The next morning, Aegis Dynamics released an internal memo.
[Ethan Hayes had been terminated for severe violations of the employee code of conduct and involvement in criminal activity. Permanent ineligibility for rehire.]
The memo didn’t name me.
But anyone who knew what happened at that reunion knew exactly what it meant.
I woke up to dozens of messages from unknown numbers.
Some classmates begged me to drop the case.
Some called me vicious.
One of them said, [Nora, it’s been ten years. Why do you have to destroy everyone’s lives over the past?]
I stared at that message and laughed.
So now they understood what it meant to have their lives destroyed.
But when they were the ones doing the destroying, they couldn’t stop laughing.
Miles came over with a glass of warm water, glanced at my phone, and frowned. “They’re still harassing you?”
I handed it to him.
“They made a new group chat and dragged me into it.”
The group name was, [Old Classmates, Let’s Clear the Air]
By the time I opened it, there were already hundreds of messages.
Derek had kicked things off with a long essay.
[Nora, we all screwed up last night. But at the end of the day, we’re still classmates. You’ve got a great life now—you’re marrying way up. No need to go scorched earth on the rest of us. Ethan already got fired. He’s sitting in a jail cell. He’s paid his dues. That stuff from ten years ago—we were just dumb kids. Don’t blow it out of proportion.]
Chloe jumped in right after.
[Exactly. Who didn’t mess around back then? If we really hurt you that badly, why didn’t you say something? You never said a word. How were we supposed to know?]
I looked at her message, my fingers cold.
I never said anything?
I didn’t go to a single hangout that entire summer. I didn’t send one message in that group chat. They knew. Or maybe they just thought I was being a buzzkill.
Soon enough, Naomi Hart appeared.
Her profile picture was still that soft-lit selfie. Gentle. Harmless.
[Nora, I’m so, so sorry. I swear I had no idea Ethan would actually mess with your applications. I made one offhand comment—just said you two were always glued at the hip. I never told him to do anything. If just being around caused you pain, I’m truly sorry.]
The chat exploded.
Someone turned on her immediately.
[Naomi, drop the innocent act. Weren’t you the one at that party who asked Ethan if he’d “taken care of” things? Now that there’s actual fallout, you’re trying to weasel your way out? If it weren’t for you, you think the rest of us would’ve ever piled on?]
The class sweetheart they’d all worshipped ten years ago—now she was the designated scapegoat.
Naomi shot back fast. [You have the nerve to blame me? Who made that forum thread? Who took those photos? When Ethan was mocking Nora in the group chat, which one of you wasn’t laughing along? And now it’s all my fault?]
The chat descended into chaos.
Ethan’s account stayed silent. He was probably still in a holding cell.
Later, a new friend request came in from an unknown number.
The note said, [Nora, it’s Ethan’s mom.]
I stared at that line for a long time.
I accepted.
Mrs. Hayes sent a voice message immediately. She was sobbing so hard she could barely breathe.
“Nora, sweetheart, I’m begging you. Please, just let this go. Ethan’s father—his blood pressure shot through the roof when he found out about the arrest.”
“All these years, Ethan never settled down. He always swore his heart belonged to you. What he did was wrong, but that boy truly loves you.”
I listened to the whole thing. No ripple. No pang.
Ten years ago, Mrs. Hayes held my hand and said, “Nora’s going to be a Hayes one day.”
Back then, I honestly thought of her as a second mom.
But after the application mess, she only called me once. And what she said was—
“Nora, Ethan’s a boy. Boys are careless. What’s done is done. Don’t make it into something huge. You two are still getting married someday. Don’t damage the relationship.”
In their eyes, my future, my dignity, my choices—none of it outweighed Ethan being careless.
I didn’t send a voice message back. I typed.
[Mrs. Hayes, ten years ago you told me not to turn it into some big thing. Ten years later, I don’t need to hear it again. Ethan’s not in this mess because he loved me. He’s in it because he broke the law.]
Then I blocked her.