Bound By Wrath

The video

A slap landed across Ashley’s face.

“How dare you disgrace the family like that, Ashley?” Olivia said, her eyes burning with rage.

Ashley couldn't look up, she just palmed her sore cheek, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

“How desperate were you that you had to do something stupid like that at the gala. Couldn't you control yourself?” Olivia was still fuming.

Ashley finally looked up, her palm still on her face. She managed to mumble with a cracked voice. “I didn't do anything.”

“Shut up! Then who was in the video? Was it me? Or Hailey? Or are you saying I'm lying?” She said sarcastically and stared daggers at Ashley.

Ashley's throat tightened. She didn't even understand what was going on. She was having severe tummy ache. That was why she left the gala early. She came home straight afterward and went to her room to relax, only for her to hear her stepmother yelling her name an hour later.

She came downstairs and Olivia had been talking about a video. What video?

“I don't understand mom,” a tear dropped from Ashley's left eye. “What video are you talking about?”

“Oh come on Ashley. Can we just skip the part where you pretend you're innocent?” Hailey said, pointing her perfectly manicured red nails, moving closer to Ashley.

“Pretend?” Ashley blinked. “What am I pretending about?”

Olivia just stood in the corner, her gaze threatening to pierce Ashley's soul.

“Mom, I told you. I noticed something was fishy when I saw Ashley going through the back door of the hotel when the event wasn't even halfway through.” She turned to look at her mom. “She was sneaking out to meet her lover.”

“Huh?”

“Oh please, Ashley, skip the drama. Everything is crystal clear now, everyone in the city knows. So stop pretending,” Hailey said, a look of disgust spread across her face.

Ashley was still confused. She didn't understand anything. She opened her mouth to say something, then her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out, and it was a video sent from an unknown number. She clicked it open.

Her eyes dried instantly, and her face turned pale as she saw the contents of the video. It was ten minutes long. It was a video of her and a man she had never seen before in her life in a compromised situation. She could have sworn with her life that the person in the video wasn't her, but it looked perfectly real.

In the video, the same blue dress she wore to the gala, the same hairstyle, the same makeup, the same frame. Everything. Her throat went dry instantly. Then the tearing of the dress was heard, and hot intimate sounds filled the room, and it was playing out loud from the video. It was even her voice.

Ashley's face turned crimson red with embarrassment as she turned off the phone. So this was the video her stepmother and sister had been talking about.

Olivia and Hailey just stood, a look of disgust spread across their faces.

“I—” She opened her mouth to say something but no words came out.

“I get it, Ashley. You've been caught. Was it your lover that sent it to you?” Hailey said with a sarcastic smile.

“I don't have any lover. And this video is fake.” She pointed out her phone to them.

“Really? So why did you leave the gala halfway through?” Olivia said as she narrowed her eyes.

“I was having a severe stomach ache, so I left through the backdoor so no one would notice.” Her voice came out hoarse.

“A cover-up excuse to justify your action. I mean Ashley, why can't you just admit it? Huh?” Hailey crossed her arm.

“I can't admit what is fake. This video is fake, and I can prove it.” Ashley's voice came out steadier than she intended.

Olivia's heart skipped a beat. “How do you intend to do that?”

“In the video, the dress was torn—and since it wasn't me, I can show you my dress in my room.”

“That's nonsense Ashley, what is the possibility of you not having it quickly stitched after the escapade?” Hailey looked at her with a lazy expression.

“Then you'll see the stitch mark.” She turned around confidently and headed to the staircase. “I'll prove it to you.”

“Hey, Ashley!”

She turned around.

“If I discover you wasted my time proving something false, you won't find it funny,” Olivia said with a hard expression that gave nothing away.

Ashley just sighed. “Okay mom, you can go ahead of me.”

Hailey just followed behind.

They reached the room and Ashley moved to her walk-in closet to find the dress. She looked at the exact spot she dropped the dress, but it was nowhere to be seen. She searched around for over three minutes but found nothing.

“Ashley, you're wasting my time.” Olivia pushed the glass door and walked in.

“Where is the dress?”

“It—it was here a f…few minutes ago. This is the exact spot I dropped it when I got home.” Ashley pointed to the dress rack beside the mirror.

“So where is it?”

“I…I don't know.”

“Ashley! I told you not to waste my time. You're gonna…..”

“Mom!!!! Mom!!! See what I found,” Hailey yelled from outside the closet.

Olivia walked out and saw Ashley's blue dress in Hailey's hand. Torn and battered.

Ashley followed behind and froze on the spot as her eyes landed on the dress. “This….no no no no no.” She moved to take the dress from Hailey.

“This isn't mine. How did….It's not…..I can't…”

The word stuck in Ashley's throat as she looked at the dress wide-eyed.

“You hid it pretty well, Ash. But you weren't smart enough.” Hailey said as she turned and walked out of the room.

“Mom, no I don't know how it ha….”

“Oh that's enough Ashley. Not another word from you. Until I clear this mess you made, you're not allowed to show your face downstairs. Am I clear?” Olivia pointed at her.

With a flat expression, Ashley just nodded slowly.

Then Olivia walked out.

Immediately she walked out, Ashley pulled out her phone and dialed a number.

“When will it be done?”