Chapter 2

2

When I got back to my rented apartment, I sat down to extract the video.

Suddenly, my phone vibrated uncontrollably.

Over ninety-nine unread messages on my socials, endless texts, and even CashApp alerts blowing up non-stop.

With trembling hands, I clicked on the viral clip.

In the video, Candice was crying her eyes out, screaming at the camera and accusing me of being a predatory monster.

My line saying "I am a woman!" had been completely edited out.

All that remained was a clip of my flushed face, framed to make me look like a flustered predator trying to make pathetic excuses.

The caption was even more sensationalized:

【Rideshare Nightmare! Sick Driver Assaults Drunk Female Passenger and Walks Out of the Precinct Untouchable!】

【Victim's Boyfriend Shattered on the Spot; Are the Cops Covering It Up?!】

Underneath the video, hundreds of thousands of comments tore into me.

"Why bother with a trial for this monster? Drag him out and execute him!"

"I know where he lives! Anyone want to roll up with me? I have got my blade ready to serve real justice!"

"Neutering him is too merciful! Throw him into a cage of rabid dogs so he can feel what it is like!"

My phone number and home address were pinned right at the top of the thread.

Someone had even photoshopped my parents' portraits into black-and-white funeral photos.

Before I could even catch my breath, my landlord called.

"Darcy Morris! You sick scumbag! Pack your crap and get the hell out of my property right now!"

"Someone just jammed superglue into my front door lock and threw raw sewage on the porch! How am I supposed to rent this place out again?!"

I desperately tried to explain, "It is all a lie, Mrs. Gable, please listen to me―"

"I don't want to hear your damn excuses! I don't even care about the lease break fee, just get out right this second!"

Right after, a notification popped up from the rideshare app:

【Due to allegations of severe criminal conduct causing extreme public harm, your account has been permanently deactivated pending police investigation.】

My job was gone, my home was gone, and the entire world was baying for my blood.

I slumped in the dark, clutching the dashcam's SD card with white knuckles.

Trembling, I slotted it into my computer.

The screen flickered twice before a gray error box popped up:

【Severe Physical Damage. Data Unreadable.】

In that instant, my blood ran cold.

I suddenly remembered Candice lunging at me like a rabid dog outside the precinct.

In the chaos, my bag had fallen to the ground, and she seemed to have "accidentally" ground her heel right onto it.

Right then, violent banging rattled my front door.

Chad's beastly roar echoed through the hallway. "Darcy Morris! You cowardly cockroach! Come out and take what is coming to you!"

Then came Candice's tearful, pitiful wailing.

"Guys, this is the place! The monster who ruined my life is hiding right inside!"

"Please help me, everyone... I really don't want to live anymore..."

Peering through the peephole, I saw the hallway packed with people.

Chad stood front and center with a vicious grimace, gripping a heavy metal baseball bat.