Adam followed her in, phone raised, camera already rolling. He supported Lola with his free arm. Her wrist was wrapped in thick bandages—a prop for the drama he was orchestrating.
Tiffany didn't stop. She grabbed whatever she could reach—pillows, cups—and threw them at me while the camera broadcasted everything.
"You did it on purpose! You made a fake video to hurt Aunt Lola! I hate you!"
The viewer count skyrocketed. Tens of millions flooded in. Comments scrolled at a dizzying speed, each one a dagger.
"So the cheating rumors were fake? It was all edited?"
"Even the daughter is saying it. Kids don't lie. Didn't expect someone so weak-looking to be so vicious."
"Mr. James is unlucky to have such a psycho wife. She almost drove an innocent woman to suicide. She deserves to rot in hell!"
"She's insane. Didn't even care about her own life just to frame Lola."
"Divorce her immediately! Lola seems like a saint compared to her. Netizens support the new couple!"
One comment after another branded me a monster.
Adam chuckled darkly and ended the stream. The performance was over.
I gripped the bedsheets, knuckles white, glaring at him. "You are truly despicable."
Lola stepped out from behind Adam. A smug smile curled her lips as she dangled a USB drive between her fingers—the evidence I thought I had saved. She had deliberately uploaded the manipulated video.
Adrenaline surged, momentarily overriding my injuries. Dragging my cast-encased leg, I shoved myself off the bed. I lunged, grabbed a fistful of Lola's hair, and struck her across the face.
"Why are you framing me!"
Lola wailed, burying herself in Adam's chest to play the victim once more. Seeing this, Tiffany rushed forward and shoved me.
"Leave her alone!"
I stumbled back, clutching the nightstand to keep from falling. But before I could steady myself, a stronger force slammed into me.
Adam pushed me. Hard.
I hit the floor with a bone-jarring crash.
The plaster cast didn't just break—it crumbled, scattering white dust across the floor. Beneath it, my unhealed wounds tore open, fresh blood seeping through my clothes.
The people before me looked right through the gore.
Tiffany's voice, usually sweet, was now a serrated blade. "How can you be my mom when you're this vicious? All my classmates laugh at me. They say I have a monster for a mother. You're a disgrace!"