He Erased Me From The Photo I Erased Him From My Life Chapter 19
The post already had hundreds of comments.
Some of Owen’s old friends recognized the photo.
A few asked if I had really called off a wedding over a single memorial picture. Others called me heartless for being jealous of a widow.
Sloane had liked each comment, one by one.
Under one of them, she had even replied:
“I already lost my husband. I just don’t understand why she had to make Lucy and me lose another family member, too.”
I handed the phone back to Naomi and opened my laptop.
Sure enough, a half-dozen emails from unknown senders had landed in my company inbox. The subject lines all contained the same words: *jealousy*, *dead friend’s widow*, *abandoned child*.
Naomi pulled a chair over and sat beside me.
“Do you want me to go talk to HR?”
“My lawyer first.”
I logged into my cloud drive and opened the backup folder I had created months ago.
The hotel confirmation, the DoorDash order, Sloane’s fake ER post—every last file was there.
Each screenshot was stamped with its original date and time.
At the bottom of the folder was the original post she had made with that “family photo.”
I shared viewing access to the entire folder with my lawyer and included the link to Sloane’s new post.
My phone rang almost immediately.
“She’s named you and your employer directly. This is defamation, not just vague complaining,” my lawyer said. “I’m sending a formal cease and desist notice now. Do I have your authorization to release materials directly relevant to her accusations if she continues to spread them?”
I looked at the photo on the screen.
The first time, Sloane had used it to declare that I didn’t belong.
Now, she was using it to paint me as a villain who had hurt a widow and her child.
“You have my authorization.”
My lawyer paused. “If we release anything, the details of her night with Owen at the hotel will become public.”
“That’s something they did,” I said. “Not a story I invented.”
I closed the laptop.
“Redact the child’s information. Other than that, just state the facts.”
After I hung up, I forwarded the harassing emails to HR in a single batch, without comment or explanation.
Naomi rewrapped the taco that had gone cold. “Are you okay?” she asked quietly.
“I’m fine.”
I picked up my Coke and took a long sip.
“I just finally don’t have to keep their secrets for them anymore.”
Half an hour later, the legal notice landed in Sloane’s inbox.
She didn’t delete the post.
Instead, she posted a new story.
White text on a black background. Just one sentence:
“People who can afford lawyers don’t always have a conscience. I’m going live tomorrow night to tell the whole truth.”