But every single time, Benjamin shut me down with that sharp, scolding tone of his.
"Stop making trouble! Digging into this isn't helping her. You're only forcing her to relive the trauma!"
Now, watching the footage on my screen, watching Benjamin tangled up with Elise, the two of them so desperate they nearly broke down the equipment room door, the pain that tore through my chest was beyond anything I could control.
So it was true. Exactly what I had suspected all along.
Elise had never been assaulted. She had been cheating with him.
I dragged the video's progress bar forward, and something unbelievable appeared on the screen.
My pupils blew wide.
After a long silence, I let out a bitter, broken laugh.
Benjamin Delgado.
Did you have any idea that your self-righteous little act of "protection" just made you someone else's fall guy?
My phone buzzed with a string of messages from Benjamin, urging me to hurry. I pushed the thoughts down and typed back a calm reply.
"Fine. I'll be there."
I would go. But not to clear their names.
I was going to deliver the heaviest blow of their lives.
When I arrived at the wedding venue, every pair of eyes that found me carried the same look: mockery and contempt.
Elise's mother spotted me and marched straight over, spitting at my feet. Her voice was shrill enough to cut glass.
"You! You shameless little tramp! You're the one who ruined my daughter! Go to hell, you filthy whore!"
She and a handful of equally aggressive older women grabbed at my clothes, tearing at the fabric, the word whore flying from their mouths like a refrain until security finally pulled them off me.
I ignored every word. I smoothed my clothes, lifted my chin, and walked inside.
The ceremony was about to begin. The venue was packed with guests, and I could see media crews set up along the sides. Of course. Benjamin wanted to use this occasion to cement the story he'd been spinning online, to prove his and Elise's innocence in front of as many witnesses as possible.
The moment Benjamin saw me, relief washed over his face. He smiled the easy, knowing smile of a man who believed he'd already won.
He walked up and reached for my hand with practiced familiarity.
"See? Would it have killed you to cooperate from the start? Why'd you have to push things to where they went last night?"