“Um…Uh…” Blue-gray lawyer dude squirms in his seat. “How do we prove the origin of this video?”
Ronni pulls out a folder, hands it to him. “It circulated around the inner circle of predators that I’ve been speaking out against and goes even further. There’s a sworn statement in the folder you should read. I can get more. At least five people promised me they are willing to testify should it come down to that. Including my stylist, Hannah. She was there. She saw it with her own eyes.”
The women on the legal team are beside themselves. One is openly crying. Another gazes at Ronni empathetically. “Are you okay?”
“I will be. Tell him my price is ten million dollars. Not a penny less. It will be donated in equal parts to each of these charities.” Ronni slides a printout of five assorted nonprofit victim’s groups. “I want a permanent contractual restraining order with a hundred-million-dollar penalty if he harasses me in any way again—either on his own or using anyone else to do it on his behalf. It’s time for this man to leave me the fuck alone.” She levels her gaze on the older guy. “Both components must be agreed to, or I will go on a media tour. I’m more than willing to share this video with anyone who will watch it. Tell the world exactly what I lived through. Because if it will help innocent young women and men avoid what I endured, it will be worth it.”
The older man coughs. “He won’t believe you’d take this public. Frankly, I don’t either, Mrs. McGloughlin.”
The tall woman snaps, “Shut up, Howard. Do you know how many women put up with this type of shit every day? It doesn’t matter what our profession is. Men like those assholes lurk everywhere. Did you see the look of terror on her face? If you won’t honor Ms. Miller’s wishes on this, I will.”
“For the record,Howard.” Ronni stands and leans over the conference table. Glares directly into his eyes. “I have no problem at all releasing this. Part of mewantsto do it. I have been terrified of this video surfacing for years. My business partner took great pains to obtain each and every copy of this before I started filmingShe’s All That. Just to protect me. But, make no mistake, everyone in the industry knows about it. If it helps me wash my hands of this asshole forever and take my life back, it’s worth it. I’m not ashamed. I was exploited.”
“Are you certain, my love?” I grip her hand. Checking in. Making sure she’strulyokay.
She nods definitively. “Yes. I’m through letting Don-fucking-Kircher think he can control me. If what he did to me as a teenager wasn’t enough, my private investigators have evidence that he planted Yolanda in my home. I let that woman care for mychildren. When I fired her, he struck back and created deep-fake videos to hurt my husband. It all’s traced back to him.”
The lawyers shuffle through the folder and the paperwork. Consult wordlessly. Scribble notes.
“You have the evidence on all the rest, this should be the nail in the coffin. Here are my terms: he drops this suit within forty-eight hours, deposits the funds into my designated charities and I keep the video from being released. If he won’t agree—and I’m not negotiating this--I’m sending the video and all the evidence to every major news outlet.”
Howard shuffles some papers. The lawyers talk amongst themselves before he grumbles, “Yes. Okay. We understand perfectly. We’ll be in touch once we speak to his legal team.”
“You forgot this.” Ronni slides a flash drive to him.
His eyes dart around to his colleagues. “Uh. Right.” He snatches the device form the table. Gathers his things. Departs in a hurry. The others follow.
“We’re in town for three more days,” Ronni calls after them.
When they leave, I pull her into my lap. Cradle the love of my feckin’ life. “You are one brave woman, Veronica Mae Miller.”
“Not that brave. A big part of me wants him to take the deal so we can move on with our lives. The thing is? I’ve agonized over that video for nearly twenty years. From the second I realized they were filming me. Do you know how humiliating it’s been to know men have been beating off to my teenage naked body for years?” Ronni nestles into me. I clutch her tightly. “After Kircher fired me, I was positive he’d let it leak publicly. Try to convince my fans what a slut I was. How I deserved to be ostracized. Banned from Hollywood. Now that I’ve seen it, I realize that’s not what it shows at all.”
“No. You were a wee baby, my love. You were terrified. It makes me crazy to know that happened to you. I want to kill that bollocks.” I stroke her hair. Rub her back.
“I’d built it up into something it wasn’t. I remember seeing the flashing red light. Feeling like I was going to throw up. Knowing it was a setup for their dirty, perverted minds.” She cries softly.
“Mae, you didn’t know any better. How could you?”
“I realize that now. At the time, my mom was working three jobs. I figured if I could do what it took to get hired, we would solve our money problems. When I did get the job, we moved to Hawaii and our standard of living improved dramatically.” She looks up at me with a tear-streaked face. “Until I was fired after his failed attempt to rape me on my eighteenth birthday. It took me a year to recover. Acting lost its sheen, but I didn’t know what else I was qualified to do. Then I met Kris. Got lost being a sit-com star. America’s sweetheart. The celebrity life pulled me in. I bought into it. I’m not saying I didn’t—don’t—enjoy it. It’s just time for me to take my own break and decide how and if it’s what I want to do going forward. No matter what, I want to be with my kids when they’re young. I’m not going to miss their milestones for a career I don’t even know if I want anymore.”
We sit locked together for a long while. Ronni’s shared her thoughts in our counseling sessions. I’m learning a lot about the long-term effects of sexual trauma. Of my own trauma. Day by day we’re healing. Together.
Ronni pulls away. “My God, I looked terrified. Like a lamb being led to slaughter. In my mind, I exuded confidence. I remember repeating my mantra. Sticking my chest out. Cocking my hips so they’d think I could handle the part. I didn’t realize that they wanted me to be scared. It’s part of what they got off on. The power. the control.”
“They were counting on it. He’s used the video to keep you in line.” I gaze up at her. “No wonder you’ve developed such a survival instinct. As Lisa explained, when you get backed into a corner, you react to save yourself.”
Ronni surprises me by laughing. “It’s true. I’m ready to put it behind me, though. Let’s get out of here. Your mom’s at the hotel with the kids, and I want to spend the evening with them. Maybe even take them into the pool.”
“Sounds like the perfect evening, so it does.” I let her pull me out of my chair and we depart the law offices hand in hand.
Barry greets us at the car with a crooked grin. “Everything okay?”
“Better than okay.” Ronni scoots close to me. “No matter what comes next, today I’m a free woman.”
In this moment, I realize without any shadow of a doubt. My love for Ronni is deeper than any pond, lake, sea, or ocean.
No storm will ever topple us again.