Emily had carried this weight in silence for too long. The burden pressed heavily on her chest, making each breath feel laboured, each thought clouded with dread. For days, she had wrestled with the idea of telling James, the one person who had given her a sense of safety and belonging. But how could she? How could she risk shattering everything they had built?

Yet, deep down, she knew the truth could not be avoided any longer.

That evening, as she sat alone in her dimly lit flat, she took a deep breath and began typing, her fingers trembling over the screen.

“I never told you the real reason I needed space or why I said you could move on. I wanted to protect you from this, but I realise now that I cannot hide it any longer. I made a mistake, James—a terrible mistake—and I wish more than anything that I could undo it.”

Her heartbeat pounded in her ears as she continued.

“I have already spoken to some friends who can help get the video taken down if it is ever leaked. The threat is that he will send it to people we know. Ryan has been pressuring me to patch things up, but I told him I couldn’t. I thought it was just a passing conversation, nothing of consequence, which is why I didn’t feel the need to mention it. But then he started threatening me. I had no idea he still had it…”

Her breath hitched as she forced herself to type the next words.

“Years ago, I made a sex tape. Or, rather, he made one. I thought it had been deleted, but it wasn’t. Now, he is using it against me.”

She paused, staring at the screen, feeling sick to her stomach. The weight of her past mistakes bore down on her.

“He claims he will send it to my friends to humiliate me. Last night, I barely slept. He sent a part of it to me before we spoke, just enough to remind me of what he holds over me. Seeing it again made me realise how foolish I had been. I swear to you, I never consented to this. He was always in the habit of recording me without my knowledge. When I found out, I made him delete it—at least, I thought I did. He even said keeping it was unsafe, but he lied.”

Tears blurred her vision as she typed on.

“I am not ashamed because I am human, and humans make mistakes. But I regret this more than I can say. I never meant to embarrass you or my family. I am only trying to take control before he does. If I own up to it first, perhaps I can rob him of his power. I have spoken to some friends he might send it to, and they have promised to help take it down before it spreads.”

Her hands were shaking now. The thought of James reading this, knowing the worst of her, made her chest tighten.

“I am so sorry. I wish I could be the woman you deserve. You are the best thing in my life, and I do not want to lose you. But if you choose to walk away, I will understand. I have already prepared myself for whatever decision you make.”

She hesitated before adding the final lines.

“I wish I could go back in time and erase this mistake. I really do. But I cannot. And now, it is catching up with me.”

With a deep, unsteady breath, she pressed send. Then, she waited.