Chapter 6
After Liam Harrison and Amber Thompson were taken away, they were detained for five days. I demanded a public apology from them before deciding whether or not to pursue criminal charges.
But Amber refused to apologize outright. Instead, she used her status as a renowned photographer to publish an online article, claiming I had driven her into a state of depression. She included a clinical depression diagnosis and a photo of a long, bloody gash on her arm.
With her carefully curated image as a bright, optimistic soul, coupled with her vivid writing, she easily painted me as the villain, a cruel woman who pushed others to the brink of destruction.
A few members of their close-knit group had media connections, and before long, my social media accounts were suspended. All of my videos disappeared. With my online presence wiped out, people naturally assumed I was the liar, and Amber’s side of the story quickly gained traction.
When I went to the hospital for a follow-up, strangers recognized me and whispered behind my back. Some even deliberately bumped into me while I was holding my child.
“Pathetic woman. Can’t even control her own husband, so now she’s bullying others to the point of death. Look in the mirror, who’d want you?”
“Exactly! You should be flattered Amber even glanced at your husband.”
“Amber and Dr. Harrison were always the perfect match. You should’ve divorced him ages ago.”
As I knelt to pick up the things that had been knocked from my hands, someone stomped on my fingers. They kicked my medical records away, and when my child started crying, they sneered, “Can’t even handle a kid, and you’re busy being petty.”
The person who had crushed my hand smirked. “Thought it was trash.”
The voices around me blurred into a painful haze of scorn.
Just as I felt myself about to collapse, someone steadied me.
“What happened? You weren’t this frail last time,” Samuel, my senior, asked, having seen me stumble while making rounds with his interns.
But then, a phone camera clicked on.
I stepped in front of Samuel, glaring. “Stop filming!”
“Oho! Found yourself a new man, huh? Can’t wait to show the world what a hypocrite you are, destroying one person’s life while cozying up to another.”
Samuel moved to step in, but I pulled him back.
“You’re just letting them do this?” he asked urgently. “If this escalates, you won’t even have a chance to explain.”
I didn’t want to explain. With online mobs, the more you defend yourself, the deeper the hole you dig. I needed a quick, decisive resolution.
“I’ve got a plan,” I reassured him. “Don’t worry.”
He studied me for a moment, then whispered, “Tell me if you need me.”
I nodded and left the hospital with my child, only to run straight into Liam and Amber.
Amber was gushing, “If this IVF works, I’ll finally have my own child. No marriage, no serving some useless man, just me and my photography career!”
Liam looked remorseful. “I’m so sorry Jessica did this to you. I know you lost clients because of her. I’ll make it up to you. I’ll make her apologize.”
Amber shook her head. “Liam, you’re not treating me like a friend. I’ve never blamed her. She doesn’t understand our bond, this friendship beyond romance. And that’s fine. As long as you know everything I do is for our friendship.”
Liam nodded, pulling her into a relieved hug. “No one gets me like you do.”
“I understand you better than Jessica ever could,” Amber murmured. “And I love you more. I’m your best friend, the one who loves you most.”
Their exchange made my stomach turn.
But Liam’s eyes welled up. “If we’d gotten together back then… maybe none of this would’ve happened.”
Amber’s lips curled up in a sly smile, though she only said, “If we dated and broke up, we’d lose each other forever. This way, we’ll always be together.”
