Part 3After Destroying Me, Their Rebirth Drove Them Insane

I clicked on the trending topic.

It was a series of photos.

Under dim lighting, a woman was wrapped in the arms of an overweight man.

The faces were blurry, but I recognized the silhouette immediately.

It was my sister.

But my family, in their usual way, had already logged into my social media account.

They made me take the blame.

The statement they posted read:

"I deeply apologize for wasting public attention. Please don't misunderstand or blame my sister. It was my own lapse in judgment that led to my infidelity. I fully acknowledge my mistakes and regret implicating my sister in this matter.

To everyone who has supported me, I'm sorry. Starting today, I will be leaving the entertainment industry as an act of self-reflection."

When I read those words, my hands trembled with rage.

I tried to log back into my account to post the truth, but the password had already been changed.

The door creaked open, and my mother walked in.

She pulled me into a hug, her eyes red and brimming with tears.

But she wasn't here to comfort me.

She was here to persuade me.

"Sweetheart, your sister is at the peak of her career. If this kind of scandal gets out, her life will be ruined forever."

I stared at her blankly, the tears on my face already dried.

"And what about me, Mom?"

What about me?

Wouldn't this destroy me too?

My mother faltered under my gaze, guilt flickering across her face.

"Honey, listen to me. You have Jason. He knows the truth; he won't turn his back on you. But your sister—she's not married yet. Her future can't handle this."

A wave of nausea hit me.

I grabbed the black card she had given me and slammed it to the ground.

"She made this mess, and she can clean it up herself. I'm not sacrificing my life for her career!"

My raised voice startled her, and just as she was about to respond, the door opened again.

My sister stepped in, her face streaked with tears. She cried and apologized, taking my hand and pressing it against her cheek.

"Hit me, Amelia. If it'll make you feel better, go ahead. I deserve it."

Her performance ignited something inside me.

I clenched my teeth and, as she wished, slapped her hard across the face.

The sharp sound of the slap echoed in the room.

Before I could react, Jason stormed in and yanked me away from her.

"What the hell are you doing?!" he shouted.

My sister, clutching her reddened cheek, smiled at me through her tears.

"Your karma is coming," she whispered.

I didn't understand what she meant.

I could only watch as my family surrounded her, comforting her as they left the room.

But I understood soon enough.

People started questioning the photos. Some began to doubt whether the woman in them was really me.

Sensing the shift in public opinion, my family responded in the only way they knew how—by escalating.

Private photos of me, meant for Jason's eyes only, suddenly flooded the internet.

The scandal exploded, overshadowing everything else.

I clutched my chest, struggling to breathe.

I knew then that my life was over.

I sat in a daze, unable to move, when the phone rang.

"Mommy..."

It was my son's voice, trembling and tearful.

"Mommy, Auntie took me to Hollow Lake. I'm scared..."

His words were cut off abruptly.

The last thing I heard was the sound of something heavy splashing into the water.

Panic consumed me as I grabbed my coat and ran out the door.

By the time I arrived, it was too late.

My sister stood by the lake, calm and composed, smiling as if nothing had happened.

"Your son is so rude," she said casually. "He said I was bullying you and even tried to hit me."

She tilted her head, feigning innocence.

"But he's so clumsy. He slipped and fell into the water all by himself."

She shrugged lightly.

"Not that it matters. I can't swim, you know."

Her words made my mind go blank.

I shoved past the crowd and dove into the lake, frantically searching until I found him.

I pulled him to the surface and carried him to the shore, but it was too late.

His small body was limp, his face pale, his lips tinged with blue.

He was gone.

The son I had promised to protect was gone.