Hell's torturer: The Demon in Disguise

Part 6

My eyes widened with shock, even though I was already in a state of distress. It's like with every word he says he manages to sink me deeper into madness. I didn't know Charles had passed away. After that day in court, I never heard from him again. Was it all because of me? Because I lied to keep my friend out of trouble?

"Charlie is dead?" I utter without thinking.

"You didn't know?" Damian furrows his eyebrows, gawking at me with fake sympathy in his eyes. "Even so, I'm pretty sure you know what's the reason behind his death. You're a smart girl. You can figure it out on your own, right? Now tell me: how did he die?"

There could be only one reason I could think of. I can only imagine what his life was like when society branded him as a monster. He was accused of a heinous crime that he didn't commit, but the way our law system works, it doesn't take much to convince the judge he was guilty. It wouldn't sting as much as if he'd done it. Steph tried her best to convince me he assaulted her, and of course, I wasn't there to know for sure, but I couldn't say that I didn't know it was all a lie. She was so eagerly begging me to testify falsely and the idiot that I was back then, I relented. I'm still an idiot. I'm a stupid, useless idiot who would stoop so low as to sleep with her teacher to pass a grade and then gaslight myself into thinking that our relationship was more than transactional.

I was stupid enough to tell a lie in court and now a person is dead because of me. Two people. If I only had the spine to stand up to my friend back then she would be alive right now. None of this would have happened if it wasn't for me.

"He committed suicide." I muster, trembling in my spot. Those words sound so much uglier now that they left my mouth.

"Perfect score!" He gives me a round of applause, smiling at me like a proud teacher who has the school's top student in his class. "You've got all the questions correct, well done! Hey, what's wrong? You don't seem one bit happy about it."

"I'm... I'm so sorry..." I bawl my eyes out. I'm no different than him. My actions, led by stupidity and cowardice resulted in the death of two people and there is nothing I can do to repent. To get rid of this crushing guilt that I'm feeling.

"Why are you apologizing to me? I wasn't the one whose life you've ruined."

"Yes, but..."

"Besides," he picks up my phone and unlocks it. I don't know how he figured out the passcode, and at this point, I don't care. "It's too late for apologies, but there is something else you can do still." He placed the phone in the middle of the table, slightly off-center. On the screen, I see that the voice recording app is open. "Clear his name. Let the world know that he wasn't the monster they believed him to be. Confess to your sins."

I wipe my tears with my sleeve and take a deep breath. I command my finger to move towards the receiving button, but I'm too stunned to move an inch. My chest is about to burst from the anxiety. There is a lump in my throat preventing me from speaking. I feel like I'm about to throw up any minute now, and his piercing gaze weighing on me makes me wish my brain had a shutdown button. He's like the demon in my head who's there to confirm all the negative beliefs I have about myself, there to nudge me just enough to make me stray off my path toward sanity.

"Cat got your tongue?" He raises an eyebrow, sitting with his hands crossed, waiting for a response. "Is telling the truth that much harder than constructing a lie?"

"I don't know what to say."

"Come on! It's not that hard. Just say: "I - Jamie Hutson, lied in court in order to save my friend - Stephany Willson from being cut off by her overbearing parents. I'm therefore responsible for the false imprisonment and consequent death of Charles Sylvan." See? It's simple. Do you need me to write it down for you?"