Chapter 3

The video exploded. Countless people were tagging the local police department in the comments.

I scrolled through the comments; they were filled with toxic abuse.

My fiancée, Jessica, got the news. She called me immediately. I thought she knew my character and was calling to comfort me.

But to my surprise, when I picked up, it wasn't Jessica. It was her mother, Mrs. Davis.

"I am so disappointed in you! I will never let my daughter marry a predator! We are returning the wedding deposit, and the ring is in the mail! This is Jessica's decision too!"

"I really misjudged you! How could you lay a hand on an eighteen-year-old student?!"

"Mrs. Davis, please let me explain..."

"You're a monster!"

"Click—"

The call went dead.

During the entire call, I didn't even get to finish a single sentence.

As soon as that call ended, my mother’s number popped up.

She didn't accuse me right away. She just asked if the news online was true.

I had worked diligently for five years as an ordinary teacher. I never expected to become "famous" overnight in the worst possible way.

"Mom, others might not know me, but you do!"

"...Okay, sweetie. I believe you."

I heard muffled shouting on her end of the line.

"Mom? Mom?"

The shouting grew louder. Sensing something was terribly wrong, I decided to drive over to her house immediately.

But as soon as I stepped out of my apartment, a man blocked my path and showed me his badge.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to see my mother. What, am I under house arrest now?"

Officer Hudson shook his head. "I'm just doing my job, Mr. Miller."

It seemed the police were worried I would flee.

I was furious, but I didn't want to make things hard for him. So I proposed a compromise. "Then come with me. You can ride along. Is that okay?"

Officer Hudson hesitated, saying he needed to check with his sergeant.

In those few short minutes, I received the third piece of devastating news—my mother had collapsed from shock and was being rushed to the hospital.

"What are you doing?!"

Officer Hudson was still on the phone. Seeing me get into my car and start the engine, he quickly blocked the hood. "Calm down! You can't leave right now!"

"My mom is in the ER! She has a severe heart condition!"

He hesitated, but he didn't move.

"Officer, please!" Tears finally spilled over.

"Rules are meant to protect people, not kill them! My mother is dying!"

Surprisingly, my desperate plea worked on Officer Hudson.

Without waiting for his sergeant's reply, he jumped into the passenger seat and buckled up. "Let's go. I'm coming with you."

We were still too late.

When I reached the hospital, the doctor told me my mother had passed away. She had missed the critical window for resuscitation.

"What happened? She was fine! How did this happen?!"

I grabbed a neighbor who had accompanied her, shaking him like a lunatic.

"Get off me! Are you crazy?!"

The neighbor shoved me away, straightening his shirt with a look of pure disgust.

"Blame yourself! You're the one who assaulted a student! You literally killed your own mother, you sick bastard!"

"You shut your mouth!"

Being insulted by the public, dumped by my fiancée, and now losing my mother—my mind snapped.

I tackled him to the ground, pinning him down and punching him repeatedly like a rabid dog.

If Officer Hudson hadn't dragged me off, I might have actually killed him.

Seeing my raw fury, the neighbor didn't dare say another word. He just groaned from the floor, "You're going to pay for this! I'm suing you!"

A nurse quickly wheeled him away for an examination.

The doctor sighed and looked at me. "I'm sorry. You should prepare for the funeral."

Three days later, at my mother's funeral, I finally learned the truth from her best friend.

Because the school had doxed me in their video, some extreme internet trolls had dug up my home address and tracked down my mother.