Page 37 of Under Rusted Stars

“Yes,” I answer.

“How many times?”

“I… I don’t know,” I say honestly.

“More than one time?”

“Yes.”

Amy pauses and paces in front of the stand for a moment. “Olivia, did Mr. Hayes ever force you into sexual situations with other men?”

I can feel the shame nearly crushing me alive, and Jason's eyes are burning through me. “Yes,” I whisper.

“Can you explain that to the court?”

My eyes blur with tears as I finally let myself look over at the jury. Just a quick glance before looking at my hands. “Sometimes, he would let his clients have sex with me to close business deals… Sometimes men would pay him… Sometimes it was to pay a debt to men he owed money.”

“Were you consenting to these interactions, Olivia?”

“No,” I whimper.

“What would happen if you refused?” she asks.

“I would be whipped with this metal wire rod thing until I was bleeding and unconscious,” I say. “The men would still use me to… They’d have sex with me while I was unconscious.”

“What injuries did you sustain during the final attack from Mr. Hayes?” Amy asks.

“I had broken ribs, a concussion, and a lot of bruising,” I answer. “There was extensive swelling in my throat from being strangled, so I was hospitalized so they could help me breathe better.”

“After leaving the hospital, did you appear in court for the original proceedings?”

“No,” I sigh.

“Why not?”

“I was scared.”

“Scared of what, Olivia?” Amy asks.

“That if he got out…” I say, but the truth chokes me. “He’d kill me.”

“How is your life now?” Amy asks.

“It’s getting better,” I say. “I’ve reconnected with childhood friends. I struggle with intimacy, and I suffer from being triggered by the memories.”

“I received word this morning that you gave the police evidence of Mr. Hayes allowing men to rape you in exchange for money, correct?”

“Objection, Your Honor. I had no knowledge of this.”

“Your Honor, I would like to submit into evidence, Exhibit 105A. This is an SD card containing three terabytes of files collected by Ms. Monroe from their home computer before she filed for divorce. We have authenticated where the files originated and can confirm they were taken from Mr. Hayes’ laptop computer. I emailed a copy of everything to you and the assisting counsel of Mr. Hayes before court this morning,” Amy says.

“Proceed with questioning,” the Judge says.

“Olivia, in your own words, what are the contents of these files?”

“Uh… Jason kept a record of every man he let rape me. He documented their names, accounts they paid him from, or what business deal was being negotiated, and…”

“And what, Olivia?” Amy presses.