Chapter 4

Joshua's eyes flashed with astonishment, then narrowed. "What do you mean?"

I smiled casually and met his gaze. "Just because you gave me something doesn't mean that I must accept it."

Joshua opened his mouth, but found that he had nothing to say.

I ignored him and asked, "So, what are you two doing here?"

Alanna chuckled awkwardly and came over to link her arm with mine. "We're planning to go to Lake Evermere and figured that since you know Lakehaven better than us, you can be our guide!"

I subtly avoided her touch and answered in a distant tone, "I'm busy. From now on, don't come looking for me."

With that, I turned and walked away without looking back.

Watching my retreating figure, Joshua instinctively reached out. A heavy feeling settled in his chest, as if something important was about to slip away from him forever.

That night, a short video went viral online. It was footage filmed casually by a passerby.

"Clary! Look at this! These two are so good-looking! They're such a perfect match. They look amazing even in a stranger's candid shot! I'm swooning!" Maya exclaimed excitedly.

In the passerby's footage taken by the shimmering lake, Alanna wore a flowing aqua-colored dress that fluttered in the wind. She looked like a beauty stepped out of an ancient painting.

Beside her, Joshua, dressed in teal, was helping her pin up her hair. His gaze on her was so unbelievably tender that they looked exactly like a real couple. Anyone who saw them would never doubt it.

I answered indifferently, "Mm, a good match indeed."

In the past, when the three of us walked together, such comments had been common. I would always feel secretly wounded, thinking I wasn't good enough for Joshua. But now, facing it again, I was unexpectedly calm.

Soon, people started digging up information about Alanna and Joshua, and a trending topic shot up to the very top.

"Bellmere University's Campus Beauty and Heartthrob Take the Internet by Storm!"

The two of them seized the opportunity and started a live stream as a couple.

Alanna smiled sweetly at the camera as she linked arms with Joshua. "We've been together since freshman year of high school and made a promise to go to the same university."

Joshua said nothing. He simply lowered his head and kissed Alanna on the cheek.

The live stream's popularity soared, and the comments were uniformly filled with swooning.

I frowned and closed the live stream.

A while later, messages came in the group chat.

Joshua sent a message first. "Clary, it's just for show. I'll make it up to you. We'll go on a date soon, just the two of us."

Then, Alanna sent another message. "Clary, don't be mad. It's just a persona. Being a streamer makes good money! I'll pay for your expenses in the future!"

I found it somewhat ridiculous because I really didn't care. But I said nothing and quietly left the group chat.

However, I never expected that the next day, my name would appear on the trending topics, tied to the term "boyfriend stealer".

"I went to the same high school as Claire Bennett. Once, I saw her holding Joshua's hand when Alanna wasn't around. But he shoved her away in disgust."

"She looks so innocent! I can't believe she'd steal her best friend's boyfriend. How shameless!"

In no time, my ID photo edited into a memorial portrait flooded the comment sections.

Then, I started receiving strange packages. First razor blades, then blood-stained dolls, and even dead rats. Every second, I received delivery threats showing up at my door and messages threatening my safety pouring into my phone. Endless malice from all over the world came crashing down on me.

I reported it to the police at once, but that didn't stop the overwhelming abuse and harassment directed at me.

I picked up my phone and typed out paragraphs of clarification on social platforms. But my hands shook so badly that the words became incoherent, so I had to revise them repeatedly before I could finally post them.

What came back was an even more aggressive wave of online violence. The online community called me delusional for aiming way out of my league.

When Maya came back with dinner for me, she planted her hands on her hips and shouted in indignation, "What a pair of scumbags! And to think I used to ship them so hard—turns out they're pure evil! His girlfriend is being cyberbullied, and he won't even say a word to protect you!"

When I finally received a call from Joshua, his voice held not a trace of warmth. "Delete it. Being an influencer is a good career path for Lana. She has a bright future ahead. We can't ruin it now."

I blinked away the tears, my voice shaking beyond recognition. "Then what about me, Josh? So you think that my life should be ruined instead?"

When he saw my tears, a flicker of pain crossed Joshua's eyes, and his tone softened a little. "Be good. We just need to get through this. Once this wave passes, everything will be fine. In a year, the internet will find something new to entertain themselves with, and nobody will remember this."

My eyes were bloodshot, and my voice came out almost as a roar. "So you think that everything I'm suffering now is just entertainment? Get lost! I never want to see you again!"

The second after I hung up, Joshua posted on social media. "I don't really know her. She forced herself on me."

The bashing online intensified, and I was publicly condemned.

Whispers drifted in from the hallway. "I heard that the boyfriend stealer lives in this dorm. I heard she's even in the student council!"

I curled up at the foot of my bed, covering my ears and shaking my head desperately.

When Mom called me, she clearly sounded very worried. "Clary, is something wrong? Tell me what's going on. I don't believe those things I see online…"

I clamped my hand over my mouth to keep from sobbing out loud and told Mom over and over that I was fine, that I could handle things on my own.

Mom had a heart condition, and the town folk from where I came from always loved to gather and gossip, so I was certain that they must have given her plenty of grief.

I posted lots of screenshots of my chat logs with Joshua and Alanna, but the netizens were convinced that those were edited.

A tidal wave of nausea rose in me, and for the first time, I bore so much resentment for this world.

All of a sudden, my phone buzzed, and I received a friend request, along with a message that read, "Want to know who's behind all this?"