My Boyfriend’s Childhood Sweetheart Set Me Up As An Escort Chapter 04
The Sidewalk
I’m standing on the front steps, pulling my coat tighter against the wind.
The wine stain on my dress is already going stiff in the cold.
Behind me, the door opens. Sadie’s voice carries into the night.
“Oh, she’s still here? Figured she’d run back to whatever corner she came from.”
She’s got her phone out. Recording.
Shane’s neighbors are on their porches now. Watching.
Sadie raises her voice. Performing.
“Hey everyone! Merry Christmas! Meet Erin Hart. Shane’s little girlfriend.”
“Except she’s not who she says she is. She’s a hooker. Got busted in a sting last month.”
“Tried to lock down a nice guy and ride his family’s money out of the gutter.”
One of the neighbors laughs. Another shakes his head.
“She looked so proper. Who’d have guessed.”
“Poor Shane. Boy must’ve been blind.”
Sadie keeps going. Louder now. Feeding off the audience.
“Tell them, Erin. Tell them about the motel. Tell them about begging the cops on your knees.”
“Or is that just your natural position?”
I turn around. Look at her.
She’s expecting tears. Begging. A breakdown.
Instead, I take one step toward her. My voice is low and clear.
“You done?”
That throws her. She recovers fast.
“What’s the matter? Truth hurt? Go ahead, call someone. Call your pimp.”
“Or wait—was that the number you were trying earlier?”
Shane appears in the doorway. Arms crossed. Watching me like I’m a stranger.
“Erin, just go. You’ve embarrassed yourself enough.”
“Just looking at you makes me sick. First thing tomorrow, I’m going to the doctor.”
“Full workup. And if you gave me anything, I swear to God, I will bury you.”
Sadie rubs his arm. Cooing.
“Don’t waste your breath on someone like her. She’s not worth it.”
I look at Shane one last time.
Nothing. Not a flicker of the man I thought I knew.
I straighten up. Square my shoulders.
“Shane. You want me gone? I’m gone.”
“But not because you told me to. Because I’m choosing to leave.”
“And Sadie—”
I lock eyes with her.
“I’ll give you one last chance. Tell everyone right now that you made this up. Apologize. And I walk away clean.”
“Last offer.”
Sadie’s face twists. She laughs, high and sharp.
“Apologize? To you? A street whore?”
She turns back to her phone. The live-stream is running.
“Everyone watching—look at this. She’s still trying to bluff her way out.”
“This is the most pathetic thing I’ve ever seen.”
The comments are rolling in:
“Damn, she’s bold 💀”
“Just leave, girl, it’s over”
“Streamer spill more tea”
“This is wild for Christmas Eve”
Sadie reads them out loud. Grinning.
“See, Erin? The whole internet knows what you are now.”
“How’s it feel? Being seen for what you really are?”
I pull my phone out one more time. This time I don’t call Reeves.
I open my camera. Aim it right at Sadie.
“You’re live-streaming? Good. So am I.”
“Everything you just said. Everything you just did. On the record.”
“Defamation. Harassment. All of it timestamped.”
“You just handed me the evidence, Sadie. Gift-wrapped.”
For the first time all night, something cracks in her face.
Real fear. Just a flash.
Then she covers it with a sneer.
“Please. You think anyone’s going to believe a hooker over me?”
I smile. Not warmth in it.
“They won’t have to believe anyone. They’ll watch the tape.”
I turn and walk down the steps. Into the snow. Back straight. Head up.
Behind me, Sadie is still yelling. Performing.
But her voice is getting thinner.
I don’t look back.