Chapter 3

"Gross. You ruined my shoot. Now get down there and lick up your mess," Dad said while pinching his nose before walking away.

I curled up beside my own vomit, sobbing in silence. The video cut to a pause.

The courtroom and the live chat erupted into a heated frenzy.

"The video is worlds apart from those photos. Emma is actually living a nightmare."

"Damn. Her parents acted like they adored her and ignored Ethan in the videos they posted. I guess the internet really is full of lies."

"Daughter-centric content gets more views these days. They were just milking her for profit."

"Sure, it's a pity Emma was abused by her parents, but what does that have to do with Ethan?"

Dad's and Mom's perfect influencer personas were completely shattered.

Their faces flushed between pale white and livid red as they stared at my mental projection with pure hatred.

I knew that if I were physically there, they would have torn me limb from limb.

The memory video resumed.

I was clutching Ethan's throat, screaming and crying in a fit of madness, "Give it to me! Give it!"

Ethan's face turned red, but his eyes were full of malice. "No… way."

"Emma, what are you doing? Let him go!"

"You bitch! Let go of your brother! How dare you lay a hand on him!"

Dad and Mom wanted to strike me, but they were terrified of hurting Ethan, so they could only hurl frantic insults from the side.

A laugh escaped Ethan's throat. With a raspy voice, he roared at them, "Mom, Dad, it's fine! She won't do anything. My friends have her nudes. She needs me to get them back."

My grip tightened at those words. Ethan's voice was choked off instantly.

Mom screamed, "Don't you dare hurt Ethan! I'll give you the money to buy the photos back. Stop being so dramatic!"

I stared at her in disbelief.

As a woman, she knew exactly what would happen to me if those photos Ethan took were leaked.

And yet, she still thought he was innocent, and I was just being dramatic.

While I was frozen in shock, Dad suddenly lunged from behind and pinned my arms. Ethan took the chance to scramble to Mom's side.

The three of them glared at me, their fury boiling over.

"How dare you choke me! Believe me, by tomorrow, your nudes will be all over the internet," Ethan snarled.

Mom chimed in, "Is this how I raised you? I told you to look after Ethan, and you have the nerve to lay a hand on him?"

"So what if he took some photos? If you didn't want people looking, you shouldn't have been naked in the shower. What else are bodies for?" Dad scoffed.

Then came the rain of fists and slaps. Once again, I was left broken on the floor.

Before Ethan left, he spat on me. "Slut. Stop acting like you're some saint."

The memory video ended there.

A heavy silence fell over the room, followed by a wave of murmurs.

"He took secret nudes of Emma and showed them to his friends? That's absolutely sickening."

"Now I get why Emma was always in long sleeves and pants in their videos."

"Emma's life was a living hell. I'm sorry for what I said earlier."

"Apologies from me too."

At that moment, the judge's cold, mechanical voice rang out, final and sharp. "Based on the voting results, both Emma Harper and Ethan Harper are found not guilty on the first charge of parental disrespect."

Comments filled the live chat.

"That's a first. A dual trial where neither is found guilty."

"Of course their precious son wouldn't disrespect them. They literally worshipped him."

"Wait, the parents chose this specific charge for the trial. They rigged it to favor Ethan."

"I have a disturbing theory. If it weren't for that video, those photos would have convicted Emma instantly. Which means that her parents had chosen that charge specifically to…"

I took a deep breath, feeling a moment of relief.

Now that I had people on my side, the rest of the trial should go much more smoothly.

The second round of judgment began.