“Agnes, Everly’s mother, was fired from her job. She claimed Everly used her credentials without her knowledge, but that still didn’t go down well. And Everly… Well, she was charged with fraud and forgery. In the end, she was sentenced to twelve months.”

I knew Alexis was overloaded, but I felt like they were important components for her to know. We had to follow through to the very end. Have it all out, every piece of microscopic information forthright and blatant for the other to absorb. And that’s what she was doing, her mind working overtime, as told by her severe expression.

After a few long minutes, she asked, “Where are they now?”