CHAPTER EIGHT

The message request was still open on my screen when I finally accepted it. I don't know why I hesitated. Maybe because the other two comments had already told me exactly what most people thought of what I was doing, and I wasn't sure I had the emotional capacity to read another insult directly in my DM. But the comment felt a bit different from the hostility in the other comments. I thought about how the person just wanted a direct request to respond to my post privately, but I also worried about being insulted or verbally attacked in the inbox.

I opened it and saw the message: “hi!” with a small grey text at the top that read: you accepted a message request from @pinkpen0. I stared at it for a moment, waiting to see if the other person would type. A few minutes passed, but still nothing. I left there to go prepare for work. When I got ready for work, I still saw no response. I was almost late for work, so I left the house. By the time I got home, the person had still not sent me a follow-up message, so I sent a message, “Hi”. I was about to move away from there when I saw three dots showing up on my screen. It signalled that the other person was typing.

@pinkpen0: I saw your post.

I sat down slowly in the chair. I wasn't sure what to say back, so I kept it simple.

@henrybhater: Okay.

The dots appeared again almost immediately.

@pinkpen0: You're not just a clout chaser, are you? You actually know something.

I pulled my knees up to my chest on the chair and typed back.

@henrybhater: What makes you say that?

@pinkpen0: Because clout chasers don't schedule evidence drops. They post everything immediately. You're waiting. That means you actually have something or you're planning to get it.

She did not seem like a casual scroller right now. Although i felt like her analogy was wrong, i still supported it because it made me feel valued.

@henrybhater: Who are you?

The dots appeared, then disappeared, then appeared again.

@pinkpen0: Someone who knows Henry Brown very well.

The room felt very quiet suddenly. I became aware of the sound of the fridge humming in the kitchen. I uncurled my legs and sat up straighter in the chair. I always felt like i was the only one who knew Henry very well, but this felt different coming from someone eise. 

“I wonder who this person is,” I thought loudly.

@henrybhater: How do you know him?

@pinkpen0: It's a long story

There was another long pause. I didn't know what to say. Then the dots appeared and disappeared twice before her message finally dropped.

@pinkpen0: What happened doesn't matter right now. What will happen to him is what really matters.

I read that line three times and felt very curious to know how the person knew Henry. Or is this one of those producers that hate him?

@henrybhater: I don't know what happened, but I'm sorry if it put you through pain. 

I knew Henry was probably harsh to the people he worked with. I only apologised to put myself at ease as his wife. 

@pinkpen0: Don't be. It’s all in the past. Besides, it’s not in your place to apologise for him. I need him to see what he did as wrong and apologise for it by himself. 

@pinkpen0: I have things that you might need. I have always wanted to share them for a long time, but I didn't know how to or who would even believe me. Then I saw your post last night, and I thought that maybe now is the right time; plus, he is at the peak of his career, so it will cause a lot of damage to him when he falls.

My fingers hovered over the keyboard without moving. A lot of damage? Whoever this person is must really carry strong hatred for Henry. The laptop screen cast its pale light across my hands and the dark surface of the desk, and I sat in that light for a moment. I was not planning on going too far, but I did want to teach him a lesson, but not exactly like this person.

This was something else now.

@henrybhater: Who exactly are you?

@pinkpen0: I can’t tell you that, but I will send you something now so that you can know that I am serious.

I was still reading the message when the three dots appeared again. They stayed there for a long time. Finally, I saw a message. It was sent as a view-once. I clicked on it to d******d and open it. I was curious but also scared to see what it was. I finally had the confidence to open it.