Chapter 2

My mom was shaking with fury.

"Talk is cheap. If you have real evidence, go ahead and call the police. Let them investigate."

I backed her up immediately.

"That's right. If the woman in that video isn't my mother, then everyone who made up these lies and spread that video is looking at criminal charges."

"No! Don't call the police!"

The moment those words landed, my aunt lunged forward and snatched my mom's phone, then hurled it against the ground.

She spun around and put on the face of a concerned elder. "If the police get involved, your mother's life is ruined. How is she supposed to show her face after that?"

"She may have done something wrong, but we're still family."

At the mention of calling the police and spreading defamatory content, it wasn't just my aunt who reacted.

The neighbors who'd been watching all had the same shift in expression.

They'd probably been forwarding that video and those messages all over town just to have something to gossip about.

Everyone started talking over each other at once.

"Renee, listen to your uncle — don't make this worse for your mom. Let it go."

"That's right, Chloe made a mistake, but if she's willing to own up to it, that's enough. No need to blow this up."

I looked every one of them in the eye. "If someone was spreading lies like this about you, would you just let it go?"

A few of them went awkward and quiet, no one willing to be the first to answer.

Then Mr. Yang's son suddenly lit up and aimed his phone camera straight at us.

"Ha! Threatening to call the cops? You've got no shame — just like your trashy mom."

"Don't go anywhere, everyone — I'm about to do some real justice here. I'm going live to expose a mother-daughter pair from our own neighborhood."

Jason Yang was a small-time streamer. I'd known that. And now he saw this as his ticket to a bigger audience.

He wouldn't shut up, shoving his camera almost into my mom's face.

"This woman couldn't hold onto her man. He's gone all year, so she's been messing around behind his back — doing naked video calls with God knows who!"

The more he talked, the more worked up he got. He grabbed his dad's phone and started playing the video directly into his livestream.

The comments flooded in.

"Oh my God, I finally caught up — this woman is disgusting!"

"Women never can handle being alone. Should've kept her on a leash."

"Lol I've got the original — her body's insane, lmk if you want it 😏"

I was furious. I stepped forward and grabbed his arm.

If that video spread online under my mom's name, we'd both be destroyed — turned into content for Jason Yang's next viral moment.

But before I could even start, I was blindsided by a heavy slap across my face.

"Grandpa?!"

I pressed my hand to my stinging cheek and stared in disbelief at my grandfather, who had just arrived in a hurry.

He was breathing hard. He grabbed me by the hair and slammed my head toward the wall.

"Look what your mother raised — a shameless little brat! She sleeps around and you cover for her!"

"Dad!"

My mom threw herself in front of me and pried his hand loose.

"You dare call me Dad! I don't have a daughter like you!"

He shoved my mom aside and drove his foot hard into her back.

My mom begged him. "Dad, the woman in that video is not me. You're my own father — don't you believe me?"

"Would your sister lie? She's protecting what's left of your dignity by not calling the cops!"

"From today on, get out of this town. You are no daughter of mine."