My Construction Site Nightmare - Chapter 9: Chapter 9

"Go on inside and drink. I'll be done with the laundry soon."
My phone buzzed in my pocket, sending a jolt of excitement through me.
That was the signal—the text from Officer Reynolds meant the police had left the station. Any minute now, Chase Langley's world would come crashing down.
At the precinct, they'd assured me his actions were criminal. Disgusting, illegal, and absolutely prison-worthy. "Stay strong," they'd said. "We've got your back."
I exhaled, tension seeping from my shoulders. From the dormitory, raucous laughter and the clink of beer bottles grated on my nerves. Chase and his buddies were getting wasted, completely oblivious.
"Hey Bianca! Quit fussing with those clothes and come have a drink!"
One of the workers leered at me, his gaze slithering over my body like a greasy stain. I knew exactly what they all wanted. Ever since Chase had shared those photos in their group chat, I'd become fresh meat in their eyes—just another conquest.
The elegant college girl they'd once respected? Gone. Now I was just prey.
"I'm good," I forced a smile, nails digging into my palms. "Not much of a drinker."
Thirty more minutes. That's all Chase had left of his freedom.
Then—there it was. The distant wail of a siren.
My breath hitched. Was I imagining it? I strained my ears.
No. The sound grew louder, sharper, cutting through the night.
The police were here.
Chaos erupted as Chase and his buddies stumbled outside, confusion plastered on their drunk faces.
"What the hell? Cops?"
"Chase, man, sounds like they're heading right for us," one worker slurred.
Chase blinked, still clueless. Still thinking he'd gotten away with it.
"Probably just passing through," I said casually. "Heard there was some trouble in the next neighborhood."
But the cruiser screeched to a halt right outside our dorms.
Four officers stepped out, all business.
"Which one of you is Chase Langley?"
Chase froze. "Uh... that's me?"
"Come with us."
"Why? What'd I do?"
"Because you broke the law."
But it wasn't the cop who said it.
My heart nearly burst as I whirled around—there he was. My boyfriend, stepping out of the squad car, his expression stormy.
Chase went sheet-white. The penny finally dropped.
"You—!" He lunged at me, spitting rage. "You fucking snitch!"
The officers grabbed him before he took two steps. "Don't even think about it."
My boyfriend strode forward, voice like ice. "Last time I visited Bianca, I saw you lurking around her like some sick predator. Knew you were trouble."
Chase's denial was pathetic. "I don't know what you're talking about!"
"Cut the crap. You drugged her. Took those photos. We have the evidence."
I could see my boyfriend's fists clenched, barely restraining himself.
All the pain, the shame—it came flooding out. I collapsed into his arms, sobbing so hard my ribs ached.
"Shhh, I've got you," he murmured into my hair. "You're safe now. The law will handle this."
I clung to him, terrified he'd vanish if I let go.
"That's right," Officer Reynolds nodded. "You were incredibly brave coming forward, Bianca."
As they hauled Chase away, my boyfriend explained everything. He'd suspected Chase from the start. Taken leave from work. Been watching over me.
"Even if you hadn't gone to the police, they'd have come," he said. "I filed the first report."
"But I—I still slept with him," I choked out. "I betrayed you. I'm—"
"Stop." He cupped my face, eyes burning with conviction. "They found aphrodisiacs in your food that night. Chase confessed. You weren't in control. I know you'd never choose this."
The pieces clicked. That feverish heat after two bites of beef. The way my body had betrayed me.
Justice came swift. Prison for Chase. My photos scrubbed from existence. The workers got a stern lecture on revenge porn laws.
I left that toxic construction site behind, landing a clerk job through my boyfriend's connections.
The day Chase was sentenced, he proposed.
I said yes through happy tears.
We married months later, surrounded by loved ones.
And slowly, the nightmare faded.