As the news cycle was beginning to move on from Jeffrey Beech’s guilty verdict, the media was obsessed with former Influencer Roxi’s story. She’d become rejuvenated by the attention and public debate. The joy she had once gained from Vlogging and Influencing was returning.
Roxi had pleaded guilty to Cooper’s manslaughter and, in mitigation, her barrister had explained to the court how concern over her husband’s infidelity had pushed her to breaking point. ‘Mrs Sager lives for her family and fear of its disintegration pushed her into confronting the “other woman”,’ her legal counsel had said. ‘And when Mrs Cooper had refused to explain the nature of their relationship, a brief physical altercation ensued, in which Mrs Cooper lost her footing and fell.’
Roxi’s team had warned her to expect a prison sentence of around four to six years, so it came as a surprise to everyone when she was sentenced to just twenty months in a minimum-security facility. It had divided public opinion and only added to the demand for her.
‘We want to strike while the iron is hot and capitalize on your currency,’ Roxi’s prison visitor continued. ‘Following the awful, awful death of Jem Jones, there is now a place for someone else to be the spokesperson for the Sanctity of Marriage Act. And, with a general election predicted within the next few months, we would like to offer you that position.’
‘Me?’ Roxi laughed and glanced around the empty room. ‘How on earth can I be the spokesperson for anything when I’m in here?’
‘You gave up a successful career as a Vlogger soon after Mrs Cooper’s death. Why?’
‘Because I thought I needed my family more,’ she said.
‘The word “thought” suggests you no longer believe that to be the case.’
Roxi hesitated and was pricked by an image of the last time she saw Owen, Darcy and Josh together. She had spotted them in the public gallery following her sentence and moments before she was led out of the court’s dock. But her maternal urge to want to comfort them was less than her desire to show gratitude to the vocal strangers cheering her name from the gallery. She waved to them and made a heart symbol with her fingers. Once again, the interest of people she didn’t know became more important to her than her own flesh and blood. By the time her attention returned to her family, they had left.
‘You miss the attention, don’t you?’ the man continued. ‘The approval of strangers fills a hole inside you that, with the best will in the world, your family cannot.’
Roxi slowly nodded her head. It was the first time she had admitted it to anyone but herself. A cold, arrogant smile crept across her visitor’s face. In their brief time together, he made her uncomfortable yet he knew her better than her own family did.
‘What if I told you that you can have it all back?’ he continued. ‘That I can ensure you’re more famous than your court case has made you? That people worldwide will want to hear what you have to say? Because I can make you the first Influencer who Vlogs from behind bars. I can give you a platform to talk about anything you want to discuss, to connect and interact with the public through live chats and to show what prison is like from the other side of the bars.’
‘And what do you want in return?’ she asked.
‘That you also throw your weight behind the Sanctity of Marriage Act, talk about how important it is, and how, if the opposition is elected, it will be revoked and that will cause catastrophic damage to the country. You are just about old enough to remember Brexit. That will be a walk in the park compared to what will happen if we’re forced to return to the dark ages where people only marry out of choice. We also have other plans to radicalize the education sector, and, as a mother, I’m sure you can become involved in that too. But we can discuss that further down the line when we are re-elected.’
Roxi was torn. ‘I promised my family that I’d turned my back on a media career. I haven’t done any interviews because I didn’t want to bring any more attention to my kids than I already have. They’re bullied at school, my husband has been forced out of his job . . .’
‘All trivialities that can be taken care of. We can ensure Owen doesn’t need to work again to support his family and that Darcy and Josh are enrolled in the best private schools. You’ll be doing this as much for them as you are for your country.’ His eyes darkened as he smiled. ‘And perhaps a little bit for yourself. Play your part in making that happen and you have a wonderful career ahead of you.’
‘You’re asking me to choose between fame and my family. What if you’re not re-elected? I’ll have lost everything.’
‘Life is a gamble, is it not? I’m offering you the opportunity to win big.’
The man gave Roxi two days to consider it. By the time he stood up, she had already made her decision.
Trying to convince Owen of her intentions the next day had not been as straightforward.
‘You can’t do this,’ he warned.
Roxi moved her chair forwards, its legs scraping against the floor.
‘Why not? This is the perfect solution. You and the kids are taken care of financially and I get to resume my career.’
‘No.’ Owen shook his head. ‘No, no. Just keep your head down and serve your time and, when you get out of here, we can carry on as we were.’
Roxi flinched. It didn’t go unnoticed by her husband.
‘What’s wrong with that?’
‘I don’t want to carry on as we were,’ she said quietly. ‘And I don’t want to be with you any longer.’
Owen’s face dropped.
‘I’m so, so sorry but I’ve tried being that woman and it’s just not me. You and the kids . . . it breaks my heart to admit it but you’re not enough. And please believe me, it’s not your fault; this is completely on me. The fact is I am what I am, and, first and foremost, it’s not a wife or a mother.’
Roxi closed her eyes and didn’t open them again until she heard the door to the visitors’ room slam.
