บททั้งหมดของ My Cousin Thought I Was Catfishing, but I Showed Up Stunning: บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 10

The moment the message appeared, my hand shook.Before I could respond, I was added to a group chat called 'Welcome Home, Maya'.More people joined one after another.Then I spotted a familiar profile picture and nearly dropped my phone.Julian Shaw.My online boyfriend of a year and a half.We’d met on an academic forum.While I was dieting, exercising, and working on my research, he’d been there for me. During my lowest moments, he’d stayed up with me through countless revisions of my proposal.My grip tightened around my phone.So Maya Lane really was the person behind that post.Someone in the chat quickly noticed Julian.'Julian’s coming too? Maya, you must be pretty important!''I heard Julian’s almost impossible to get hold of at his lab overseas, but Maya managed to invite him the moment she came home.'Maya sent a blushing emoji.'Don’t start. He’s only coming to welcome me home.'Then she tagged me directly.'Hazel, you’re the person I want to see most. You ha

At six thirty that evening, everyone in the group chat began checking in.They had all arrived early.Everyone except me.When I entered Maya’s livestream, she was calling loudly for a server.“Could you bring us a few extra chairs?”The server looked confused.“Don’t you already have enough seats?”Maya sighed.“My cousin hasn’t arrived yet, and she’s on the heavier side.“I’m worried one chair might not be comfortable for her. I’d also hate for one of your chairs to break.”Someone in the private dining room snickered.Leah covered her mouth.“Maya, you’re so thoughtful.”Julian frowned.“My girlfriend is slim.“That won’t be a problem.”The smile on Maya’s face froze for a split second.Then she spoke as though she couldn’t keep the truth from him any longer.“Julian, I honestly didn’t want to tell you.“But you trust her so completely, and I’m afraid she’s going to make a fool out of you.”Julian looked up.“What do you mean?”Maya bit her lip, looking conflic

The door swung open.Every head turned toward me.The room fell completely silent.For one second, the livestream comments went blank.Then they exploded.‘Where’s the three-hundred-pound pig?’‘Holy shit, who is that? She’s gorgeous!’‘Did some random beauty walk into the wrong room?’Julian stared at me in shock.The smile on Maya’s face slowly froze.I walked inside, letting my gaze drift over the livestream camera, my graduation photo circled in red on the screen, and the extra chairs lined up beside the table.Finally, I looked at Maya and smiled.“Why is everyone looking at me like that?“You invited me to dinner, Maya. Don’t tell me you’ve already forgotten.”It was as if someone had pulled the plug on the entire room.The people who had been laughing hysterically moments ago now looked as though someone had grabbed them by the throat.Leah recovered first.She stared at my face, her voice jumping an octave.“Who did you just say you were?”I tilted my head.

The first document I projected onto the screen was my college tran.I had ranked first in my major for all four years.Nearly every core course was an A.My GPA and class ranking were displayed in black and white.The second document was the published shortlist for the exchange program.My name was at the very top.The recommendation read:‘Outstanding academic ability. Her research focus closely aligns with the work being conducted at Hawthorne University’s joint research lab.’The third document was a recommendation letter from my faculty advisor.The fourth was proof that I had completed a state-funded research project.With every document I opened, Maya’s expression grew uglier.I looked directly at her.“Maya, did you forget why my grades were so bad in high school?“You and your friends harassed me so relentlessly that I became afraid to even show up for class.“But once I started college, I ranked first in my program and earned scholarships for three years straight

Maya ended the livestream in a panic.But it was already too late.Screen recordings had spread everywhere.By that night, the scandal was trending online.‘Woman Tries to Expose Cousin as a Catfish, Then Accuses Her of Sleeping Her Way Into an Exchange Program’The comments exploded.‘The first half looked like a catfishing disaster. The second half turned into a documentary about years of bullying.’‘She’s beautiful, so they accuse her of stealing photos. She’s smart, so they accuse her of sleeping her way to the top. Does being fat in the past mean she deserves to be treated like garbage forever?’‘Her university needs to investigate this. Accusing someone of trading sex for an exchange placement is beyond disgusting.’The campus gossip page also posted three consecutive corrections.‘After verification, previous anonymous claims that Hazel Lane stole photos, catfished others, committed academic fraud, or displayed unethical behavior were found to be completely baseless.’