I stand my ground. “In California, revenge porn can get you six months in jail.”
She flinches.
Dr. Shaw stands up behind his desk. “Surely, Hayden, you can let this go now.”
I think I finally see the light at the end of this tunnel, but then her eyes turn fierce. “I don’t care.”
Fuck! I only have one last hand to play. I take out a stack of papers from my briefcase and toss it on Dr. Shaw’s desk.
“What’s this?” he asks, as he begins to look through it.
“It’s every text that Hayden has sent to me. Every threat. Every screen capture of that fucking video. It’s all here and my lawyer has it. You back off, Hayden, or I’ll go to the police. Stalking me can get you five years in prison in California. Since you followed me to New York, and not only confronted me but spied on me, I might file charges there as well.”
“Jesus, Oliver.” Dr. Shaw shakes his head.
“It’s up to Hayden,” I say, keeping my gaze on her to let her know I’m not backing down.
“You’re a bastard, Oliver, do you know that?” she yells.
I stare at her, wondering what is wrong with her. “Just because I don’t love you?”
“You can’t just leave someone, Oliver. I was good to you.”
I shake my head. “You complained all the time about me.” I change my voice to use her tone. “Why did you have to work late, Oliver? My dad could have followed up with that patient. Why do you have to have dinner with your parents, Oliver? You don’t like them anyway-”
“Well, you don’t,” she says, stepping back from me and it’s the first sign I have that maybe she’s losing her bluster.
“It doesn’t matter, Hayden. You wouldn’t let me have a life.”
“When you’re in a relationship, that’s all the life you need.”
I look to Dr. Shaw for help, but he’s clearly given up as he sits back down. I turn my attention back to Hayden.
“I had a job and a family. I had friends. Being in a relationship doesn’t mean I give those up. You don’t have to either.”
She looks down and bites her lip. “Maybe I could change.”
Oh, hell no. “You’ll have to if you want to have a successful relationship. But it won’t be with me.”
Her sweet, forgive-me face morphs into anger. “So you’re fucking that other woman?”
I pause to keep from lashing out at her. “What I do is none of your business.”
“What will she think if I send her that video?”
I grit my teeth. “If you contact her, I’ll definitely file charges against you. That’s my line, Hayden. You stay the fuck away from her or I’ll be the one ruining you.”
She gasps and turns to her father. “He’s threatening me, Dad.”
Dr. Shaw lets out a long sigh. “Hayden, for the love of God, let him go. I can’t protect you from him, and clearly I can’t protect you from yourself.”
She jerks, clearly not liking that answer. She pulls out her phone and with menace in her eyes, she begins to tap it.
“What are you doing?” her father asks.
“I’m posting the video-”
“Jesus Christ.” Dr. Shaw jumps up, grabbing her phone.