Is this destiny?

In the family room…

Sarah sat on the sofa with Meili. About thirty other girls stood or sat around them, waiting anxiously to hear Meili's story.

Sarah called a medic to come and take care of Meili's cut on the forehead. Almost half of her face was bloodied, but once it was cleaned up, only a small cut remained.

Once the medic stepped away, Xiaohui took a seat next to Meili and held her hand to comfort her.

Sarah glanced at the girls around them, and other than few which are in the adjacent room, all others are present. Sarah can see in their faces: confusion, anxiousness, concern, and she can also see that most of them believe that Meili was assaulted, before they even heard the facts. Well, Sarah is not surprised, but she is saddened. Mostly by the fact that Meili would go this far.

"Why don't you start from the beginning?", Sarah asked Meili calmly.

"I wanted to help him out and he…"

"No.", Sarah interrupted Meili. "That is not the beginning. Start from the part of when you left this room."

Meili was surprised by this request. "What? Why?"

"Why did you go to the basement? Did you know that Aiden will be there?"

Meili paused. "How is that important?"

"You accused my husband of molesting you. I am trying to understand what happened and how it happened, from your point of view."

Meili pursed her lips and looked around at all the girls in the room before turning to look at Sarah. "I heard that Aiden went to the basement and I headed that way. He saved me from that man, and I wanted to thank him. I wanted to thank him earlier, but he was busy, and now it was just him, so I thought it's a good opportunity. I found him in one of the rooms with boxes. I called to get his attention and he asked me why I am there and if I came alone..." Meili inhaled a choppy breath and continued in a shaky voice: "And then next thing I know, he pinned me down."

"Is that how you got hurt on your forehead?"

Meili opened her mouth and it. A few seconds later, she responded: "I'm not sure. Everything happened quickly."

Sarah signed while staring at the carpet. 

"What are you going to do about it?", Meili asked Sarah after some time.

Sarah lifted her gaze and looked at Meili. "Is there something you want to add, or remove from your story? Or is that the final version you are sticking with?"

Meili was shocked by these questions. How can Sarah be so calm? Is it possible that Sarah knows what happened? Not possible, she was in the study room with a few other girls. Meili made sure of that before heading to the basement. 

Xiaohui saw Meili's expression and her heart broke. She assumed that Meili is not saying anything because she is petrified, and as Meili's friend, it's her duty to speak up.

Xiaohui snorted and spoke to Sarah: "What do you mean, the final version? Are you saying that she made it up? Why would she do that?"

Sarah's gaze moved slowly to Xiaohui. "I am asking if she wants to add or remove something from her story before I call Aiden and ask him what happened."

"I knew it!", Xiaohui exclaimed. "This is just like every time a girl is assaulted. You will believe his word over Meili's! He wanted to force himself on her, but somehow, it's her fault. You are a woman, how can you be so heartless? What is the point in asking Meili to explain herself if you will defend your husband no matter what he did!?"

Few members from the army of Chaos observed this commotion from the side and exchanged confused looks. Did this girl call their Goddess heartless? Goddess Nyx can wipe out an entire enemy base without batting an eye, and Xiaohui called Sarah heartless because she is indulging in this charade? They observed expressions of the girls, and it's obvious that most of them are looking at Sarah like she is bullying Meili. Are these girls not aware that they are surrounded by the army of Chaos and at their mercy? Is this the way they should talk to a person who saved them from a certain future where they would be used by lecherous men? Did these girls forget that they rescued them from the basement, fed them, clothed them, and are spending time and resources to send them to their families? Is this the way to talk to a person who can kill you without even lifting a finger? They were not sure if they should laugh or cry, but they knew that these girls are ignorant. 

"This is not about me.", Sarah's gaze swept over the girls in the room and she spoke to all of them. "You heard Meili's side of the story, I want you to listen to Aiden's as well. I hope you use senses, your mind, and your heart when listening because you will be the jury in deciding what the truth is. And you will decide on the punishment as well."

Thirty-something girls in the room exchanged confused glances. 

Meili looked at Sarah in disbelief for a few seconds before she sneered inwardly. So, what if Sarah knows what happened? All the girls here are obviously on her side, and there is no way that they will say that Aiden is not at fault. Serves him well. If he does not want to be with her, she will make sure he pays the price.

A minute later, Aiden entered the family room. "I've heard that you are looking for me." He ignored the fact that girls crowded away from him, like he has some infectious disease. 

"Mhm…", Sarah hummed in confirmation. "Meili said that you assaulted her in the basement. Do you have something to say about it?"

Aiden was not surprised by Sarah's words. He was in the basement, collecting tokens from the floor when he got a request from Sarah to share vision with Eve-lens, and the first image was Meili getting first aid from the medic. Since then, Aiden saw and heard everything Sarah did.

As much as he is not surprised, he is disappointed. What is Meili, seventeen years old? How can her heart be so black that she goes against the people who saved her from an assault that same evening? 

"No. I have nothing to say.", Aiden responded calmly to Sarah's question.

Meili bolted to her feet and pointed her index finger at Aiden. "That means you admit to it!"

"No."

"You will not even defend yourself?", Xiaohui asked Aiden.

"Defend myself against what?"

Xiaohui was confused. How can Aiden be so relaxed? "Only you and Meili were in the basement. And she says that you assaulted her. Don't you care what we think?"

Aiden responded bluntly: "I don't care what you think. I care only about the opinion of one person, and that is my wife." 

Sarah's and Aiden's gazes met, and they shared an understanding. 

Sarah knows that Aiden was serious: he does not care about any of these girls and he would not hesitate to kick them out and leave them to their own devices. In his opinion, the ungrateful girls don't deserve their help. 

However, he is doing this for Sarah. 

Aiden knows that Sarah believes how even though many girls are supporting Meili, they are doing that because they are stressed, misinformed, and their instinct is to stand by Meili's side because they see themselves in her. And they should not be punished for doing so, not without giving them a chance to see the truth.

Sarah stood by Aiden and held his hand. No matter what they are facing, she will always be by his side.

Aiden's gentle gaze directed at Sarah turned into an icy one when he looked at the girls present in the room. "In case you didn't figure it out, you would not get this kind of treatment if not for my wife. And I am participating in this circus only because I know that she would be upset if I don't clarify this. So, let me ask you: what can I say to make you believe me? You said it, it was just the two of us, no other witnesses so it's her word against mine, and by default you are on her side, labeling me as a molester. What can I do to convince you that she is lying?"

"I am not lying!", Meili hissed.

Aiden looked at Meili threateningly. "No amount of prayer will help you get out of this one. It seems that you forgot my warning, or maybe you didn't but you are too stupid to take it seriously. Don't you know that you should not bite the hand that feeds you?"

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