Chapter 3

Hannah Eaton POV:

Blaire' s voice was a shaky whisper. "Your... your fiancé?" Her eyes, wide with disbelief, flickered to Erik.

Erik swallowed hard, his throat working. "Blaire, it's complicated," he rasped, his voice dry and hollow. He didn't deny it, but he definitely didn't affirm it. He was trying to minimize, to distance himself from me, even now.

A bitter, broken laugh escaped my lips. "Complicated?" I echoed, the sound harsh and ugly. "That's rich."

Blaire, seeing Erik' s lack of a full denial, seemed to regain a sliver of her composure. She scoffed, a dismissive sound. "Ms. Eaton, I think your trauma, combined with an obvious emotional dependency, is clouding your judgment. Dr. Nichols has been tirelessly working to help you process your past. Perhaps you' re projecting." Her voice hardened. "Please, don't drag him into your... theatrics."

My hand, still clutching the microphone, tightened. My voice, usually soft, suddenly resonated across the stunned room. "Theatrics? You think this is theatrics?" Each word was a hammer blow. "Is it theatrics when a psychiatrist, a man sworn to help, uses his patient's deepest fears, her most confidential confessions, to craft a sensational story? Is it theatrics when he hands over her private therapy tapes and journals to his ex-girlfriend, knowing they'll be twisted, edited, and weaponized against her?"

I leaned into the mic, my voice trembling with a mixture of rage and raw pain. "He didn't just open old wounds, Blaire. He took a scalpel, carved them wider, and then let you pour salt into them for public consumption! He leaked my medical privacy! He manipulated my story! He betrayed my trust! Every single confidential session, every journal entry, every tear I shed believing he was helping me heal... he used it all!"

My eyes burned into Erik's. He was visibly shrinking, his face now sickly gray. "Are you scared, Erik? Are you finally scared?" My voice was a ragged whisper, yet it cut through the silence like a knife. It was a cry from the depths of my soul, laced with blood and tears.

The theater was utterly still, the air thick with unspoken accusations. Erik couldn't meet my gaze. He looked down at his shoes, his shoulders slumped. The audience, once captivated, now looked bewildered, many gazing with dawning horror at Erik.

He mumbled, his voice barely audible, "I... I thought it would help you. Exposure therapy. Helping Blaire... get the truth out."

I repeated his words, a mocking echo. "Help me? Exposure therapy?" Another bitter laugh escaped me, sounding more like a sob. "By painting me as a liar? By making my kidnappers out to be innocent youths I seduced for money and attention? Is that your idea of 'helping'?"

I took another step closer, my hand still gripping the mic, forcing him to look at me. "Look at me, Erik! Look me in the eye and tell me, truly, was this for my good? Or was it all for Blaire? For her podcast? For her career? For your ego?"

My accusation, though left unsaid, hung heavy in the air. It was all for her, wasn't it? Your college sweetheart. The one you never truly got over. You sacrificed me, your fiancé, for her success. The thought was a venomous snake, twisting in my gut.