Her Need to Be Free - Secret Out

She declares her need to be free -- Secrets revealed

The reader should first read "Silence is Golden" and "Things begin to unravel" in order to follow the story.

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Kath jumped as her cell phone started to ring. She looked at the phone and saw that she did not recognize the number.

John's press conference had been scheduled for earlier that day and Kath's heart had been in her throat all day.

Kath studied the phone for a few seconds and answered.

The person on the other end asked if she was Kath and she confirmed the same. Her heart was now racing and a feeling of panic was setting in. The caller introduced herself as Ms. Jones from one of the local TV stations. It was at that point that Kath's world came to an end.

John's press conference had started after all the media had got everything in order. John wanted to make sure that they were all able to concentrate on what he was going to say. After all, in John's mind, this was his moment of glory.

One of the reasons that the authorities had allowed the press conference was that they did not see what John could really reveal. They had confiscated the panties and the pictures so John did not have anything to back up what he was going to say which was why the authorities had insisted that the press conference could not be live and that the press would have to verify before they broadcast or printed anything.

John was not a stupid man he had also taken pictures of the panties together with the photo he had taken of his cock in the wife's vagina and her left hand with the wedding band. He had uploaded these pictures to the cloud.

John told the press that he had sex with the other 16 women. He said that some did it willingly and with the others he waited for months before taking action when they had allowed themselves to get very drunk.

He admitted to keeping their panties as a trophy and the picture of their wedding left hand and wedding bands to prove who he had been intimate with.

He was asked by one of the press why he did it. He explained that the women and their husbands deserved it. He answered that the husbands had shown themselves to be weak as they could not control their wives. The wives, he said, were nothing but teases as they liked to go out to bars. A bar is where you socialize. They didn't sit at a table where it would be clear that, though they were in a premises with a bar, they were not looking for more than the atmosphere. No, they sat at the bar where they knew single men were available and looking. He felt that they liked the thrill of men looking at them and could mix with them and then if a man offered them a drink, they could shut him down by reminding him that they were married. Nothing but a tease. They would not act like that if their husbands were there.

John then, in a slow and deliberate way, making sure he gave the reporters time to record what he was saying, listed the names of the women and the dates of the nights that he had sex with them.

Next, he was asked how he could prove that he had been with the women that he claimed he had sex with. They said that his accusations were explosive, considering some of the names he had given, and they could not go public with anything he said without proof.

John smiled, he said that he had the proof and calmly gave them a link to his evidence.

The reporters had been required to leave their phones outside so as to ensure that no one tried to live broadcast. John had hardly finished giving them the link when one or two of the reporters left the conference and dashed out. After a couple of moments, they returned to say that the link was real and had pictures of the panties and the woman's hand with her wedding bands.

John now had the feeling of satisfaction that he had wanted from the time of his arrest. He had the press full attention and he loved it. Soon the public would know of his exploits. He would have notoriety, people would know who he was.

Kath stared at the phone for a second and then Ms. Jones continued. She informed Kath that John had named her as one of his victims. Kath quickly sat down before she fell down. She replied to Ms. Jones saying that she didn't understand. Was she sure? What would make them believe John? As Kath said this she began to regain her confidence and her voice got stronger

Ms. Jones politely replied that the press had pictures of the panties together with a photograph of the woman's left hand clearly showing the wedding bands. She admitted that the rest of the body was not revealed and that they were going by the names that John had assigned to each picture. Her name had been given and a picture assigned to her. John had given them the date that the picture was taken. Ms. Jones asked Kath if she could say where she was and what she was doing on that night four years ago.

Kath wondered if the pictures had been shown on TV and quickly removed her wedding rings and put them in her handbag.

Kath told Ms. Jones that that was a long time ago and she could not be sure, but she certainly would not have had sex with anyone other than her husband, that she had no intention then or now to cheat. That was the truth, after all. She said that she had no idea why John would wish to implicate her in anything.

Ms. Jones asked if Kath knew John. Kath said of course she did. He was a regular at the bar that Kath and her friend went to occasionally for happy hour. Kath lied a little and continued that she and one or more friends went as a group and always left as a group so she was never there on her own. Why John would want to say these things was beyond her. Indeed, other than saying good evening or a short hello, as they did with everyone who was a regular, she had no conversations with John. Kath felt good about that too, because it was the truth. "We weren't even acquaintances, let alone friends. This whole thing is ridiculous" she said.

Kath said that she appreciated that Ms. Jones was just doing her job, but she was barking up the wrong tree. Kath said that she could not help Ms. Jones.

Ms. Jones asked Kath if she knew the lady that had been the subject of John's conviction. Kath was again able to honestly say that she did not. Kath explained that she and her friends seldom went to that bar anymore as they had found somewhere else that they preferred.

Again, Kath said that there was nothing that she could add. Ms. Jones then thanked Kath and terminated the call.

Kath looked at her hands. She was shaking. She wondered who the other women were. She knew that she had never left Joyce on her own so doubted that she could be one of them. This was another reason that Kath had never told Joyce and kept the secret to herself. But who were the other women? Did she know any of them? Did they all go to the same bar? Hopefully, they would also deny everything. As long as they all stayed silent no one would ever know for sure.

Kath was home when her husband came in. The look he gave her was a complex look of anger, disappointment and hurt, yet cold. She knew something was wrong. Had he been given her name by someone?

"I got a call from Joe Dogs early this afternoon, you know, my newspaper reporter friend." He said.

Kath responded that she had also been contacted by a reporter and that for some sick reason John had named her as one of the women that he had sex with. That she had told the reporter that she had no idea why John would want to drag her into this. She continued by reminding her husband that she was always with one or more friends so it couldn't be her, in any event.

Her husband just looked at her and said "have you seen the picture that John claims is you? You are the woman he says he had sex with four years ago on the very same night that you came home drunk?" Kath replied that she had not but apparently the pictures only have a very limited part of the body shown and that there is no way to identify the woman in the picture.

"So you have not seen the picture then?" he said. "Wouldn't you be curious to see it? After all the accusation is, is so damaging? I don't understand your attitude to this." The tone of his voice had quickly escalated to a very accusatory tone.

Kath immediately went on the defensive. "You always believe what others say." She was about to storm out when her husband put the picture in front of her.

Kath looked at the picture, the picture that she had wanted to see, yet dreaded seeing if it showed what she thought that it might show. She saw a man's penis buried hallway in a woman's vagina, the pubic hair trimmed as she trimmed hers. She also saw a clear view of the left hand of a woman and the wedding rings on the finger, her wedding rings.

"I never knew for sure" she said. "I must have blacked out. I can only just remember Joyce's husband coming in, nothing after that. I don't even remember Joyce leaving, I don't know how I got to be in the driver's seat of her car, only from what Joyce told me."

Kath started to sob as she continued. "I woke up in the guest bedroom the next morning. When I pulled down my slacks I had no panties on, I had no idea what had happened to them." She started to wail at this point as the burden of the secret that she had carried alone for the last four years began to impact her emotionally.

"He must have mauled me. My nipples were red, sore, battered is a better word. There was a large hickey at the top of my vagina and my vagina was sore. The not knowing, the shame I felt was overwhelming. And yet I had no idea who, was I raped or did I do it willingly and it got out of hand? What happened? I have had no answers for the last four years. It has been torture. And worst of all, I felt that I had to hide it from you. You had asked me not to go and listed your concerns, I knew that I had, by having unprotected sex with a man other than my husband, disrespected our marriage. I feel so bad about all of this." Kath was shaking and balling, unable to say anything more.

"I didn't confirm anything with Joe Dogs" her husband said. It is our secret now, well for the time being at least. This is a lot for me to digest. For me it is happening now and not four years ago. This is all new information. I am very angry with you on so many levels right now. I need a few days to think my way through this. Then you and I need to discuss what happens next." He left her sobbing uncontrollably as he walked out of the room.

Four days later Kath and her husband sat down. Four excruciatingly long days and nights of Kath again sleeping in the guest bedroom. Four days of wondering what her husband was thinking. Four days of wondering what he was going to do with the information. Was he going to divorce her. She had gone out and cheated on him. She may have been drunk, but she did that on her own. She knew that she could not use being drunk as an excuse.

"Here is what I think" said her husband. "John is someone who begs for attention. He feels proud of what he has done, sick as it may be. He is no different from the serial rapists and serial killers anywhere else in the world. The first thing is not to let him get any more notoriety than he already has. We are not going to admit to anything with regard to this. You will give me your wedding bands, they don't mean anything to you anyway so you shouldn't mind giving them up. In any event, because of what you did, you can never be seen with them again. You can wear some cheap but good fake stuff, for the time being, so if any reporter happens to look they won't see anything that they can recognize.

As for our relationship, I don't know yet. I still need time to deal with this latest revelation and that you are capable of keeping a secret, something that affects me as much as you. How do you think I felt when I got the call from Joe Dogs? I know you say that you did not know if it was John for certain, but you must have had a very strong suspicion. You knew this press conference was on for today and yet you did nothing to warn me. You said nothing at all. You and I have the same last name you know. Did it never occur to you that someone would call me and not you?

At the moment, I have serious doubts about your commitment to this relationship. I ask myself what I had done for you to act this way all these years. God knows what else you haven't told me, but what I do know is that, although you said that it would never happen, you got drunk and had unprotected sex, you committed adultery and then lied to me for four years.

One thing I will say is that for at least a year after we hear the last of John you will do everything I tell you to do. No, I don't have any faith in your ability to deal with this. Even if you feel life is hell at home you won't let on that it is, not that I intend to make your life hell, it may not be what it used to be, but what can one expect when you have behaved the way that you have.

To the outside world we are going to act like a loving couple. I will support your denials, if you have to make any.

I hope that John has nothing else up his sleeve. Joe Dogs told me how surprised the authorities were when John produced a link with the pictures on it. They thought that, as they had confiscated the evidence, he had nothing to back up his accusations. That was another reason that they refused to allow the press conference to be broadcast live.

What worries me is that one or more of the others named will cave in and verify John's statements. Just one would be bad enough but three or more is going to really put the pressure on us. I should think that some, if not all, of the others will not admit to anything, but only time will tell."

Only six months had passed before John was again in the news. This time it was for his death. Apparently, he had been found stabbed to death in his cell. Presumably, he was killed by one of the other inmates. None of the inmates knew who did it, or so they said.

Over the next few years more than half of the women named got divorced.