Happy Never After. (Sequel to I Will Survive)

Chapter 7.

"This is all my fault," she spoke into my slightly dampened t-shirt. Her hands were balled into fists, gripping tightly onto the material of my shirt.

            "No Scarlett, listen to me. Please. This is no way, whatsoever your fault. Everyone makes mistakes. It's life. It happens. You learn from these mistakes. And now you know not everyone is who they appear or make out to be. You can't trust anyone, no matter how long you have known them."

"But I heard the stories, the rumours. I should have believed them. I shouldn't have been so narrow minded. I should have listened." She wept even more, tugging my t-shirt even closer towards her.

My arms locked behind her back as she sat on my lap, her legs flowing off the side of the sofa. Her head was buried deep within my chest and t-shirt. She was barely audible when she spoke but I wasn't going to push her. "No. You give everyone a chance, there is nothing wrong with that. And Rumours are just rumours until they are proven facts. Everyone in this industry knows not to believe rumours, not even I do. It's just the way of life. Everyone loves a bit of gossip here and there, but unlike most people, you don't believe it. Which you shouldn't because ninety nine percent of the time, it is just gossip. It's not your fault this one percent was different."

"Why can't life ever be simple? Why do I always screw things up for you? I don't mean to. This is my mess, not yours. I'm so sorry. I'm s-sorry."

I was practically on the verge off tears when she began to break down in my presence. It killed me inside to know she thought she always screwed things up for me. That wasn't true in the slightest. I've had some of greatest times of my life, the most memorable memories with her. I've never felt happier when I'm around her. The void in my heart, which felt incomplete before I met her, is finally filled, with her and her love.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. You are not an evil, bitter man with nothing better to do with his life than attempt to ruin ours just for some dirty money. It is not the end of the world. We can get through this. We just have to be careful."

"He knows every detail of our lives. What is he sells it to the press? I don't want the world knowing everything about me."

"And if he does that, you'll still have me. Laura will still be here. Our four crazy yet amazing best friends will still be here. They won't go anywhere. You have nothing too scandalous to hide."

"Louis, there are some things not even Laura knows about. I don't want her to ever know about them. I don't want her living in fear that it might happen to her. I don't want sympathy from the world because of my past. I don't want them to know anything." Her tears were becoming more frequent and her breathing was rapid, if she didn't calm down she'd begin to have a panic attack. I rubbed her back gently as she continued to sniffle.

"He can't use our personal information against us. He won't achieve anything. We can get the authorities involved if we must."

"Do you remember what he said he would do if we did that? I won't let him do that. I lost Laura once, I refuse to let it happen again."

"What can he do if he's behind bars?"

"He said he knows people who will take care of the work for him. I don't want to test his threat. I have a feeling I would regret it." Her head rolled back as her eyes scanned my face before fixing on my own eyes, waiting for a response.

"Then we'll just have to do what it wants," I sighed as I began to think about what the future could hold for the both of us. Just thinking about what he could do to us, force us to do for him made my skin crawl. He disgusted me. He was a vile person. In fact he doesn't even deserve to be called a human.

Scarlett was still shaking in my arms as she began to speak again. "I'm such a bad person. My fans look up to me. What if that picture from the party the other night is released? I could be sent to jail!" Her voice was gradually getting louder as she began to panic. "Louis, I swore to my mum when I was fourteen I would never do drugs. I've let my fans down. I've let my mum down."

My heart sunk even deeper into my chest when her words filled my ears. I never knew one picture could hurt someone so much, but I had never been through what she had. You may think 'oh one photo of you taking an illegal substance isn't that big a deal', well everyone is different. Everyone experiences things differently. You cannot assume someone should feel a certain way, or react a certain way because EVERYONE is different. I can't experience how she is feeling because I haven't been through nearly as much as she has. I can't tell her she is overreacting because I do not know what it feels like to be in her shoes. You can't judge people for something you haven't experienced. It would be irrational.

Maybe someone snooping through your past history, delving into every specific little detail doesn't sound that bad. But have you experienced that? Most likely not. I never thought I would have some man, I barely even knew talk to be, explain to me about things that had happened in my past life in which I barely remember. He knew every detail of every relationship I had had with people. He knew whom I was closest friends with. He knew the people I despised; he knew I hated him before I even said it. He knew what happened in the X-factor house, something's weren't even on camera. He had sources or a mole, I didn't even know of him that many years ago. But he has the dirt on me, he has everything he needs to hold my freedom hostage. It's not just the past he has controlled of, he can control and direct my future, our future, One Direction's future. With a click of a button he can access every single file on my phone, computer and other device, which I use. He can see every single photo. He can read every single text message or email. He knows where I'm going to be, who I'll be with and at what time. It's like he has a tag on my leg. I wouldn't be surprised to find out he bugged our apartment. I can't act like the only victim in this situation; Scarlett is going through the exact same. He knows everything that happens in our lives except the stuff we speak within the flat.

We have no privacy. No freedom. How was a stable relationship supposed to survive this?

There was no way to get rid of this guy, yet.

Get new phones? He'd hack them again, no matter what or how.

Tell the police? He doesn't work alone, that wouldn't work. And Scarlett was adamant against the idea. I don't blame her. He had done the unthinkable and threatened to take Laura away, make her pay for what her sister had done if we called the police. He knew Laura was Scarlett's most prized possession, she was an easy target. He knew a threat like that meant she wouldn't do anything stupid.

If wasn't just us that was caught up in this whole situation. If either one of us step out of line, he'll not only hurt us but the people we most care about. He had already threatened to take away Laura but I never expected him to warn me he could wipe One Direction off the face of the Earth. I don't know how he would do it. He could have been bluffing, but I don't want him to prove his theory. We weren't allowed to warn anyone else about what was happening or his punishments would begin. He warned they would start of minor but the more out of line we become the worse they get. His voice screeched through my ears when he spoke to us a mere hour and a half ago. His words were still haunting me. He was going to be haunt me. He didn't say how long this fiasco was going to last. Would it last forever? It couldn't last forever. I wouldn't let it. I didn't know what he wanted out of the whole thing, I didn't know whether he actually wanted anything at all, he could just be a bitter, evil, vile inhumane creature.

Have you ever been in a position where you desperately want to do something, anything to make things right but haven't a clue what to do? You feel so helpless, I feel so helpless right now. The girl I love is curled up in my arms, crying her eyes out but I didn't know what to say or do to make anything right. It was out of my control. I don't know if our lives can ever be normal again. All I could do was try, that is all I have to offer. I didn't know what I was going to do, but it would have to be something drastic. I was willing to take chances (to some extent).

Scarlett let out a small whimper as she rested her head in the crook of my neck. Her tears fell onto my shoulder, dampening even more of my t-shirt, but I didn't mind one bit. I released one of my arms from behind her back and brought my free hand to her chin and pulled her face so she could look me in the eyes. I gently kissed her bright pink, slightly swollen lips before speaking directly to her.

"I love you. Remember that."