At my childhood friend's engagement party, his phone suddenly lit up with 99 notifications for a series of blush-inducing, scandalous videos. He went pale as a ghost, scrambling to delete them, but his new fiancée snatched the phone from his hands. She had always seen me, his "best girl friend," as a thorn in her side, convinced that something was going on between us. Now, at the pivotal moment of exchanging rings, she was trying to force me to connect the phone to the big screen. I broke out in a cold sweat, my hand clamped over the screen-mirroring button as I tried desperately to stop her. "Sophia, you really can't play these videos..." "Can we please handle this privately? Let's not make a scene in front of everyone." But the bride's face was twisted with venom. She shoved me hard in front of all the guests. "Oh, so now you care about shame? Where was this concern when you were seducing my fiancé!" "Hiding behind your 'just friends' bullshit while you're screwing him behind my back! Women like you are utterly disgusting!" "Today, I'm going to let every single one of our friends and family see just what a slut you are in bed!" I froze. But the star of those videos... was clearly you and my friend. … At Aiden and Sophia's engagement party, I was just about to hit 'play' on their "Love Story" slideshow. Suddenly, Sophia grabbed the mouse off the table, a cold sneer directed at the guests. "On this joyous occasion, on behalf of the Grant family, I'd like to invite you all to enjoy something a little more... special!" Before I could react, she had mirrored the phone's screen and opened a deeply hidden folder on the desktop. I recognized it instantly. It was the "Private Collection" that Aiden had accidentally synced to my work computer three days ago due to a cloud error. The incident had scared the hell out of both of us, as I was working overtime in the office. Aiden had looked like death itself, practically begging me on his knees to delete the folder. I'd assumed it was just some porn he'd downloaded and hadn't thought much of it. Now, seeing Sophia's finger hovering over the files, I lunged forward to stop her. "Sophia! Don't! I'm begging you! You can't play those!" I tried to make my voice sound as sincere as possible, even though my heart was pounding against my ribs. "You really can't watch what's in that folder." "There are so many elders here, let's not make this ugly." "Give me the phone. We can talk about this backstage, okay?" Sophia laughed. A harsh, ugly sound. "Ugly?" "Where was your shame when you were seducing my man?" "And now you're using our elders to guilt-trip me?" She turned to face the crowd, her eyes glinting with a wild madness. "Ladies and gentlemen, since Amelia here is so desperate for you not to see this, I think it's even more important that you do!" "Let's all see what this woman, who pretends to be as pure as the driven snow, is really like behind closed doors!" Her bridesmaids started to cheer her on. "Yeah! If you did it, you should own it!" "Play it! Time to expose the bitch!" From the corner of my eye, I saw Aiden. The groom, who should have been stepping in, was cowering behind a champagne-colored pillar. He was pale and trembling like a leaf, his hand clamped over his mouth to stifle any sound. A cold dread washed over me. Sophia gave me no chance to explain. She slammed her finger down on the enter key. The massive screen lit up. The first video began to play. The lighting was dim, the camera shaking violently. The sound of heart-pounding moans and heavy breathing filled the ballroom. The image was just a blurry, indistinct shot of two entangled figures from behind. The entire hall erupted in gasps. Sophia pointed a triumphant finger at the screen. "Everyone, take a good look!" "That build, that cheap, pathetic aura... who else could it be but Amelia?" "Aiden told me a long time ago that some women are just trash. They'll spread their legs for free!" I stared at the blurry figure on the screen. Was that supposed to be me? If I denied it now, she would just play more. I could only bite my lip and endure the daggers of contempt being thrown at me from every direction. "That's not me," I said, my voice a weak protest. Sophia wasn't listening. "Not you? Then who is it, a ghost?" "Amelia, the evidence is right there. Are you still going to deny it?" "It seems one video isn't enough to break you." Her finger moved over the mouse again. "Then let's kick it up a notch!" "You think you're tough, Amelia?" "Let's see you try to explain this next one!" Sophia clicked on the second video file. This time, the lighting was much brighter. The scene was no longer a hazy hotel room. In the background stood two enormous, European-style Roman columns and a wall covered in roses. The crowd exploded. Someone shouted, "Hey! Isn't that Aiden and Sophia's new house?" "Yes, it is! I was there! Sophia had those columns custom-made!" "And they just put up that flower wall for the wedding!" The murmurs grew into a roar. Sophia froze. She obviously recognized her own master bedroom. For a split second, her expression was rigid. She whipped her head around to face me, her eyes practically bulging out of their sockets as she glared. "Amelia! You are shameless!" "You snuck into our marital home while I was away to seduce Aiden?" "That's my bed! The bed I was supposed to use on my wedding night!" Sophia's voice cracked with rage, becoming a shrill, piercing shriek. "How could you be so vile?" "Did you have a key made? Have you been planning this all along?" "Screwing him in my wedding bed! Aren't you afraid of divine retribution?" In her victim narrative, this was all a premeditated plot I had orchestrated. The guests were swept up in her story. "My God, how could she be so shameless?" "You don't foul your own nest. This is just cruel." "This is why they say to guard against your best friend more than anyone." Suddenly, a figure shot up from the main table. It was Aiden's mother, the woman I considered my godmother. She marched up to me and, without a word, slapped me hard across the face. My head snapped to the side, my ear ringing, my cheek burning with a fiery pain. "I treated you like my own daughter! How could you do something so sneaky and disgusting!" She pointed a trembling finger at my nose. "That's your brother's home! Are you that desperate for a man?" "You have disappointed me beyond words! Get out! I'll pretend I never knew a backstabbing snake like you!" I clutched my stinging cheek, looking into her eyes, which were filled with a crushing disappointment. My own heart felt like it was being squeezed. When I was a little girl and bullies picked on me, she was the one who held my hand and stood up for me. I had always thought of her as my real mother. But now, even she didn't believe me. I opened my mouth to explain, but then I saw Sophia's furious face, my godmother's heartbroken gaze, and Aiden, still hiding like a coward in the corner. And I suddenly realized, an explanation was pointless. This family was a lost cause. Seeing me get slapped, the look of triumph in Sophia's eyes intensified. She started frantically scrubbing through the video's timeline. "Yes, Mom! That's right!" "A tramp like her deserves to be beaten!" "Don't worry, everyone, I'm going to find a shot of her face!" "I want everyone to see just how depraved she looks on my bed!" The mouse clicked furiously. The images on the screen flickered past—a blur of flesh and tangled limbs. But because of the camera angles, all you could ever see was the woman's back or a profile obscured by hair. No clear face shot. Sophia grew more and more agitated, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. She rummaged wildly through the folder's contents. "Why is it all from behind!" "That useless Aiden! Can't he even film a video properly?" Cursing under her breath, she clicked on the third video. The scene changed. This time, it was inside a car. A cramped space, a shaky camera. Through the window, you could clearly see streetlights flashing by. It was the backseat of Aiden's signature black SUV. Everyone recognized it. Sophia's eyes turned an even deeper shade of red. "Car sex? Wow, Amelia, you really get around!" "You act so prim and proper, but you're into this kind of stuff?" I ignored her insults. While everyone's attention was glued to the screen, I discreetly pulled out my own phone. This was my last chance. And my final ultimatum for Aiden. I dialed his number. Aiden, still hiding behind the pillar, clearly didn't expect a call from me at this moment. He answered on the first ring. But before I could speak, a hand shot out and ripped the phone away from me. It was Sophia. "Trying to call for help?" she sneered, looking at Aiden's name on the screen. "Perfect. The man of the hour." "Let's just hear what secrets these two lovebirds have to whisper to each other now!" She didn't hang up. Instead, she hit the speakerphone button. "Aiden!" Sophia screamed into the phone. "Your precious little 'sister' is calling for a rescue! You gonna answer?" From the speakers, Aiden's terrified, muffled voice cried out. "Honey! Stop playing them!" "Please! Turn it off! You really can't play them!" "If you keep going, you're going to ruin everything!" The crowd gasped again. It was a confession! If the videos weren't of him and Amelia, why would he be begging like that? "You're protecting her?" "Even now, with the evidence right in front of us, you're still protecting this slut?!" Sophia shrieked into the phone, tears of rage streaming down her face. "Aiden! I've been so good to you, and you're begging me for her sake?" "You're afraid she'll be humiliated? You're afraid of her social suicide?" "Did you ever once stop to think about how I feel?" Aiden was still babbling on the other end, "No! It's not about protecting her! It's for us—" "Shut up!" Sophia didn't want to hear any explanations. She raised the phone high and smashed it onto the red carpet at her feet. The screen shattered.
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