The Video Is Out!

The Video Is Out!
Evelyn's Point of view

I got lost in the moment, and I ended up forgetting my real mission, which had already failed. I was supposed to get the truth out of him, but now I'm in his warm embrace, my head resting on his firm chest.
I couldn't help it; he's my husband, and he's already under pressure because of that witch. I just wanted to lift some burden off his shoulders, but I still needed to know the truth regardless of what that woman was doing to him.
“So you won't tell me the truth?”
I broke the heavy silence in the room after hours of lovemaking.

“What are you talking about?”
He asked, pretending not to know what I was talking about. He wasn't a fool not to know.
“Arthur, we are husband and wife, and we are supposed to be a team and face all our problems together, but you are treating me like I'm your enemy, and it's making me question our marriage. Why are we together if we can't be honest with each other? What's the point of this marriage?”
My voice was laced with frustration; I wanted to stay as calm as I could, but this whole situation is frustrating, and I can't control my emotions at all.
Arthur sighed.
“Evelyn, I'm trying to protect you but you are not making this whole thing easier for me…”
His voice is barely above a whisper.
“Arthur, is lying to me your way of protecting me? If so, then I don't want that protection, and I'm not staying in a marriage where there's no trust. Today it is either you are telling me the truth or we are getting divorced. You need to make your choice.” My chest tightened. I hated doing this to him, but he's leaving me with no other choice; I need to know the truth no matter what happens.
Arthur pulled me closer to him protectively. "Don't ever talk about divorcing me, Evelyn. I won't be able to live without you…”
“Then tell me the truth, Arthur.”

“Your mother has the video of you being molested that night, and if I don't do what she wants, she's going to publish it for the whole world to see.”
Coldness hit my core, making each muscle in me go numb, almost freezing. His words rang in my ears like music on repeat, the kind of music that no one wants to hear, and I'm forced to listen as it keeps on ringing in my ears.
“This is the reason why I was trying to find the video and destroy it. Meanwhile, I followed her instructions until I found it. I don't want you to have to watch that video or anyone else.”
Tears began welling up in my eyes for some unknown reason. I was well aware of how much she hated me, but I've never imagined that she'd take a video of that night, not because I'm her daughter but because she's a woman like me and she wants to use the very same video to destroy another woman who's like her?
“Evelyn, I promise you… I will find that video and make sure she doesn't publish it. I won't let you go through that pain again…”
Arthur is trying to pull me out of the dark hole I was slipping into, but it was already too late; I'm already going through the pain. It was worse than that night.
How does one feel when the one who brought you on this earth is the one who wants to break you into millions of pieces? The one who was supposed to protect you is the one who's exposing you to so much agony?
I've tried to convince myself that I'm strong, but she always proves me wrong. I'm the weakest person I've ever met because I let myself become the slave of this pain willingly. I'm so comfortable with it that I won't allow it to leave me. Maybe pain was the easiest emotion to deal with of all, and maybe I yearn to keep on feeling it, and I won't want to allow it to let go of me.

Arthur tried to keep on talking to me, but his words fell on deaf ears. I couldn't hear anything beyond what he said.

She's surely going to publish that video, and the whole world will see it, and then I'd go back to that darkness I escaped a long time ago, but one question lingered in my head this time around: will I escape it again, or this time is it going to swallow me fully, and I won't be able to escape?
~~
Arthur parked his car in front of the villa; he stepped out and ran to the other side of the car and opened the door for me. I stepped out and began making my way inside.
Since last night I couldn't utter a word. All my words were trapped in my throat, and no matter how desperate I wanted to speak, I couldn't.
At this rate I couldn't control my emotions… All of them were numb.
As I stepped inside the house, I was welcomed by a group of men and Melinda in the dining room, and all their attention was glued on the television.
My worst fear was becoming my reality as my gaze fell on the flickering television.
The sounds of screams, the laughter, and the curses. It all echoed in my ears; everything was clear on the video. The whole world must have seen it.
She had succeeded in her mission and got what she wanted. She finally broke me. This was a part of me I never wanted anyone to know, but now I feel so naked.
“Evelyn!”
Melinda rushed to me as her gaze fell on me.
“Evelyn, please calm down… I've called the company that published this video; they will remove it very soon.”
I could hear her talking, but I couldn't hear what she was saying. The world around me was spinning, and everything was blurring before my eyes until I couldn't keep up. I found myself slipping into darkness, and my weight found itself on the ground with a loud thud.