Is this destiny?

Kaia took the phone and her eyes widened in horror.

"What is this?", she asked under her breath.

Her mother inched closer to see what is going on, but Kaia pushed her back.

"Don\'t look!", Kaia screamed, making her mother frown.

"What\'s got into you, Kaia!?", her mother asked angrily.

She saw that Kaia is shielding the phone, and she left to get her own. She saw her husband go to the link for local news and that\'s when hell broke loose, so it should be easy for her to figure out what Kaia is trying to hide. Getting fired is one thing, but Ray\'s reaction told her that something else was going on. And why would Kaia and Bryn losing their jobs end up as local news?

Kaia sat on her bed and stared at the phone, unable to believe the photo in front of her eyes. Who took this? Was it one of the guys or did they have a camera already somewhere set up?

\'No, no… it could not be the guys.\', Kaia told herself. \'They are all handsome and rich. Why would they do this? It must be someone from the hotel. Yes! The hotel staff placed hidden cameras and then leaked the photos!\'

But this was not a theory Kaia could pursue openly because by doing so she will admit that she did all those things.

How can she face her parents after they found out about this? Who else saw it!? It\'s online for everyone to see!

Kaia started scrolling and checking social media and she was devastated. She saw more photos, and her friends and family voiced their thoughts on the outrageous images shown. Even her Aunt who is in Europe commented: "I always knew that Kaia is a rebel, but this is beyond what I thought she was capable of…". One distant Cousin said: "Shameful. I can\'t believe that I am remotely related to this slut."

There was a separate thread that discussed if her family is so poor that Kaia needed to start working in the porn industry. Some people brought up how her parents didn\'t raise her well, and as time passed, more theories rose on why Kaia would do such a thing with multiple men.

If it\'s a big city, maybe it would not be such a big deal, but Fairfield is a small town. Everyone knows everybody; maybe not in person, but there is some familiarity between people, and they are quick to point fingers.

The more Kaia checked online, the more her spirit dwindled. It\'s one thing if only her parents found out, but now the whole town knows which will only increase her punishment.

Kaia was dazed and unsure of how much time passed when her father returned to the room.

"Get out of the house.", he said with an icy tone.

"What?", Kaia asked in disbelief.

"You are twenty-six years old. I don\'t need to provide for you. I allowed you to stay here, under my roof, hoping that we can help you financially until you find your path. We wished that you find a job and your place in society, and what did you do? You brought shame to me and your whole family. You are not my daughter anymore. Get out."

Kaia\'s mouth opened and closed, and no words came out. She saw that her father was serious. He was never this angry, but there was also disappointment in his eyes.

"I want to get a few things.", she said weakly.

"You have five minutes. When you find a place to stay, send us the address and I will make sure you get the rest of your things." He took his phone from her hand and walked out of the room.

Kaia went to her closet, grabbed her biggest backpack, and stuffed some necessities and her wallet before heading out with her head hung low. While walking out, she heard her mother crying from their bedroom, and Kaia was not sure if her mother was crying because Kaia was leaving or because of the indecent photos that were all over the internet.

…

When Kaia left her home, the first thing she did was to call Bryn. Bryn didn\'t answer calls or texts, so Kaia went there in person.

"Bryn is not allowed to come out of the house or to socialize with you. You are a bad influence.", Bryn\'s mother said to Kaia stiffly when she answered the door of Bryn\'s apartment.

Kaia could see hatred and disgust in the eyes of Bryn\'s mother, and she knew that the woman is blaming her for everything.

"You can\'t do this. Bryn is twenty-five years old. A grownup.", Kaia tried to reason with the woman.

Bryn\'s mother snorted. "She might be an adult according to the law, but she is my daughter. I gave her life, and she is living under my roof which means that she needs to follow my rules. If she does not like it, she is welcome to leave, but I will not allow her to take with her anything I purchased for her. I am confident Bryn understands that at this time when she lost her job and reputation, it is I who will provide her with guidance until she returns to the rightful path. I will appreciate it if you step away and stop spreading your evil ways."

Kaia was stupefied. "Evil ways?"

"You are Devil\'s worshiper, and you got my daughter involved with Devil\'s work. I will make sure her soul is saved… and I will pray for your soul.", the woman said and shut the door in Kaia\'s face.

Kaia stood there for some time, unsure what to do. But she knew that she will not see Bryn for some time, and that probably Bryn will avoid her if they meet accidentally.

Kaia gritted her teeth while walking down the street, away from Bryn\'s apartment building.

Kaia felt wronged. Why was she kicked out while Bryn got to stay in her home?

She remembered that her string of misfortune started by her getting fired from Blanc and she tried calling her Uncle, but her calls were not getting through. Did he block her?, Kaia wondered. Now what? If her Uncle and Bryn are avoiding her, and her own parents kicked her out, how can she rely on anyone\'s help? 

Not knowing where to go next, Kaia found herself in the mall, in the coffee shop, opposite from Blanc.

She had a baseball hat on, pulled low so that it covers her face and no one recognizes her. The compromising photos online resurfaced, showing all the shameful things she and Bryn did on the previous night, and Kaia could see comments from the people she knows. Those were her friends in high school, her neighbors, her family… all expressing their disbelief and disgust and as the time passed, the comments were getting more heated. Kaia could imagine that if any of those people saw her now, they would spit on her or maybe slap her, just how her father did.

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