Chapter 3

Ethan looked at Celia and trembled violently. "Celia!

"If I hadn't been working part-time at that bar to earn money for a gift for my brother, I never would've seen him fooling around with those men!

"Please stop talking! If Henry comes back, he'll definitely take revenge on me! He'll send me back to the fighting ring again!"

As soon as he said that, people began discussing heatedly.

"Wait, is this about those rumors that Henry was hanging around bars with multiple men?"

"Yeah! I heard he was already getting it on with them right in the VIP booth. There are even videos online! It looked to me like he took the initiative!"

"Lost at Truth or Dare? He obviously set those men up to target Ethan!"

"Ethan is way too kind. I can't believe he didn't call the police!"

The livestream comments flooded the screen too.

[No wonder the real heir said he was forced into a fighting ring during the interview. So that's what happened!]

[Henry is seriously evil!]

After hearing everything, Mom hugged Ethan even tighter. "Don't be scared, Ethan! This is my fault. I should've kicked him out sooner!"

Bonnie lifted her head slightly, as if trying hard not to let her tears fall.

It seemed even she felt sorry for Ethan and was disappointed in me.

After taking a deep breath, Bonnie continued reading.

[Ethan said he was allergic to alcohol and begged me to help him, so I relented and drank a glass of wine for him.]

[But after only a few sips, my head began to feel dizzy.]

[In a gaze, I heard Celia saying, "Ethan, Henry really thinks I like him. What a loser. Don't worry. Once we start preparing for the SAT test, I'll dump him. Let's see if he can still show off his grades to you!"]

That was when I realized the person Celia truly liked was Ethan.

The moment Bonnie finished, someone in the audience blurted out, "Wait, didn't Celia just say she was being threatened?

"But now we're hearing she got close to Henry just to ruin him?

"No, if that's true, then–"

Ethan quickly shook his head. "That's not true!

"Henry's always been jealous of me. I've already given in to him so many times, but now he's still trying to slander me and Celia!"

Bonnie paused at the next lines before continuing.

[After that, I think a lot of people surrounded me.]

[It started hurting so, so much.]

[It hurt so badly that I couldn't even sit down.]

[When I woke up again, Celia told me it had all just been a nightmare.]

[Dear Diary, I'm scared.]

The second Bonnie finished reading, Mom staggered backward. "What does he mean by that?"

Ethan visibly panicked. He lunged forward and shouted, "Why is Henry lying? Will he only be happy if I die?"

Dad's expression became twisted with fury as he snapped at Bonnie. "Ms. Leighton, this entire diary is obviously fabricated nonsense. There's no point reading any further!"

As he spoke, he pulled out his phone and tried calling me. "You little jerk! Get over here right now and explain yourself to everyone!"

But how could the call possibly connect?

I had already died in the hills from snake venom.

The livestream comments went wild again.

[He's not answering because he feels guilty!]

[That diary was definitely written afterward! He just can't stand seeing his brother get into Kingstone College!]

[Exactly. If he was really assaulted, why wouldn't he call the police? Is he dumb?]

Why didn't I call the police?

It wasn't that I never considered it, but I was just afraid.

Would anyone have believed me?

For some reason, Bonnie suddenly started crying. "If we can't find him, then stop looking."

What did Bonnie mean by that?

Before I could think further, her trembling fingers turned to the next page.

[January 6th, 2025.]

[I thought about it for a long time before finally deciding to break up with Celia, but she suddenly showed me those videos from the bar and called me damaged goods.]

[Watching those videos, I finally realized what happened that night wasn't a nightmare after all.]

[I secretly went to the hospital afterward.]

[Dear Diary, do people really die from AIDS?]

The room instantly fell silent.

Someone finally reacted to what they had just heard. "What? Are you saying Henry got AIDS?"

Celia panicked, but she still insisted firmly, "There's no way he has AIDS!"

Someone in the audience began whispering again. "Looking at the dates of the diary entries, this was before those videos were leaked online.

"And if he really agreed to it willingly, how would Celia even have gotten those videos?"

Mom and Dad both froze as if they had suddenly recalled the times I complained about not feeling well.

A moment later, Mom clutched her chest and collapsed into her chair. "Then those red spots on his hands–"

She reached out and tried to snatch away my diary, but Bonnie sidestepped her immediately and said in a trembling voice, "Let's continue reading and find out why Henry finally gave up on himself."