6
ᄀ
She groaned, cursing me under her breath.
Sarah started crying, the picture of
innocence. “Amy, I know you hate me for
stealing your boyfriend, but you can’t slander
me like this! You’ve already ruined my
wedding day! Do you want to ruin my
marriage too?”
Her tears worked their magic on Chad. He
pointed at me, his voice shaking. “Amy, do
you have any proof? If not, this is slander,
and I’ll sue you!”
“Proof?” I smiled. “Oh, I have proof.”
My ex, Tom, had a tablet I’d given him. He’d
logged in with my account. and I guess he’d
L
I hadn’t known he had a penchant for
recording… intimate moments.
While deleting photos earlier, I’d stumbled
upon a treasure trove of pictures and videos
of him and Sarah.
Extremely explicit. The kind that would get
you banned from any social media platform.
Chad wanted proof? I’d give him proof.
I pulled up the photos and videos. Chad’s
face went from white to red to a deep, angry
purple.
Mom, curious, peered over his shoulder.
As the images registered, she began to
tremble.
Her image of her pure, innocent daughter
shattered. She whirled around and slapped
Sarah hard across the face. “Sarah! You did
this behind my back!”
Sarah, bewildered, looked at the phone.
Her voice was frantic. “No! That’s not me!
Chad, believe me! It’s fake! Al–generated! I’m
innocent!”
I interjected, “Real or fake, it’s easy enough
to find out. Isn’t your dear husband in the
tech industry? I’m sure he has the
connections to get this verified.”
Calling him “husband” felt so good.
“No need,” Chad said quietly, handing me
back the phone. He looked at Sarah and said
simply, “We’re getting divorced tomorrow.”
“No! This isn’t happening!” Sarah sobbed,
reaching for him. She stumbled, her injuries
making it difficult to move.
Mom rushed to her side. “Chad, don’t be
rash! You two are meant to be together!
Don’t throw it all away over this! You saw,
she didn’t use… that… she’s still pure!”
Chad wasn’t stupid. He turned and walked
away without a word.
Mom stormed back to me, raising her hand
again. “Amy! Are you happy now? You’ve
ruined your sister’s life!”
This time, I caught her hand. “Get this
straight, Mom. She ruined her own life. I didn’t
“You knew about it! You should have told
her!” Mom argued. “This is your fault! If you
were a good sister, you would have warned
her! Then she wouldn’t be like this! She
wouldn’t have been humiliated like this!”
“Enough!” I shouted. “I’m only two years older
than her! Why is everything always my fault?
Mary, you’re so biased!”
I finally said the words I’d held back my entire
life.
It felt liberating.
Mom’s face hardened. “Amy, don’t you dare
talk to me like that! You should always put
your sister first! Sarah is beautiful and
innocent! It’s your duty as her older sister to
protect her!”
I laughed, holding up the phone. “Innocent?
She’s anything but.”
Mom yelled, “I don’t care! This is your fault!
You fix it! Tell Chad those videos are fake!
Tell him you made them because you’re
jealous! If you don’t, I’ll disown you!”
I looked at her coldly. “You know, that threat
only works if I care.”
Mom stared at me, dumbfounded. “What do
you mean?”
