LOGINNICOLE'S POV "You disgraceful, regretful son of mine!" Mr. William roared, his voice shaking the light fixtures above us. "I curse the day you were born! All you bring to my name is one humiliation after another! First, it was that pathetic scandal where you tried to kiss a boy back then, nearly ruined me before I spent millions doing damage control! And now you try to frame a young girl publicly?! What is your problem?! Where did I go wrong with you? Are you a psychopath?!"Odell squeezed his eyes shut, his cheek burning red, but his father wasn't done."Look at you!" Mr. William stepped directly into Odell’s face, towering over him. "Stop staring at the floor! I’ve done everything to build you up into a man, but you act like a ruthless, brainless animal! I built an empire! Do you know how hard I worked to establish the Johnson legacy? And you come out here acting like a monster, dragging my name into the dirt! You stupid, pathetic boy!"Mr. William raised his hand again, his face c
NICOLE'S POVThe narrative tilted. Almost overnight, the icy tide of hatred that had nearly drowned me turned into a warm, suffocating wave of public sympathy.My phone vibrated endlessly, but this time the comment sections were filled with tear-emoji paragraphs, lengthy public apologies, and humble repentance."Nicole, I'm so sorry I ever doubted you." "Odell is a master manipulator. You just loved the wrong guy." "She was carrying his child and he tried to frame her? Pure evil." "Protect Nicole at all costs!"I had become the campus martyr, the tragic, beautiful girl who gave her heart to a monster and got set up in return. Deliveries began arriving at the apartment door: massive bouquets of white lilies, baskets of artisanal chocolates, plush teddy bears, and handwritten notes begging for my forgiveness.Meanwhile, the vultures were picking Devon and Matthew’s reputations to the bone. Matthew had dropped out of sight completely; the video of him cornering Sophie in the alley had
The velvet curtains of room 408 were drawn tight, blocking out the late afternoon sun. I sat on the edge of the king-sized bed, surrounded by room service trays with half-eaten food and room keys I hadn't turned in for weeks.Ever since I brought Matthew and Devon into the room to draft the plan, this hotel had been my sanctuary. I couldn't stay in my apartment with Nicole. Every time I looked at her, I felt trapped, like a rope was tied around my neck, pulling me toward an altar I never wanted. She was carrying my child, yeah, so I couldn't just kick her out into the street without looking like a monster. So I left. I hid in this five-star tomb and let the dominoes fall.Now, those dominoes had tumbled back and crushed me completely.My phone screen glowed violently on the duvet. I had already deleted my Instagram, my X account, and every social media app I owned, but the notifications still bled through on the university message boards.“Odell is a psychopath.” “Imagine doing this
Matthew glared up at me through his swollen eyes, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the dirty gravel. "You... you bitch," he rasped, clutching his broken ribs. "You're behind this! You think you're teaching me a lesson?!""Shut the fuck up, Matthew," I said, my voice dead and cold. "Just wait until everyone on campus finds out you're a violent rapist. Then you'll see what's coming for you.""What the hell are you talking about?!" he choked out, his face contorting in panic.I pulled out my phone, angled the glowing screen down toward his face, and hit play. The high-definition footage of him slamming Sophie against the brick wall, ripping her shirt open, and forcing himself on her played in brutal, undeniable clarity."Everything is recorded right here," I whispered, stepping closer until my shadow completely covered him. "Every single second of you attempting to assault a girl. I'm going to ruin your reputation just like you ruined mine."The fight completely drained out of Matthew.
The next morning, the sun was hitting the floor way too bright.Sophie groaned, clutching her head as she sat up on my couch. "God... my head is pounding. Nicole?"I walked in and put a glass of water and two painkillers on the table. "Drink."She downed them in one gulp, pressing her palms against her eyes. "What was in those drinks? I’ve never been that drunk in my life. I don't even remember leaving the bar. Did we take shots?""No," I lied without blinking. "You just can't hold your liquor."Sophie swallowed hard, squinting at me. "How are you doing? About the video? About Matthew?""I have a plan to make Matthew talk," I said, leaning against the wall with my arms crossed. "I know he isn't doing this alone. Someone set him up to ruin me. And I need your help to trap him."Sophie frowned. "Me? How?""Matthew loves playing the bad boy," I said flatly. "He likes control. You’re going to message him. Tell him you have this secret fantasy that you want him to act out a fake assault sc
My throat closed up, but I kept scrolling. Then I hit one comment that made my blood run ice-cold: * "No wonder Odell never touched her. She probably forced herself on him too." A fresh wave of tears burned my eyes, and I slammed the phone face-down onto the couch. "I hate them. I hate every single one of them." Alex stepped over, his face pained. "Stop reading it, Nicole. Put it away." "They ruined me!" I shouted, my voice cracking. "They completely destroyed my name!" "Nicole, calm down—" "They took everything!" I stared at him, my vision blurring. "My baby is dead, Alex!" Alex went completely silent. He had no words for that. I wiped the wetness from my face with the back of my hand. The sadness in me was burning off, leaving behind a hard, black slag. "Matthew and Devon did this. And they aren't getting away with it." "What are you going to do?" I stared at the blank wall opposite the couch. "I don't know yet. But I'm going to figure it out." Silence settled over the ti







