Chapter 13 The Trending Topics
Give up?
What had Terrence given up?
I was bewildered while Kaleb’s expression darkened.
Not far away, Alena was surrounded by the Brook family, looking smug. Mom kept praising her, “Ally, I’m so proud of you. Several of your
paintings are worth over 30 million dollars!
“Savannah should be so ashamed of herself. When she was little, her art teacher said she was talented, but she has never produced any great work over the years. She’s nothing compared to you.”
My brother aside said, “Speaking of Savannah, has she ever reached out to anyone? I can’t reach her on the phone. She’s getting more and more willful. Doesn’t she know we’ll be worried if we can’t find her?”
“I heard she’s gone to Lexingham,” Alena said.
My brother fumed, “Dad, Mom, what did I say? Don’t spoil Savannah. See? She left after making such a big mess. How selfish!”
Alena said gently, “Calm down. Don’t get mad, OK? I’m sure she just needs some time alone.”
“When she comes back, we’ll make sure she apologizes to you!”
“Savannah will only learn her lesson after we discipline her.”
As I watched Alena’s hypocritical face, I wanted so much to tear off her
Chapter 13 1
The Trending Topics
facade.
But my family fell for it. None of them got suspicious, and they even did as she told them.
I could make peace with my husband’s betrayal, but not my family’s indifference.
I was my mom’s daughter, too. How could she be so cruel to me?
I loved painting. Yet, once, on Alena’s birthday, my mom suddenly flew into a rage, stormed into my studio, splashed paint all over my paintings, and tore them into pieces.
She said, “Alena’s dead. How could you sit here and paint at case like this? You’re so heartless!”
It wasn’t now that I realized she hated my guts even since then. If she could choose, she’d want me instead of Alena to disappear.
Kaleb and Alena caused the mess, but my family let me take the blame.
After I died, none of them wanted to find me. They even discussed punishing me.
I stroked my face, and I felt no tears. Then why was I feeling so down?
At some point, it started snowing again. The white snowflakes floated in the air and then fell to the ground, which was just like the scene I saw before I died.”
When would they know I was dead?
Soon, what happened at the gallery went viral, and Alena and I became the trending topics at once.
“Big Liar Savannah”
“The genius painter is the wealthy heiress”
“Savannah is so disgusting”
“Multi–million–dollar paintings”
“Ms. Alena donates 50 million dollars”
Everyone was praising Alena while criticizing me.
I stood behind Kaleb as he frowned and scrolled down.
Hooking his arm, Alena said, “Kaleb, I had no idea this would happen. How about we get someone to make the trending topics go away?”
“Why should we?” my mom said.
She was wearing exquisite makeup and expensive designer clothes, and the words she said were nothing but harsh.
“The netizens aren’t wrong. Savannah tried to take the credit, and they should know the truth. She deserves to be condemned. If she doesn’t want this to happen, she shouldn’t have done such a thing back then. Everyone. is now talking about how pretty and kind you are, Ally. Why shouldn’t we take advantage of those free trending topics to let more people know you and praise you?”
With that, she held Alena’s hand. “Ally, you’ll be internationally famous. Generations will remember you.”
My brother said, “Mom, you’re right. Savannah brought this on herself. The more despicable she is, the more she’ll make Ally look good. Besides, controversy brings popularity. In this way, more people will know about Ally, and she’ll be even more popular.”
I was dead, and my reputation was ruined. Instead of finding me, my family wanted to squeeze the little bit of value I left to pave Alena’s way.
When I painted. my mom would say I was wasting time on useless things. She called me selfish and should do everything with the family’s interest.
at heart.
But now, she praised Alena for being a talented painter proudly while criticizing me. To help Alena gain more popularity, she even welcomed the netizens to hurt insults at me.
It turned out she didn’t look down upon painting, she was just fond of Alena. In her eyes, anything Alena did was justifiable.
I finally made my peace with being betrayed by my husband, yet my family’s favoritism still broke my heart.
Tilting her head, Alena looked at Kaleb. “What do you think, Kaleb? Shall we make those trending topics go away? After all, Savannah is your wife. If she sees the trending topics when she’s in Lexingham, she’ll be so sad.”
Kaleb was displeased already. Thinking that I had gone to Lexingham without telling him, he pulled a long face, his deep eyes darkening.
“Sad? She deserves it. Don’t do anything about the trending topics. If she’s embarrassed, then she should come back as soon as possible.”
Kaleb’s tone was so cold. Obviously, he had no intention of defending me.
We were childhood sweethearts, and his comment on me was that I deserved it
Both my family and the Harrington family had the ability to make the trending topics go away, but for Alena’s sake, they sacrificed my
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reputation without hesitation.
So, this was family, huh?
Curling up in a corner, I listened to their conversation. They seemed like one happy family, suddenly, I realized I was the one who should
disappear.
I didn’t know how much time passed. When I looked up again, I saw completely different things.
Kaleb and my family were gone, and I was in another place–a basement, maybe.
It was dark and damp.
Where was I? I had never been here before.
I looked around and found myself standing in a corridor. The stone walls had cracks all over them after years and years.
The dim candlelight illuminated the whole place as well as me, but the walls cast no shadow.
I was the only one here; the place was eerily quiet.
There seemed to be a stone chamber at the end of the corridor, so I walked over quickly.
Before I came close to the chamber, I saw a stone bed, on which a woman was lying there.
Who would be in a place like this?
Somehow, the closer I approached, the faster my heart raced.
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- The Trending Topice
Then, finally, I saw her face clearly.
She was dead, her eyes tightly closed. It was me.
