Chapter 3

"Don't be so dramatic!" My mom scoffed contemptuously. "It's barely even a scratch!

"This girl used to get beaten up by her little brother until she was crawling around on the ground. What's a little scrape compared to that?"

My usually timid mother-in-law suddenly turned around. A flash of anger flickered in her cloudy eyes. "Don't you dare talk about my Jules like that!"

Everyone stared at her, wide-eyed.

Then she turned back to me and smiled vacantly. "I will blow on it for you, Jules. There, there. It won't hurt anymore..."

She leaned closer to my elbow and gently blew on the scrape, soothing me as if I were a little child.

The livestream chat erupted.

"Oh my God... Her own knees are bleeding, and she's still only worried about someone else's tiny scratch..."

"Ungrateful witch! Doesn't your conscience hurt at all?!"

I lowered my eyes to look at Barbara. Her pant leg was soaked through with blood, and her whole body was hunched over. She looked utterly miserable.

Yet I raised my hand and shoved her away hard. "You stupid idiot! How dare you snap at my mom! Do you want me to slap you?!"

Barbara staggered from the shove and nearly fell. She hurriedly grabbed the railing beside her, staring at me in terror.

"I'm sorry. I was wrong. I shouldn't have snapped at anyone..." She had reverted to her usual meek, fawning self.

The livestream chat filled with furious insults.

"Holy shit! She's so blind and stupidly devoted to her own mother, even when she's being abused!"

"Her mother-in-law just saved her, and she can't even say thank you! Her own mom treats her like garbage, and she still desperately crawls back to worship her!"

"Someone like this deserves divine punishment!"

Another comment from Scott appeared in the chat. This time, he posted several question marks in a row.

"Julianna, my mom saved you. Can't you even thank her? You weren't like this before... What the hell has happened to you?"

I sneered. "You'll find out after tonight."

"What do you mean?" Scott replied instantly. "Julianna, explain yourself!"

I didn't respond. I simply kept my eyes on the screen.

The viewers in the livestream had also begun to sense that something was off.

"What does she mean by that? Is there going to be a twist?"

"I think she's just putting on a show for attention."

I put my phone away and looked toward Barbara in the distance. She was crouching on the ground, one hand gripping the railing and the other covering her bleeding knee. She murmured to herself, "I'm fine... I'm tough... I just worry about you, Jules..."

I stared at her, the corners of my mouth curling into a cold sneer.

Almost there!

It would all be over very soon!