Page 81 of Someone Just Followed You

‘I don’t need her.’ Ella drifts her arm in a circle with the grace of a ballerina, which reminds me that she is one. Or at least she used to be. ‘See?’ she continues. ‘I’m doing fine by myself.’

I look around the apartment. ‘It is beautiful,’ I concede, but I feel a strange sense of sadness, like I’m not sure it is such a great home after all. Which is odd, for a million-dollar-plus penthouse. ‘Do you live here alone?’

‘As I said, I don’t need anyone.’

‘It can’t come cheap,’ I murmur. Because I can’t help wondering how this nineteen-year-old recluse can afford such luxury.

She lifts her hands and stares at her beautifully manicured nails. ‘I model. And you know, if you need any life hacks, it’s a crazy-easy way to become a millionaire.’ She smiles but it doesn’t reach her eyes, and it makes me think about Blake’s offer of a modeling contract for Maple, how it felt like a dream come true at the time. But it wasn’t.

Then I think of how ashamed Ella looked about whatever was on her laptop screen. And her swallowing that pill like it was sustenance. And I think that maybe I do know where those dollars are coming from after all.

Chapter 95

Kirsten

@Vicsecretsspilled, TikTok

Maybe Maple must have made thousands of dollars over the years. But I bet her greedy bitch mom hasn’t let her have a cent #findMaple

‘Are you an OnlyFans model?’ I ask Ella, trying to hold eye contact.

She blinks, turns her head. ‘YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, OnlyFans; it’s all the same really. Looking pretty so that sad incels can jerk off over you. At least OnlyFans doesn’t pretend to be something different.’

I place my hands on my knees. My motto has always been to post and let post, but I’ve never considered whether that extends to soft porn, an even bigger sin than alcohol in our church. But more than morality, Ella was such a great dancer, and she had dozens of brand deals. It feels like such a waste. ‘But you were one of America’s favorite teenagers,’ I remind her. ‘Aren’t you worth more than OnlyFans?’

She scoffs. ‘Worth more? When I was also one of America’s favorite child porn stars? And of course you know about that because your daughter told everyone on YouTube.’

‘It’s not you though, is it?’ I manage to say, although my voice has weakened, like my argument, I’m sensing. ‘I mean, I know it’s your face, but the rest is AI.’

‘You think that makes a difference?’ she throws back, shaking her head. ‘Everyone assumes it’s me so it may as well be.’ She uncurls from the chaise longue, then walks over to one of the many windows. She turns her back on me and stares out. She’s wearing a sleeveless silk top, and I can see that lotus flower tattoo Maple talked about peeking out above the neckline.

‘Then I don’t understand,’ I say. ‘Isn’t OnlyFans a tamer version of the same thing?’

‘I guess. But now I get to show my body and not my face, so no one knows it’s me.’ She says this without turning, but her voice still rings clear. ‘And I take all the money, control everything, and those faceless bastards on the dark web don’t make a dime. Smart, hey?’

Not really that smart at all, I want to say. But does that make me a hypocrite? I think about my argument with Garrett by the pool two days ago, him accusing me of enabling child abuse and my response. The twins are the winners, the ones earning money, getting famous. Isn’t that the same logic that Ella is using on me now? Logic I’m completely rejecting?

‘But what about your life back in Texas?’ I ask instead. ‘Don’t you miss your friends? Your fam—’

‘How did you find me?’ she interrupts. ‘Because everyone knows me as Leah here, and I don’t get out much.’

‘I hired a PI based in Provo,’ I say. ‘He found you for me.’

‘Right. And how long did it take him to get the address?’

‘A couple of weeks.’

I still can’t see her face, but her voice changes. ‘I’ve been gone eighteen months,’ she murmurs. ‘If my family wanted to see me, they’d have tracked me down by now. You know, all I did was refuse to go to London for an audition Mom somehow swung for me at the Royal Ballet. An audition I’d never have passed, by the way. But that caused a huge fight, and now it seems like they’ve disowned me. So do I miss them? What do you think?’

‘But you can’t hide away forever,’ I try. ‘I mean, what’s the point of having all this money if you’ve got no one to share it with?’

She stands still for a while. Until finally, she twists away from the window. Her eyes are a little red but her makeup still looks perfect, as though she knows from experience to use waterproof products.

‘You know, I haven’t figured everything out yet, Mrs. Clark. But I’d love to hear any advice you’ve got. Because from what I’ve seen online, it’s not just me who’s going to be spending the rest of their life alone.’

Chapter 96

Nikki, West Virginia