My phone felt super heavy. Calling Damian was going to be really, really hard. It felt like walking over a big hole I made myself. My mouth was dry, and my heart was beating fast. What could I say to fix what we have damaged about him in front of everyone? How do you say sorry for hurting someone's good name on TV?
I took a deep, shaky breath. I had to do it. No matter how hard or rather how silly I felt, I had to talk to him. I had to try to make things better. With all my bravery, I pushed his name on the phone.
It rang once, then twice. Each ring made my heart jump. On the third ring, a new voice answered. "Hello?"
"Is... is this Damian?" I asked, my voice tiny.
"Who's asking?" The voice sounded careful, like he was tired.
"It's Celeste Hilly," I said. My company's name felt wrong in my mouth now.
It was quiet for a long time. I could almost feel how mad he was, how he felt I had let him down. "What do you want, Ms. Hilly?" The voice was now cold and sharp.
"Damian, I... I need to say sorry," I started, but the words got stuck. "I made a very big mistake. A huge, terrible mistake."
He made a short, unhappy sound. "A mistake? You told everyone bad things about me on TV, Ms. Hilly. You showed my face to the whole country and said I was a cheater. My friends are calling, my good name is broken. Is that what you call a 'mistake'?"
Every word he said felt like a hit, and I knew I deserved it. "I know. You have every right to be angry. I was wrong, Damian. Very, very wrong. I let my feelings make me do bad things, and Bianca tricked me. The person in that video... it wasn't you."
He was quiet again. I could almost hear him thinking, trying to understand what I was saying. "What are you talking about?" he finally asked. He sounded a little less angry now, more confused.
"We have proof. New facts. Liam, my computer helper, looked at the video again. The time, the blurry picture, how the person moved... it wasn't you. It was someone else, someone helping Bianca to make me look bad and to use my old hurts against me. She knew about us before, Damian. She knew how to push my buttons."
I quickly told him everything. About the person who worked for a short time, the blurry picture, the trick with the computer system at just the right time. As I talked, I could feel his anger slowly change to something else – maybe he understood a little, or at least he knew I wasn't just trying to make things worse.
"So, you're telling me you messed up my life because someone played a trick on you?" His voice was still tight, but the strong anger was less, sounding more tired and surprised.
"Yes," I said, feeling so ashamed. "I was blind, full of anger and wanting to get back at someone. I didn't check, I just reacted. And I am so, so sorry for the harm I've caused you. My company is writing a full message to take back what we said, a public apology that will clear your name. We'll put it out right away. And we will do everything we can to help you get your good name back."
Another long quiet time. I waited, holding my breath, ready for him to say no, to be mad at me.
Finally, he spoke, his voice quiet, almost rough. "Saying sorry won't fix everything, Celeste. My phone hasn't stopped ringing. My family... they're very sad."
"I know," I whispered, tears starting to come. "And I don't expect you to forgive me right away, or even ever. But I promise to make this right. I will make sure every news place that shared the story also shares our apology. We'll tell everyone the full story, with the new facts. We'll even offer to help you with lawyers if you need it."
He sighed, a deep, tired sound. "I'm on a beach far away in Bali, Celeste. I've been here for a week. That picture you saw... it was from my holiday. My first real break in many years."
Hearing him say he was innocent, so simply, made me feel even worse. He was far away, enjoying his holiday, while I was ruining his life from here. "Oh, Damian," I cried out, the tears finally falling. "I'm so, so sorry."