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Despite this setback, I refused to give up. I knew that there had to be a way to clear Jack's name, and I was determined to find it. I spent hours gathering information, talking to people, and following leads. For the next week, I would wake up early and work late into the night, fueled by my desire to help Jack and the knowledge that he was innocent.
I felt a mix of emotions: frustration, enough to make me want to pull out a nail, exhaustion, and anxiety. But I also felt a sense of purpose that kept me going. I knew that Jack was counting on me, and I couldn't let him down.
One day, Brielle called me with some promising news. She had found a lead on one of the sources. I dropped off Eli with my parents so that they could take him to school and Brielle and I could get to work.
As we were sitting in my kitchen, reading over everything, I could feel my heart pounding in my chest.
This could be it, I thought.This could be the breakthrough we need.
Brielle had the address of the source, and we decided to visit them. As we drove there, I could feel my nerves getting the better of me. I had never done anything like this before, and I wasn't sure what to expect. But I knew that I had to be brave and keep going.
When we arrived at the address, I found myself in front of a small apartment complex in Aurora. I knocked on the door of the unit that Brielle had noted, and a man opened it. He looked surprised to see me, but I introduced ourselves and explained why we were there.
He didn’t let me in, but he listened patiently as I spoke, and then he told me that he had no idea what I was talking about. He said that he had never heard of MonTech or the embezzlement allegations, and though he was a ZeePay customer, had never had a problem with the app. I felt deflated, but I thanked him for his time and left.
Brielle and I parted ways to work on our own and as I drove home, I couldn't help but feel discouraged. We had hit a dead end, and I wasn't sure where to go from here. But then I remembered something that Jack had said to me on the phone when I first called him: "I didn't do it, Maya. You know me. You know I wouldn't do something like that."
I realized then that Jack's innocence wasn't just a matter of gathering evidence or following leads. It was about believing in him and standing by him no matter what. And I knew that's what I had to do. I couldn't give up on Jack just because we hit a dead end. I had to keep going, keep searching, and keep believing.
Chapter 27
Maya
Idraggedmyselfintothe MHM office, exhausted but determined to clear Jack’s name. It had been days since I’d slept properly, but I couldn’t rest until I found concrete evidence to prove that he was innocent. As soon as I reached my desk, I buried my head in my hands, trying to muster the energy to go on.
My boss, even higher up than Emily, David Thompson, walked up to me, looking concerned.
“Maya, are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” I lied. “Just tired.”
“I understand that you’re working on a big story, but you need to take care of yourself,” he said. “I can’t have my employees collapsing on the job.”
“I know, I know,” I said, waving him off with a smile. “I’ll take a break soon.”
But I knew that wasn’t true. I couldn’t rest until I found something to clear Jack’s name. I spent long hours sifting through files and talking to people, trying to find any leads. I argued with David when he suggested that we hold off on going public until we had solid proof.
“It’s not fair to Jack,” I said, my voice shaking with anger. “He’s already suffered enough because of those false accusations. We need to clear his name as soon as possible.”
“But we need to be careful,” David said. “If we go public without enough evidence, we could be sued for defamation.”
“I understand the risks,” I said, gritting my teeth. “But we can’t wait any longer. Jack’s reputation is on the line.”
I kept pushing, but his answer was always a no.
Despite my exhaustion, my determination kept me going. Every time I found a new piece of evidence, I felt a rush of adrenaline. But my excitement was short-lived when I hit dead end after dead end. Fake witnesses and destroyed evidence. My heart sank as I realized that I was back to square one.
I collapsed into my chair, feeling defeated. All my hard work had led me nowhere. But then, a thought occurred to me. What if the people who accused Jack were paid to do so? What if there was someone behind this who wanted to ruin his reputation?
My mind raced as I tried to think of ways to prove my theory. I spent hours poring over financial records and looking for connections between Jack’s accusers and any potential culprits. It was grueling work, but I couldn’t give up now.
As the days passed, my relationship with Jack became strained. We both spent so much time working and trying to fix his issue that we only came together when we had to be there for Eli. Our conversations were short and tense, filled with frustration and exhaustion. I missed the way things used to be between us, but I knew that what was pulling us apart was really something we needed to get over to move forward.
I couldn't shake off the feeling that I wasn’t going to be able to help Jack. That I couldn’t do this or be who he needed right now.
I was scared that now that we were both under a lot of stress and the cracks were showing and they wouldn’t stop until we were completely broken.
Later that night, after dinner, Jack said he was going to sleep at his house so he could get an early start without disrupting us.
