Go back and read Part 1
I started with the living room and checked every drawer and cabinets. Nothing weird — just papers, old photos, and the usual clutter. But when I got to Daniel’s bedroom, everything changed.
In the back of his closet, behind a pile of boxes, I found a briefcase. Inside, there were folders — dozens of them — each labeled with names I didn’t recognize. But one folder caught my attention. It had Jennifer’s name on it.
I opened it with my shaking hands. Inside were photos, documents, and something that made me feel sick: screenshots of private messages between Jennifer and me. They must have been taken from her phone. There were even stills from a video — videos of us, together, in her room, in Daniel’s house.
Someone had been recording us. I knew instantly it wasn’t Jennifer; she’d never betray me like that. No, this was Daniel. Or Scott. Maybe both.
At the bottom of the stack was a document outlining a plan to publicly shame Jennifer for her “immoral behavior.” The goal wasn’t just to ruin her relationship with Daniel — it was to ruin her entirely. There were notes about her family’s political connections, suggestions on how to leak information about Jennifer’s lesbian identity to conservative media outlets, and even a timeline for releasing the video footage.
My hands shook as I read through the file. The pieces started falling into place. Daniel and Scott weren’t just friends — they were partners in this scheme. And it wasn’t just about Jennifer; it was about political leverage. Jennifer’s father was a key player in a local election, and exposing her sexuality would polarize voters, ensuring a win for the opposing side.
I remembered the photo of Daniel and Scott with that Christian leader. This wasn’t just about settling personal scores — it was about power, control, and using us as pawns in their sick game.
I had no idea how long I sat there, staring at the evidence. The sound of a car pulling into the driveway snapped me out of my thoughts. Panic hit me hard. I quickly put everything back as neatly as I could, locked the briefcase, and pushed it back into the closet. Without wasting a second, I slipped out through the back door just as Daniel and his family walked inside.
That night, I couldn’t sleep. How could Daniel do this? He was my best friend. And Scott — he’d always seemed so genuine, so kind. But it had all been a lie.
The next day, I met Jennifer at a coffee shop. I didn’t want to tell her, not yet. She looked so happy to see me But I knew I couldn’t keep this from her forever.
“Jennifer,” I began, “there’s something you need to know.”
I told her everything. About the folder, the photos, the videos. Her face went pale, and for a moment, I thought she might faint.
“We have to go to the police,” she said, but I denied it immediately. “Do you really think they’ll help? Your family’s influence might protect you, but what about me? They’ll twist this into something it’s not. And Daniel… he knows people. Powerful people.”
Jennifer looked at me, her eyes wet with tears. “What do we do, Brittany? What can we do?”
It was then that I made my decision.
“We leave,” I said. “We leave this mess behind.”
That night, we packed what little we could carry and left the country. I didn’t tell anyone, not even my family.
We started over, somewhere no one knew us. It wasn’t easy. We had to rebuild our lives from scratch, but for the first time we were free. Free to love each other without fear. Free from the lies and manipulation of the people we thought we could trust.
I don’t know what happened to Daniel and Scott after we left. I imagine their plan fell apart when they realized we were gone. Or maybe they found another way to achieve their goals. It doesn’t matter anymore.
All that matters is that Jennifer and I have each other. And in the end, that’s worth more than anything they tried to take from us.
