Shadow walked into his home. The home he can never return to when he was done here. He looked around and a small smile came to his face. Things were set up for the welcome home party that Laura was planning for him.
Including a sign that said 'Welcome Home Shadow'.
Laura seemed so excited when she told him. She wasn't supposed to tell him, but she couldn't keep secrets very well sometimes. He sat his duffle bag down and headed to the bedroom. He needed to find the evidence that Laura had told him about.
As he walked to the bedroom, he froze seeing Laura in bed in one of his shirts. As if hearing him she looked over as the sun came over her. She gave a soft loving smile. "Puppy."
He had everything she had on her when she died. Including her phone that had a broke screen from where it was flung out of the car.
He had the bag of her things from the crash in his hand, which he placed on the bed they shared together. He opened the bag and pulled her phone out. He put in the code, it was their anniversary, and went to Robbie's texts.
He held his hand over his mouth as he saw the nude pictures, the unsolicited dick pictures, the texts. The only time Laura mentioned anything was her telling him to knock it off. Other than that, she only texted him when it had to do with Aubrey or the gym since both Robbie and Shadow owned it.
He will have to deal with that as well. So much he had to deal with so quickly.
He should be making love to his wife right now. Making up for lost time. Getting back his life back. But here he is. Wifeless, and broken.
He put the phone down, and texted Aubrey. Asking her to meet him at the house so they could talk things over. He then went in search of the evidence Laura told him she kept. He made it to the attic, where he found it hiding away safely.
Taking it to the living room, he cleaned the dust off before opening it. Inside was printed evidence from her phone. Notes. Everything. She had everything that proved that Robbie was bothering her for sex, and that she wasn't precipitating it.
She had everything to go to the police, and it seemed she was ready to. But she didn't want to hurt Aubry. She had a diary that she put in her evidence.
He had information that he had around Laura and Robbie's death. Laura had been punched and held down. She was being assaulted the moment she died, and that broke his heart.
He promised Laura that she would never experience what she had when she was a child. He failed her, and it was by a person they both trusted deeply.
He worked with Robbie. They were friends for years before he met Laura. And he introduced her to him. He introduced Laura to her rapist. The fact she passed out right before the sex, and he continued, he raped her then as well.
She was passed out!
Shadow was angry. He did this to her.
Aubrey met Shadow at Laura's grave. Shadow had to go talk to her. To tell her that he was sorry for what he allowed happen to her.
He looked over and Aubrey stumble over with a bottle of booze. "I've already pissed on both of their graves. I should take a shit on them as well. Maybe they should've been buried side by side." Aubrey slurred.
Shadow looked at her.
He took hold of Aubrey to help settle her. She grabbed his face and kissed him deeply. "Lets fuck on their graves. Give it back to them!" She begged trying to get his pants. She even moved to get onto her knees.
Shadow pulled her up, and made her look at him.
"Aubrey. Stop that. Laura was assaulted by Robbie twice. He raped her and was in the process of raping her when they died." He told her, keeping her from talking badly about his wife.
"She was emotional and drunk the first time. She passed out when it first happened. He ignored that and kept going. She told him no and he made her did it. In the car... Aubrey she was punched and then had a bruise on the back of her head in the shape of a hand. He punched her and then forced her to give him a blowjob. Robbie was highly drunk. He was raping her!" He told her as he started crying with her.
They got to the ground and held each other as they cried.
They lost loved ones so quickly. And found so much so quickly.
Shadow pulled the box of evidence out and started showing her. "She wanted to go to the police but didn't want to hurt you. We are all friends and I worked with him. She didn't want to tell me, but she did crying." He told her as Aubrey as she looked everything over.
"Laura wasn't to blame for this. She doesn't deserve your hate." He told her. Aubrey looked at the grave marking her best friend. "I cursed her to hell. I wanted her to suffer. But now I just want to sit with her once more and apologize. She was so... different with him and looking back I thought it was because they were sleeping together all the time. Now I see why. Oh God." She sobbed.
She then turned and threw up from being drunk and emotional.
Shadow held her hair and waited for her to be done. "Come on Aubrey. Let me take you home." He told her helping her up. She leaned against him. Still crying. They were both hurting.