But thanks to her statement, the comment section wasn’t just filled with praise. It was also crawling with suspicion.
[Who copied our queen’s idea? I’m all ears.]
[I’ve never seen this concept before. If anyone else posts a similar video now, we’ll know who stole it.]
[People who plagiarize should just rot!]
Everyone wanted to be the first to dig up the tea.
Then Lesley responded to the top comment.
[Sweetie, the other person is a big-name influencer with millions of followers in the same space as me. So, I won’t say who it is, but she recently stopped posting because she was trying to rebrand. I guess she hit a wall and decided to steal a small creator’s idea like me.]
She didn’t drop names, but she didn’t have to.
That comment gave people more than enough to go on.
The internet didn't need much to put two and two together. It didn’t take long for users to connect the dots and come straight to me.
Quickly, my comment sections turned into war zones full of accusations, insults, and endless doubts.
But my fans did their best to defend me. Since there was no solid proof that I plagiarized, the hate was quickly buried beneath waves of support.
Still, I was exhausted. Mentally drained. Physically done.
Between the sleepless nights and nonstop stress, I eventually collapsed into bed and passed out without even meaning to.
I didn't know how long I was out before a loud knock jolted me awake.
“Zephanie! I know you’re in there. Open the door!”
“You hear me?! Don’t make this harder than it needs to be!”
I opened the door and found myself staring straight into Gavin’s eyes.
“What’s the meaning of this silent breakup?! I just happened to run into Lesley that day. You’re being paranoid!” he barked, dragging a suitcase behind him as he pushed past me.
I snapped out of it and shoved him back toward the door. “We broke up. I don’t want to see you again.”
“Enough with the drama,” he said. “I came back to give you a way out. Just admit you were wrong, apologize to Lesley online, and this whole thing goes away. Don’t make it uglier than it needs to be.”
Hearing that, I lost it.
“I didn’t copy her!” I screamed. “She stole my idea!”
Gavin laughed like I’d told a joke. “Oh, so the person who plagiarized managed to post before the one who didn’t? That’s a new one. Impressive.”
“Everyone knows you copied her,” he added. “You’re the only one still lying to yourself.”