Drowning In His Lies

CHAPTER 18: No Filter

8 PM. i********: Live.

Mimi didn't wear makeup. No wig. No filter. Just her, in a simple white shirt, hair in cornrows, sitting on the floor of her penthouse.

100k viewers. Then 200k. Then 500k.

She pressed GO LIVE.

"Hi," she whispered. "It's me. Mimi."

Comments flooded: "WE LOVE YOU!" "QUEEN!" "TELL US!"

She took a deep breath.

"One year ago, I was not a CEO. I was just a girl from Mushin who fell in love with a rich boy. Jaden Cole. I loved him with everything. I cooked for him, I prayed for him, I waited 3 years for him to marry me. Then on August 14th, his girlfriend, Tania Martins, decided I had to disappear."

Her voice cracked.

"They beat me. Four guys. In his living room. Jaden was there. He didn't hit me, but he watched. Then they dragged me, half naked, to a boat in Ikorodu. They filmed me while I was crying, bleeding, begging for my life. They called me a prostitute. They said no one would believe me because I was poor. Then they threw me into the water and watched me drown."

She wiped her tears.

"I didn't die. A fisherman saved me. His name is Baba T. He kept me in his house for 6 months because I lost my memory. I didn't remember who I was. When my memory came back, I found out my mother thought I was dead. Jaden thought I ran away with money. And Tania was living in my house, wearing my clothes."

500k people were crying in the comments.

"So I came back. Not to kill anyone. Not to be a CEO. I came back to clear my name. That video Tania leaked is not a s*x tape. It is a video of me being assaulted. And if you shared it, laughed at it, called me a runs girl... I forgive you. Because you didn't know. But now you know."

She looked straight into the camera.

"To every girl watching me who has been beaten, r***d, shamed, and told to keep quiet because 'Lagos will laugh at you' — don't keep quiet. Shout. Your shame is not yours. It belongs to the person who hurt you."

"Jaden is in police custody now. He confessed. Yes, he hurt me. But he also told the truth today, when it would have been easier to lie. I don't know if I can forgive him yet. I don't know if I love him or hate him. But I know I am done being a victim."

She smiled for the first time.

"My name is Mimi Amara. I am 24. I am from Mushin. I was almost killed. But I am alive. And tomorrow, I will still be the CEO of Cole Group. So if you still want to work with me... see you at work. 9 AM. Good night."

She ended the live.

In 10 minutes, #WeLoveYouMimi was number 1 worldwide.

In his cell, Jaden watched the live on a guard's phone and cried like a baby.

In his penthouse, Damien watched and whispered, "That's my girl."

And in her cell, Tania watched and threw the phone against the wall.

"She won," she whispered. "That bush girl won."

But Mimi wasn't done winning.

Because her DMs just blew up. The biggest brand in Africa wanted her as their ambassador.

And Jaden's mother, who hated her for 3 years, just sent a text:

"My daughter, please come home. Your husband is waiting."