Chapter 45: Liberating Truth

Am I really ready to do this?

I'm sitting next to my window, feeling the warm breeze of an August morning, yet I'm shaking. If I'd stayed up all night it would have made no difference to my exhaustion. By the morning the bed sheets were in a knot and aside from a few fit-full half hours of vivid dreams, I barely slept at all. My brain is constantly searching for details I could have possibly missed out and possible evidence that could further prove that my story is right. My stomach shifts uneasily and I notice that the hands that I am hugging myself with are pinching into my skin. I released my hands but then I couldn’t figure out what to do with them, so instead they clasped and unclasped each other as if in constant need of touch and reassurance.

“Sandra, are you ready?” Arthur’s low and husky voice snapped me out of the trance I was in. I rigidly turned to look at him and nodded reluctantly in response. He let out a soft sigh as he held my face with both of his hands. “It will be alright. I’m here.” He said assuringly before he planted a soft kiss on my forehead. A quiet contentment spread across my face as hope bloomed inside of me.

“Yes.” I finally said with fake confidence as I gave him a small smile. He nodded as a retort before he grabbed his laptop and sat next to me. He placed his laptop on his lap, moving it a little to the side for me to see everything. His mouse was now hovering over the “publish” button.

“We are going to fight back.” He said seriously as he furrowed his eyebrows in determination. “We will give Kevin a taste of his own medicine.” I swallowed the lump that was in my throat as I moved his hand away from the keypad. He turned to look at me in confusion. “Why--” I cut him short.

“I want to do it.” I responded solemnly as my hand was on the keypad now, moving the mouse back to the “publish” button. “This is my battle.”

And with that, I posted the video.

Arthur and I filmed a response video to Kevin’s statement that had more solid proof - screenshots, raw security footage, receipt of the items that he damaged in my house that I had to fix, a picture of the mess he left my apartment in, my hair color, and Ellie’s testimony who was able to witness everything from the sidelines.

I honestly hesitated to let Ellie tweet her own side of the story after I posted my video, knowing that she still worked in KB Studios. However, she insisted on doing this for me. She applied to other companies just in case she would get fired but she believed that things would eventually move towards my favor and that Kevin had no right to kick her out from the company for saying the truth.

A small yet triumphant smile crept my lips as I couldn’t help but feel grateful for the amazing support system that I have. I didn’t know what I’d do without Arthur and Ellie’s help. They mean the whole world to me.

“Thank you.” I said sincerely as I put an arm over Arthur and placed my head lovingly on his shoulder. He reciprocate the gesture by leaning his head on mine as well.

“We’ll get through this together. I swear.” He said assuringly as he gave me a light squeeze. My grin widened. This time, I don’t need his reassurance. Despite the anxiety and fear I’ve been feeling throughout all of this, I knew that I’ll eventually be triumphant.

The truth will always come out.

I opened my mouth to speak until I saw the tweets that were coming in when Arthur went to the website. Tears started to well up in my eyes as I read each of them one by one. I was overwhelmed by the amount of support that I am receiving that I couldn’t help but cry. A tear rolled down my cheek but I quickly wiped it with the back of my hand. It has been a rough few weeks, but I managed to push through it.

There’s no time to be weak now.

@Ellie_1020
Sandra is a friend of mine. I was there to comfort her when Mr. Butler took advantage of her and spread fake rumors about her. It pained me to see her go through all of these things just because of some nasty producer. I only chose to speak now because I’ve had enough of Kevin’s deliberate plans to make Sandra suffer. I don’t care whether I get fired from KB Studios anymore. Enough is enough Kevin Butler.

@AL_421lg

What a horrible human being Kevin Butler really is! Imagine editing a fake video just to pin the blame on the victim. #JailKevinButler

@Brittany7293

Kevin Butler should be held accountable for all his wrongdoings. People should also apologize to Sandra for believing the video Kevin posted.

@KLCR071298-

I feel so guilty going against Sandra’s words. I can’t believe Kevin Butler would stoop so low.

All these tweets resurfacing on the web supporting me and turning against Kevin brought so much gladness into my heart. It felt like all the hard work I had put into revealing the truth were finally paying off.

My thoughts were cut off by my phone ringing. I set the laptop down and got up to where my phone was located. It was from an unknown number. As soon as the call connected, the other line’s voice made me shiver.

It was a voice I knew well: Kevin.

I told Arthur it was Kevin who was calling. He asked me to place the call on speaker mode and record the call so that we have another evidence against him.

“Hello, Sandra!” His excitement sounded so fake that I tried to hide the urge to gag at him.

“What do you want?” I asked him seriously, trying to sound as normal as I can.

“Well, I saw the stunt you pulled today. I’m just here to congratulate you on a job well done.” He muttered dangerously, dropping his pretentious act.

“What can I say? I learned from the best.” I retorted, sounding a bit arrogant. I know by doing this it can put him off and reveal his true self. “You think you can take me down by editing the video? I thought you’re better than that.” I provoked him even more.

“Listen here you bitch, I can easily take those things down.” His voice was getting louder. I’m sure he’s getting riled up right now with my taunting. “Didn’t you know? I can pay a hefty amount of cash to the police so they’ll cover everything up.” He added proudly. This made me smile as I got another evidence to win against him.

Arthur asked me to step aside so that he’ll be the one to talk to him. I hesitated for a bit but he reassured me that he can take it from here. I reluctantly gave him the phone but I knew I could trust him.

“Hello, Kevin! This Arthur Williams.” Arthur said coldly. “Do you want to continue this to court?” My eyes widened at his sudden statement. Arthur looked like he was dead serious as he waited for Kevin to answer. He cleared his throat to respond.

“What?” Kevin croaked out.

This is getting more interesting.