I sat next to Sophie with Mom on my other side. Sophie had paused the reel, giving me a second to get my bearings.
ItwasJules.
She wore her red hair pulled into a ponytail, light makeup, and a basic green T-shirt.
Her simple beauty stole my breath.
“Oh, my gosh.” Mom pressed a hand to her mouth. “Look how filled out her face is.”
I nodded. “And she’s only showing herself from the shoulders up.” It was just another confirmation that she was pregnant.
“Looks like she posted this less than five minutes ago,” Sophie said. “Are we ready?”
“Yes,” Mom and I answered at the same time.
Sophie tapped the play button.
“Hi, everyone.” Jules’s voice. Man, I’d missed hearing it. “My name is Juliette Serrant. You probably recognize me as the former face of the brand for DayGlow Cosmetics.” She was somber, no smile, eyes intensely serious. “If you’re watching this, I need you to listen very carefully.”
My stomach coiled with tension. “She’s going to out DayGlow.” I could feel it.
“It’s the second Sunday of the month, which means there’s going to be a Viewing at the Solstice Grand Casino at 8 pm sharp. Against her will, a woman will be sold to the highest bidder.” Her eyes narrowed. “Or in plainer terms, she will be sex trafficked.” She took a deep breath. “I know because that woman used to be me.”
I tapped pause. “Sorry,” I mumbled, pinching the bridge of my nose. “I need… a sec.”
Sophie handed me the phone so Mom could see too, then squeezed my other hand. “Whenever you’re ready, Finn.”
I took a couple of deep breaths. Then a couple more. But my nerves weren’t going to relax, and it was time to man up. Juliette had already lived this horror. The least I could do was hear her story.
I started the reel.
“Sixty-nine times they auctioned me off to the vilest, most disgusting of men. Starting the weekend after I’d signed my contract as face of the brand until last October… when I finally escaped. That’s why you haven’t seen me since then. I’ve been in hiding. But I can’t hide anymore.”
Sophie paused the reel. “You saved her. You realize that, don’t you?”
“What? No. I didn’t do anything. She did it herself.”
“Yes and no,” Mom said quietly. “She made the decision to leave, but your love gave her a reason to be brave enough to do it.”
I thought about that for a second. Like, really thought. It felt true. Every day since she disappeared, I’d yearned to see her again. At first, so I could cuss her out. But after Laney had shown up and told me the real truth, that yearning had intensified, making it hard to even breathe without Jules. I kept asking myself why? What had been the point of it all? Now I knew.
Her freedom was the point.
I might never get to hug Jules again, be her husband, or raise my son. If that were true, I didn’t know how I’d go on, but I’d figure out a way. My entire life, I’d wanted to do something truly heroic. That’s why I’d been obsessed with becoming a firefighter. But this? Giving her the strength to break free from the literal slavery that chained her? Was worth all the loneliness I’d felt since she left, and it would be worth whatever pain I had yet to face.
I let the reel roll.
“To the wives, fiancees, and girlfriends who are about to have their hearts broken, I apologize. These men will tell you it’s not true. DayGlow will tell you it’s not true. But it is. You see, I have a photographic memory, and I remember itall.I remember their names, the dates it happened, and how much I was sold for. I remembereverything.”
My fists curled. I wanted to destroy every single one of those men.
“The first time I was sold for $654,220.” Jules’s eyes burned into the camera. “To Montgomery ‘Monty’ Vance. Founder of Vance Private Equity. The date was June 17th, three days after my 18th birthday. What a way for a girl to lose her virginity. Happy birthday to me.”
It felt like one of my lungs had collapsed.
Mom’s shoulders shook next to me.
Sophie seethed. “I wish I could punch that man in the face.”
