Tower of Trauma: I Was Their Punchline

Holly's POV

My legs had turned to jelly by the time a patrolling security guard rescued me half an hour later. I looked incredibly pathetic as my soaked pants stuck to my skin.

My best friend, Carrie Kirby, pinched her nose and doubled over laughing. "You absolutely stink, Holly Alden!"

My fiancé, Oliver Bayley, shot me a disdainful look before throwing a set of new clothes at me. "Hurry and get changed. I feel sick just looking at you."

Our surroundings were open and empty. There was nothing that I could hide behind to change.

"Can I change in your car, Oliver?" I asked in a small voice.

Oliver immediately rejected my request, frowning. "I just changed the interior of my car. Do you think that I can still drive anyone around if it reeks of pee?"

He pointed at a dilapidated ticket booth that was nearby, saying, "You can change there. Be quick about it. Lydia's still waiting for us to go home."

I dragged my numb legs to the booth. Ignoring my pathetic state, I stripped off my wet clothes. I had just put on a pair of underwear when a dark figure suddenly pounced on me from behind.

Panic gripped my heart. I kicked the metal wall, hoping to make enough noise to draw Oliver's and Carrie's attention and get them to rescue me. However, they were completely oblivious to my plight.

I was pulled deeper into the booth. My legs started bleeding when they were dragged across the rough stones, the cuts stinging painfully. Tears ran down my face as I trembled violently. I was teetering on the brink of despair when the attacker removed his mask.

It was none other than my brother, Elias Alden.

Carrie cackled with laughter as she approached us. She was video-calling someone, aiming the camera right at me. "Did you see that, Lydia? Holly was struggling even harder than a pig being dragged to the slaughterhouse."

Lydia Locke laughed. Her voice was colored with amusement when she said, "I should have recorded her. Her idiotic appearance makes me laugh no matter how many times I see it."

Elias walked over to Carrie and said comfortingly, "It's fine. Oliver and I prepared a hilarious video specifically for you. We guarantee that you'll laugh every single time you watch it."

Lydia's laughter rang out, slicing through my nerves like a sharp blade. The anger burning within my chest exploded. I lunged at Carrie, snatched her phone from her hands, and hurled it to the ground. The screen cracked in an instant.

Carrie shrieked. "You've lost your mind, Holly!"

"We're just joking around with you," Oliver said, approaching me with a darkened expression. "Do you have to be so petty?"

I stared at the three of them with bloodshot eyes. "You know better than anyone else whether you're just joking around or intentionally tormenting me to make Lydia happy."

Oliver was stunned. Bewilderment flickered in his eyes. "You've found out what's going on?"

I slowly unfurled my clenched fist. The Bluetooth earbud's light was flashing weakly. "Why did you make me suffer for Lydia's amusement?"

"You're the reason that Lydia was harassed by the netizens and developed severe depression," Oliver said with an indifferent expression. "Even now, she's still too scared to leave the house. We're simply helping you atone for your sins."

My chest heaved. My voice was hoarse when I screamed, "It's not my fault! She's the one who plagiarized my work! She deserved to be harassed by the netizens!"

Elias slapped me hard across the face. My head snapped to the side as my cheek started to go numb. His eyes filled with disappointment as he said, "When did you become so cold-blooded, Holly?"