In the violation photo, the corner of her mouth was bruised a deep purple, and dark bags hung heavy under her eyes. Even the grainy, low-resolution image couldn't hide how haggard she looked.
My fingers moved on their own, pulling up the cloud feed from the dashcam.
For the past week, Natalie had been fooling around with Carter Walker.
On the mountain. In the fields. In the park.
If the front camera could capture it, I saw it.
In one clip, Carter grabbed her by the throat, squeezing until her face turned crimson, releasing her only at the last possible second.
"You spent twenty million of my money." His voice was deceptively light. "If this drama doesn't take off, I'll make you wish you were dead."
He smiled as he said it, revealing two rows of perfect white teeth. Sunny. Charming.
But his words were laced with arsenic.
Natalie's face flushed a liver-colored purple. She gasped for air, struggling to force a smile onto her terrified features. "Of course not. This drama will definitely be a huge hit."
Unexpectedly, Carter—who had been grinning a second before—spun around and backhanded her across the face.
"Did I give you permission to speak?"
*Bang. Bang. Bang.*
Dozens of slaps landed in rapid succession. Her face swelled until it was unrecognizable.
She didn't dare fight back. Just sat there, forcing that grotesque smile to remain in place.
...
I watched scenes like this play out several times.
None of it surprised me.
In my previous life, during my time in prison, I learned exactly what kind of monster Carter Walker was. He wasn't someone to be trifled with.
His appetites were depraved; he treated young, beautiful girls like disposable toys. The worst incident involved a junior from university whom he abused into a vegetative state. He had to pay out five million dollars just to bury the scandal.
But on the surface? The cheerful, handsome heir. A master of disguise.
I heard that later, another internet celebrity tried to follow in Natalie's footsteps. Thought she could handle Carter. She was beautiful—though not quite on Natalie's level—and she managed to become his official girlfriend.
The year I was released, that influencer married into a wealthy family. Became a respectable socialite.
Natalie never got over that. Even on her deathbed, she believed her failure was simply bad luck—that she had missed out on snagging a rich heir. She blamed me for everything.