Ch. I received a video 7 I received a video 7

Chapter 7 When the World Turned Against Me 

Samantha’s shoulders shook. It was a long while before she finally spoke, her voice muffled behind her hands.” I failed to raise my son properly.” 

After she left, my mother closed the front door, and the entryway fell silent again. 

She walked over and stood beside me without saying a word. She simply rested a hand on my shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze. 

A little after 11 p.m., I was scrolling through my phone when I saw someone share a news article in our class WhatsApp group. 

“What the hell is this? How dare she do such a thing!” 

The headline read, “Top Student at Prestigious High School Falsely Accused of Tampering With College Application!” 

The cover image was a selfie of Rachel. It was a nine-photo collage, and every single picture was carefully edited. 

She smiled sweetly and innocently in every shot, showing off just the right hint of her dimples. 

There were more than 3,000 comments underneath. The top one had over 5,000 likes. “Sonia Knight has no shame.” 

I scrolled down two more screens. Every comment was calling me a slut, a bitch, or saying that I framed someone else, all because I couldn’t get into Bradford University. 

The online harassment came at me like a tidal wave over the next three days. 

My WhatsApp was flooded with friend requests from strangers. The list seemed endless, but every verification message was filled with insults. 

Some contained nothing but the word “Die.” Others were entire paragraphs of people cursing me out. 

Someone even sent me an edited version of the ID photo taken when I started high school, with bold red letters edited across my face. 

People dug up my class information, the name of my neighborhood, and the address of my father’s workplace. 

The comments were filled with people saying they wanted to ruin my life, and some even organized campaigns urging everyone to spread the truth. 

My mother’s phone started blowing up as well. 

She answered the first three calls. After that, she declined every one of them, her expression growing darker with each ring. 

Rachel and Silas posted a second video the following afternoon. 

The two of them sat side by side on the couch in Rachel’s living room, flaunting the wall behind them that was 

covered with her awards and certificates. 

1:2 

+15 Bonus 

Silas wore a white dress shirt I’d never seen before. It was buttoned all the way to the collar. He looked straight into the camera as he spoke. He sounded so calm and measured that it was as if he’d memorized every word. 

“I didn’t change her college application. Sonia and I grew up together. How could I ever do something like that to her? She’s always been like this. She starts blaming everyone else when she doesn’t check her own work, and something goes wrong.” 

Rachel kept her head lowered beside him, occasionally dabbing at the corner of her eye. She was playing her part as the poor victim perfectly. 

At the end of the video, she softly added, “I hope everyone will stop attacking her online. She just made a mistake.” 

Her voice was gentle and delicate, as though she were pleading on my behalf. 

The video racked up 100,000 likes. 

The comments split into two camps. One side cursed me, while the other pitied the kind-hearted school belle. 

I scrolled through comment sections twice before closing the app entirely. 

However, something happened when I went to the farmers market to buy green onions that very afternoon. 

I was in front of a pile of vegetables, picking through the green onions, when a middle-aged woman beside me stared at me several times. Then, she spat into my grocery bag without even a hint of warning. 

I lowered my head and stared at the sticky glob on the plastic bag. My fingers tightened around the handles until my nails dug into the plastic. 

My mother saw it. Her face instantly flushed bright red as she yanked off her apron and started toward the 

woman. 

I grabbed her arm and held on with all my strength. “Mom, let’s go.” 

I dragged her out of the market. Neither of us spoke along the way, but I could feel how the arm in my hand stayed stiff as a board. 

Only when we got to the entrance to our neighborhood did she suddenly shake off my hand. Then, she questioned me sharply, her voice trembling, “Why wouldn’t you let me tell her off?” 

Support 

Share 

2/2 

+15 Bonus