Chapter 3

The stolen livestream clip spread fast.

Someone slowed my poster-tearing down into slow motion.

The caption read:

【The $5,200 wife thinks it's too little—storms into her husband's restaurant to throw a fit.】

People dug up my studio account.

Under my latest illustration, thousands of comments repeated the same line:

【Can I book you for $130,000?】

Someone turned my wedding photos into memes.

In the picture, I stood in my wedding dress, looking at Keith.

Under it, in red letters:

【$5,200 received. Forgiveness complete.】

I turned off my phone and went to my parents' house.

My mother grabbed me the second she opened the door.

"It's all lies online, isn't it?"

I said, "Yeah."

My father sat on the couch, his phone screen still frozen on the stolen clip.

He'd been a high school teacher, and even after retiring, some of his students still followed him.

Someone had dug up the school's old page and left a comment under one of his award-winning essays:

【Teacher Harding taught his whole life, and this is the daughter he raised—one who takes money to swallow her husband's cheating?】

My father set his phone face down on the table.

"Why doesn't Keith clear it up?"

My throat tightened.

"He's handling it."

My mother said quickly, "Businessmen have a lot to consider. People online curse one thing today and forget it tomorrow."

The words were barely out when a meme popped up in the family group chat.

A distant aunt followed with a question:

【Is Violet short on money? If things are really that hard, the relatives can pitch in. No need to put yourself through this.】

My father got up to close the messages.

Near the entryway, his body suddenly swayed.

The water glass shattered on the floor.

I rushed over to hold him up. His lips had gone white, and he could no longer lift one arm.

In the ER hallway, I called Keith eleven times.

On the twelfth, he finally picked up.

The background was all music and a countdown.

"I'm on my livestream. What is it?"

"My dad's in the hospital."

The line went quiet for a second.

"Is it serious?"

"His blood pressure's very high. The doctors are checking for a cerebrovascular problem."

"Don't panic. I'll have the hospital director get in touch."

"I don't want the director."

I gripped the phone, my voice shaking the whole time.

"Release the full audio from the reunion."

"Tell them I was alone at the hospital for that surgery. The money wasn't something I asked for."

"Keith, I only want you to say one true thing."

He lowered his voice.

"I can't post it now."

"Why?"

"The livestream just hit two hundred thousand viewers. If I suddenly drop the audio now, everyone will think we staged the whole thing."

"My dad is lying in there because of this."

"That's exactly why I told you long ago not to look at that stuff."

"He saw it!"

Someone on his end was pushing him to go on.

He was silent a few seconds, then his tone softened.

"Just hold on two more hours. When the livestream's over, I'll come to the hospital, and I'll put out a statement."

My phone buzzed right after.

$7,000 received.

The note:

【Get the best doctor for your dad first.】

I stared at the money.

"Keith, my dad doesn't want your money."

"This is the best window for traffic right now."

For the first time, an impatience he couldn't hold back crept into his voice.

"Whether this new place makes it or not comes down to tonight."

The call cut off.

Ten minutes later, the TV in the ER hallway started playing his livestream.

The host asked, smiling:

"Mr. Henson, everyone online is saying $5,200 isn't enough to win your wife over anymore. Have you raised the price?"

Keith held his glass, paused half a beat.

"The boss at home has raised her rates lately, yeah."

The comments flooded the screen in an instant.

That was when the emergency room door opened.

My father was wheeled out, his face ashen.

He saw Keith on the TV, then slowly turned his head to look at me.

His first words weren't a curse at him.

"Violet."

"Is it because your mom and I never gave you anything to stand on—that's why you keep taking his money?"