4

Before he could finish, my blood ran cold. "Nathan, stop insulting me."

I threw off the covers to get out of bed, but Nathan lunged forward. "You're not leaving!

"You're mine, you're mine!

"Don't even think about leaving me. You're not going anywhere..."

His voice grew louder and louder until he was practically shouting.

Just then, the hospital room door burst open.

Danny, his secretary, rushed in drenched in sweat. "Sir! Ivy, she's... she's gone viral!"

I grabbed my phone.

The moment the screen lit up, "Ivy Mercer, homewrecker" was already plastered across every trending page.

Not only had my personal information been exposed, but they'd dug up my mother's too!

Nathan sprang from his chair and was at my bedside in two strides. "Ivy, don't panic. I'll handle everything.

"Half an hour, tops, and it'll be taken down. Trust me!"

I watched numbly as his figure disappeared out the door.

Every second felt like an eternity.

That was when my mother called. "Ivy, I've been getting all these messages from strangers, saying the most horrible things...

"Tell me the truth. You haven't done anything wrong out there, have you?"

My heart sank. I tried to keep my voice light. "Of course not, Mom. Don't overthink it.

"It's got to be some kind of scam. Don't worry, I'll be fine."

The other end went silent for a few seconds.

My mother murmured a soft "okay" and hung up.

I clutched my phone, waiting for Nathan to get the story taken down.

But what came instead was a call from Mrs. Doyle next door, her voice choked with tears. "Ivy, something's happened! Your mom, she saw those things online...

"She's in the emergency room at the county hospital! You need to come back now..."

Through the phone, I heard my mother's agonized screams. "Don't call that animal!

"I didn't raise her all these years just so she could be some man's mistress!"

I hung up and raced for home.

At the emergency room, I pushed past the nurses and fought my way inside.

Just then, the trauma room doors swung open.

Two orderlies wheeled out a gurney, the outline of a body visible beneath the white sheet.

Every sound in the world vanished.

I had no idea how I made it over to the gurney.

My right hand trembled as I peeled back the sheet, inch by inch.

I saw my mother's face.

Her body was already cold.

"Mom, Mom, wake up!"

I collapsed to my knees, tears falling in heavy drops onto my mother's hands.

Just then, my phone rang again.

It was Nathan.

"Ivy, don't worry about the trending topic. I just talked to Chloe!

"She agreed to write off the million-dollar debt, and she said it won't affect the business partnership!

"As long as... the story stays up for three more days."

Nathan paused, struggling to get the words out. "Ivy, the internet has no memory!

"You just have to get through these three days, and after that I'll definitely..."

He was still saying something.

I hung up and blocked his number.

The day I walked out of the funeral home carrying my mother's urn, late autumn wind cut through my collar.

I realized I couldn't cry anymore. Not a single tear.

I sold the house back home and bought myself a plane ticket.

Sitting in the airport terminal, I reached for my phone out of habit, but my fingers froze.

The trending topic had changed.

In its place was a new headline, blazing red and viral.

"Breaking! The Ivy Mercer Scandal May Be About to Take an Epic Turn!"

[PAYWALL BREAK]