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“What leak?” Ana’s sweet voice says from the doorway. We all turn to see her freshly showered and beautiful.
Her black leggings and flowered dress combination flow across her small bump and I want to strip her bare again. I’m pretty sure I'm drooling because she looks at me and smiles. I hold out my hand, and she walks to me with no hesitation. I sit her down next to me on the sofa.
“As you know, Jonathan leaked that you were pregnant with my child, well today he leaked that Duncan was marrying Maya for her money. Bloody wanker,” I tell her with worry I'm going to upset her again.
“How does all this help him? How can he know that already?”
“I think he's hoping someone runs to yours or Maya's defense. We're pretty certain both attorneys have leaks,” Greg interjects.
“How? I don't care what other people think anymore. He made me feel like such a git. What more can he do to me?”
“You're not a git, Ana. That bloody arsehole is the git,” Duncan growls.
“I agree, but I had to call my mum when she found out through the gossip rags. I think he was hoping he could trace the call. The fact he's got some of the details from the call to the attorney is what mostly bothers me. He or the wanker holding his leash has a mole in that office.” I try to get her attention back to me. Greg brought up the scenario earlier about the leaks.
“No way could he trace the call, it had to be someone revealing the details by eavesdropping in person. Also, his office could have been bugged. I got you off the call before the trace took, I routed them through Russia,” Timothy defends his blocking.
“You're right, Timothy, I'm still trying to figure out his end game.”
“Joshua, I want your mum here,” Ana says quietly
“I know, Angel, but not yet. We have to let the press and other heat back off.”
“He could also be thinking you will fight this in court and you will show up in public,” Duncan responds.
“Jonathan has countersued on the grounds of adultery, but only on the condition you appear in court. We told the barrister about your health, and I'm not going to let you travel,” I reply back.
“Joshua, I'm not afraid of him hurting me anymore. But that evidence is still in hiding, and we only have a couple more months,” she responds.
“Until…” I ask, the whole room swings to look at her.
Ana
I've completely forgotten this part. They're going to be angry with me, especially Joshua.
“Jonathan and his boss are helping a terrorist acquire the supplies for another bombing. Plus there was something about kidnapping someone the terrorist wants.”
“Angel, why didn't you say something sooner?” He sounds upset.
“I just read the documents that I copied and brought with me right before you came in the other day. You know what happened after that.” I smile at him, hoping to defuse the strain in the room.
Standing, I walk over to the mantle and pull down my mum's picture. I slip off the backing and pull out the papers, then turn back and look at the group.
“These are copies only. I wasn't sure what I had until I read them. The other evidence I have is of Jonathan embezzling from his firm and clients. I have meeting notes from his and Sir's meetings, and a recording of a conversation between him and a Mr. Smith. I don't think this Mr. Smith is the terrorist. From the conversation, I actually think he's a supplier or intermediary. And lastly, I have photo and video evidence of him abusing me. I'm sorry, please don’t be mad at me. I was just trying to see what these were. The other evidence is hidden in London. Again, I'm sorry.”
I hand the paperwork to Joshua, his expression is hard, his eyes cold. He's going to leave me now. I ended up pushing him away, and after my nightmare, I was afraid of this. He hands the paperwork to Timothy then pulls me into his arms.
“Angel, I am not mad at you. I wish you had given me this sooner, but we'll make it work from here. What do you mean photos and videos of your abuse?”
Here it comes, the worse part. He walks me back to the sofa and kneels in front of me. I look around the room. When my eyes land on Maya, she nods. She only knows some of this, I wasn’t strong enough to tell her everything. I look at my brother then down to Joshua. I lived through it, but am I strong enough to say it out loud? I take a deep breath and pray for strength. I grip Joshua’s hands in mine, holding him for a bit longer, until he knows what I allowed be done to me. What I willingly did. I take some of his strength and start.
“Please know in the beginning he was nice and I didn't think I would ever see you again.” I look Joshua in the eyes. “He and I met when I was at Holloway, we were just acquaintances at first. I wasn’t interested until Patrick told me you were a player and not interested in a good girl like me. Jonathan started asking me out on dates, and I thought I'd grow to feel for him what I felt for you in one day.” I continue to hold his gaze, he deserves the complete truth. “We'd been dating for a couple months, and I noticed he started changing. I was never skinny enough, tall enough, or as pretty as he wanted me to be. I wasn't smart enough, the comments were said in jest, but I knew he meant them. He hated that I left my business degree behind and went for an art and interior design degree. He told me I was stupid for doing that and I would regret it. I’d decided that I didn't want to live like that anymore. I was living off campus in London, and he was still at Holloway. I had no one, all of you were busy doing your own thing. I look from my best friend to my brother then back down to Joshua. I’ve never been as strong as Maya, or as brave as Duncan, and I thought Joshua wanted someone else.
“My bags were packed and I was planning to move back in with Daddy,” I continue. “I was going to get away from him. I figured if I wasn't what he wanted, he would find someone else. He came into my flat, saw the bags, and yelled at me, accused me of leading him on.” I pause. I can feel my heartbeat accelerate, my vision fuzzing from my blood pressure increases. The panic overtakes me just like it did that day. The words lodge in my throat, I swallow trying to get past the lump. This will make them all look at me differently, even Joshua. I feel his hands squeeze mine, his strength. “He pushed me onto the bed.” I close my eyes, trying to hide from the truth. “And raped me.” The words come out in a gasp of air. I clear my throat for the rest. “He then took his belt to me and said if I ever thought of leaving him again, he'd kill Daddy while I watched.”
I open my eyes and find Joshua rigid like a statue. Maya is pacing the room. And Duncan is silent. I want one of them to say something, to stop the next part. They don't. So I continue.
“He told me no one would ever want me now that I was damaged goods. He hit me with that belt so many times I lost count, the welts were all over my body. I had to stay in my flat for days until the swelling decreased enough for me to be in public. I changed how I dressed to cover the marks. As time went by, the beatings continued in areas no one saw. On our wedding night, he used a crop with little knots in the leather on the backs of my thighs and buttocks. He videoed it so I'd never forget, and made me watch it as punishment every so often. He told me no amount of money was worth putting up with my stupid arse. He threatened to kill me to put himself out of his misery. Toward the end, he was controlling my food intake so I'd be slimmer. He beat the bottom of my feet until they bled so I couldn’t escape, and again he recorded it. Because I forgot once. I was made to kneel when he came home. Kneel when he became angry, and you can guess what I had to do. Or I would have to kneel when he deemed I had done something wrong. I was weak, and let him violate and use me however he wanted. I couldn’t risk any of your lives.” Joshua lays his head in my lap and hugs me close, his arms form steel bands holding me in place.
