Chapter 639 Elara's Past
"Hold up," Elara said, feeling a bit guilty about Jesse's praise. "Let's get back on track."
"Sure thing," Jesse replied, being super cooperative.
"So, when I started school, someone started chasing after me. But I had feelings for you, so I wasn't interested," Elara said seriously. "When that guy confessed, I turned him down flat."
Jesse listened quietly, not saying a word.
Elara bit her lip. "But he was a real jerk. Probably the first time he'd been rejected, so he decided to get back at me."
Jesse's brow furrowed, showing his concern.
"He got some people to make fake videos with my face on them," Elara said, her voice calm but still disgusted by the memory. "They spread them everywhere and talked trash about me on forums."
"Those videos, were they..." Jesse's anger was rising.
Elara nodded. "Exactly what you're thinking."
"Who was involved?" Jesse was already plotting revenge.
Elara squeezed his hand. "I already sent everyone involved to jail."Jesse's face was still tense, his eyes burning with intensity. "Give me the list," he demanded.
Elara didn't want to dwell on the past. "Forget it, I've already made them pay."
She hesitated for a moment before adding, "Besides, by now, those people have probably been out for a few years."
Seeing her reluctance, Jesse didn't push further. But his mind was already at work.
Later that night, as Elara took a shower, Jesse couldn't let it go. He dug into the past events, finding that while the videos were banned, the forums still had nasty comments. His anger flared anew.
Jesse gathered the names of those involved, planning to get Elara her revenge when the time was right. He couldn't believe she had gone through all that alone.
Elara stepped out of the shower, her hair damp and a towel wrapped around her. She saw Jesse still busy at the computer, his expression dark. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing," Jesse said, closing the laptop and grabbing a towel to dry her hair. "Just handling some stuff."
Elara didn't press further.
While drying her hair, Jesse was deep in thought.
"Are you still upset about what I told you?" Elara guessed.
"It's not that. I'm just thinking about how you got through it," Jesse said, feeling bad. She had helped him so much, yet he hadn't been there for her.
Elara smiled, trying to ease his worry. "It wasn't as bad as you think. I sued them, and life went back to normal."
Jesse couldn't shake the feeling of guilt. 'She's the one who needs comfort, not me,' he thought. 'She deserves it. She's endured so much pain, yet here she is, comforting me. How could anyone hurt someone so kind and strong?'
"Why didn't you tell me?" Jesse asked, his guilt intensifying. She had given him everything, yet he hadn't been there for her.
"It wouldn't have helped," Elara said. "You and Mark were both in the country. Telling you would have just made you worry."
Jesse paused, remembering they had just started college back then, when he had no power or connections and could only have flown over to comfort Elara.
"Don't stress about it," Elara said, trying to calm him down. "It's all in the past, and those jerks got what they deserved."
But honestly, that was the toughest time for Elara. Even though she had a loving and supportive family, she still broke down when faced with such a nightmare.
The day the video first spread, someone on the forum immediately exposed Elara's major and house. Her personal info and contact details were also posted. She got bombarded with harassing calls and messages.
Those messages were all the same: How much for a night? How much for a session? Never thought you were so loose.
Her phone was flooded with explicit and humiliating words. Elara tried to explain, but it was useless. She had been well-protected since childhood and had never encountered such darkness. But her first encounter was a nightmare.
After that day, her classmates started looking at her differently. Except for Autumn, the others either avoided her or harassed her.
Because of those disgusting words and false rumors, Elara hid in her house for two days and nights, neither eating nor drinking, falling into severe depression and emotional collapse.
During that time, Elara wanted to cry to Jesse, to vent her frustration. But every time she opened his chat window, she forced herself to close it.
Elara didn't want Jesse to worry about her, especially since Jesse was just an ordinary freshman at that time.
Despite trying to avoid them, those people even came to her house to mock her.
Maybe she was pushed too far, or maybe the repression had reached its limit and started to rebound. When those people came to laugh at her, she coldly cursed them out for the first time.
After that, Elara started methodically gathering evidence, devoid of any emotion, like a robot. When someone came to harass her, she would just pull out a knife for defense.
Over time, everyone thought she had gone mad, especially after some who tried to bully her were injured by her knife.
After more than a month of darkness, Elara submitted the collected evidence to the court and officially sued them.
During the half-year wait for the trial, Elara still received harassing messages and calls from those people, even after changing her number.
The forums were still filled with dirty comments, but she told herself she had to be strong.
Later, with Autumn's company, she got through it.
After the verdict, some people still talked, but because of this incident, Elara gained a reputation for being tough. Coupled with her excellent grades, fewer people talked, and her life gradually returned to normal.
"From now on, I'll protect you." Jesse hugged her, wanting to pass his warmth to her. "No matter what happens, you have to tell me first."
"Okay." Elara smiled.
Jesse continued to hold her. Though he hadn't personally encountered such experiences, he was acutely aware of the profound harm such events could inflict on a girl.
A casual comment online could have become the last straw that broke a girl. He didn't know how Elara managed to get through it, but he knew he had to personally help her get revenge.
"It's okay, I'm fine now," Elara felt his emotions and kept reassuring him.
Jesse felt uneasy. "I want you to know that you can rely on me now."
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