Page 123 of Grown

“My mom got a letter with these... pictures Korey had taken of me,” Robyn says, blinking back tears. “Said, if I didn’t shut up, they’d release the photos.”

“He was threatening you,” Cindy says. “It’s witness intimidation tactics. To scare victims and silence survivors so they won’t come forward.”

“I know I was with him the longest,” Dione mutters. “Five years.”

“When was it over for you?” Lily asks.

Dione glances into her cup, her face ashen. “When he choked me until I passed out.”

No one gasped. No one except me. It’s like they were all too familiar with his dark side, which makes me realize... I only touched the surface of it.

“And you weren’t the longest. That goes to that she-devil, Jessica.”

The room nods in agreement.

“Anyone know what her deal is?” I ask, fishing for more info.

Dione shrugs. “Bitch is like a locked fortress. All I know is that she’s been in the game for a minute.”

“Then how old is she?”

Everyone shrugs.

“For all we know, she’s a damn vampire.”

The image of Korey and Jessica at that Grammys party pops into my head. My knuckles whiten as I grip the table.

“Hey, does anyone recognize the girl in the sex tape?” Tessa asks.

“She looks like Enchanted,” Lily quips.

I shake my head. “It’s isn’t me.”

The room stares, some crossing their arms.

“I swear, it’s not,” I add.

“Does it matter?” Dione scoffs. “It could’ve been any of us. That creep was always recording. He recorded us having sex, recorded me using the bathroom. Hell, surprised only one of those tapes showed up.”

“He recorded when we had sex with... other women,” Tessa says, her voice quivering with shame.

Lily chuckles. “He recorded me using a nanny cam. You know, one of them bears you hide in a baby’s room? Couldn’t believe it. I had no clue!”

A... nanny cam?

The cup of tea slips out of my hands, crashing on the floor.

“Enchanted,” Cindy says. “You OK?”

I push up from the table, heart racing. “I—I have to go.”

Cindy frowns. “Go? We just started.”

“I’m... I’m sorry.”

Behind me, I hear Lily mumble the wordliar.

The sun blinds me as I rush out the building, heading for the uptown train, using my last two percent to make a call.