7
527words
Leo's photo was everywhere. Public enemy number one.
Then, a message came through. From one of the women gearing up for Naomi.
Leo, with nowhere to go, had run straight to Naomi.
I opened the chat.
"This man was involved too. He won't get away."
I scoffed. Talk about walking into the lion's den.
As the online storm grew, I posted a response video.
I laid it all out: the brutal assault by Leo and Naomi, the near-burial alive. It hit a million views in half a day.
I posted screenshots of the money I'd sent my mother over the years.
My medical reports.
"Knew there'd be a twist! Is the mom for real?"
"What, you've never met a bottomless pit for her family before?"
"God, my heart breaks for OP. Just bought two sweaters from their site to help out."
Amid the public sympathy, my mother and grandparents couldn't leave the house without being recognized and shamed.
Our company, "Verve Apparel," was flooded with orders.
With that settled, another video arrived. I clicked play.
Naomi was on her knees, begging. A lit cigarette was pressed into her palm. A sizzle.
"Ahhh! Please! Stop! I'm sorry!"
The cigarette was relit.
"I begged you too. Did you stop?"
She struggled like I had, held down, her screams echoing.
"I have money! I'll give it all to you! I'll make it right!"
Her hair was yanked. Slap after slap rained down on her face.
"You branded me seventeen times. I'm giving fifteen back."
She tried to scramble away. Hands pinned her. The cigarette found her skin, over and over.
"My turn. She carved 'slut' into my chest with a blade."
Her shirt was torn open. A thin razor blade traced lines.
Soon, her screams died to whimpers. She lay on the floor like a broken doll.
Needles under her fingernails. Held underwater. Something that left dark, sizzling marks on her skin.
And it wasn't over.
A new round of payback began.
Every cruelty she'd inflicted was returned in kind.
Leo didn't escape either.
A vicious kick to the groin had him writhing.
One of the women spoke. "Alright. Let's play a game."
"For every punishment one of you takes, the other gets a pass."
Naomi moved first. She lunged at Leo, fingers around his throat, grabbing a blade and slashing at him.
"This is your fault! If you hadn't lied about being rich, I wouldn't be here!"
Leo fought back, kicking her in the stomach, pinning her, taking a needle and stabbing.
"You're the one who demanded a damn condo to get married! I would've just waited for Aunt Lydia to force her to buy me one! This is on you!"
When it was over, Leo and Naomi lay motionless except for the shallow rise and fall of their chests.
The women in the video were smart. Their faces were never shown.
"Look at you two. You really did a number on each other. How tragic."
"Wonder what the sentence is for unlawful imprisonment and assault? Attempted murder on top of that? Maybe life?"
