The Buried Truth

1
At my firefighter brother's funeral, an influencer my fiance invited shoved a mic in my face. You adopted ten orphans, he accused, just to steal their benefits and buy houses? He then turned to my fallen comrade's son. He's the one who killed your dad! He sells kids abroad for their organs!
Before I could deny it, my fiance Ava grabbed the mic. Claiming to be a truth-seeking journalist, she played a doctored audio from the fire scene. It made it sound like I had sent my team to their deaths intentionally.
The crowd erupted. As families rushed me, I shielded the child in my arms but was pushed off the stage, breaking my neck.
A month later, an explosion at the same chemical plant blew a surviving body camera into view of a news crew, finally exposing the buried truth.

Ms. Shen, we found a micro-recorder! a young intern shouted, handing the device to Ava.
Her brow furrowed. As she read the badge number engraved on the side, she flinched.
Behind her, the influencer, Ryan, gasped dramatically. Isnt that Captain Lukes number? Could this be the evidence he tried to destroy?
The live feed went dead silent. The viewer count on the stream skyrocketed.
Investigate him now! That scumbag Luke has to be dirty!
Theres the missing proof! Get the police on this!
I always said he had a villains face! Knew he was no good!
Even the intern spat on the ground in disgust. Luke is a disgrace to the uniform.
Someone tugged his sleeve. Dude, shut up, they whispered. Hes Ms. Shens fianc, remember?
They were together for ten years, about to get married. Goes to show, you never really know someone.
From my hospital bed, paralyzed from the neck down, I stared at the television, a shattered protest gurgling in my throat. No not me. I did nothing wrong.
Watching Avas false-sincere expression, a black wave of hatred threatened to swallow me whole. I wanted to scream, but the fractured vertebrae had not only stolen my mobility, they had shredded my vocal cords.
All of this was a gift from the woman I trusted most in the world.
Avas eyes welled with tears as she bowed deeply to the camera. Im calling the police immediately, she pledged. Rest assured, everyone, I will get justice for all the victims. On behalf of Luke, I once again offer my deepest apologies to their families.
The livestreams comment section flooded with sympathy for the woman so cruelly deceived by her own fianc.
That monster hid his true face for a decade! Poor Ava!
It should be Luke on his knees begging for forgiveness!
The thought of him in that uniform makes me sick! He dishonored it!
Ryan wrapped a protective arm around Ava, tenderly wiping a tear from her eye. Ava, this isnt your fault. Youre a hero to this city for being brave enough to expose your own.
He looked at her with adoration. Dont worry. Ill be right here with you, always.
They clasped hands, looking for all the world like a pair of star-crossed lovers who had weathered a terrible storm. Even the reporters on site were moved.
Ms. Shen, Ryan is the man you truly deserve! one of them called out.
The chat was already spammed with their ship name, #Ryva.
Praise for Ryan poured in. Thank god for this streamer exposing the truth! Who knows how many more people that monster would have killed!
My hands clenched the bedsheets so tightly that my nails broke the skin. Just last month, I had proposed to Ava. She had thrown herself into my arms, laughing, and promised me forever.
Now, the decorated firefighting hero was a public pariah, and she was holding the hand of the man who had orchestrated my downfall.
I squeezed my eyes shut. A commotion erupted at my door.
Ryan, his livestreaming crew, and a mob of angry citizens stormed into my room.
The glare of a camera light blinded me, hot and accusatory, like an interrogation lamp.
Captain Luke, Ryan began, his voice dripping with venom, I hear your parents were firefighters too. Do they know they raised a worthless piece of filth?
My breath caught in my chest.
His tone grew even more vicious. Or is it because of their legacy as fallen heroes that you felt you could get away with anything?
I trembled with a rage I couldn't express. My parents had died ten years ago in the citys worst industrial fire, their bodies incinerated, their bones melted into the blaze.
Ryan then dragged my fallen comrades son forward. Kid, tell the nice people. Did he force your mommy to sign papers so youd never see her again?
The boy, terrified by the crowd and the lights, burst into tears.
His mother clutched him, her sobs wracking her body. Captain Luke told me a single mother couldnt raise a child properly! He said if I just signed the agreement, I wouldnt have to worry about my son anymore! I had just lost my husband he tricked me into nearly losing my son too!
She threw a piece of paper onto my bed. Ryan snatched it and held it up for the camera. See? Heres the proof! The contract for selling this child!
The livestream chat exploded.
That animal! He deserves to rot!
The kid is so small! How could he do that? Someone beat the hell out of that bastard!
The enraged mob surged forward.
They dragged me from the bed, tearing open my healing wounds. Someone grabbed the scalding hot water from my bedside table and poured it over my hands. The pain was so intense my skin seemed to shrink from my bones, and an involuntary scream tore from my throat.
The little boy tried to run to my side, to protect me, but his mother held him back.
A sharp pain, worse than the burns, pierced my heart. It was she who had knelt and begged me to take her son, saying she was too young to be tied down by a child.
I clamped my jaw shut, refusing to reveal that truth in front of the boy.
Just then, Ava pushed her way into the room.
I noticed for the first time that the engagement ring was gone from her finger. Of course it was. How else could this mob have gotten past hospital security without her help?
Luke, she said, her voice as cold as a morgue slab, God is watching. The body camera has been sent to the police. You cant escape this.
I stared at her, my eyes burning. What did Ryan offer you, Ava? What was worth doing this to me?
I remembered her in high school, storming the principals office to defend a bullied roommate, her voice ringing with conviction. I, Ava Shen, will always stand for the truth! You want to twist the facts? Not on my watch!
I had been captivated. I learned her dream was to be a journalist. I followed her, enrolling in the police academy next to her university. I fought fires, and she reported the truth. She was a born idealist, and I was prepared to spend my life protecting that idealism.
I never imagined I would be the first piece of "truth" she threw away.
Her face hardened. Dont be ridiculous! Ryan was trying to promote a hero. It was you who was exposed by his investigation! Did you want him to lie for you? He has integrity, unlike you. The only thing left for you to do is confess.
Confess? He claims I framed my teammate. Wheres his proof? I fumbled for the nurses call button, trying to get security to clear the room.
Ryan blocked the door. Proof? The children you adopted are all overseas right now. Thats the proof!
My eyes shot to Ava. She knew. She knew I had used my own money to send them to a summer science program abroad.
But her gaze never met mine.
A bitter sting filled my nose. My heart, for Ava, turned to ice.
Ryan scoffed. Captain Luke, youre public enemy number one. I have a duty to let everyone witness your true colors before the police get here.
A dry, rasping laugh escaped my lips. Good. Id like to file a report myself. For the public assault of a city official. Lets see what the police have to say about that.
The crowd went quiet.
...Hes right, hes still a Fire Captain.
So what! He deserves it!
We didnt cause these injuries! He was like this when we got here!
I stared at their lying faces, thinking of all the times Id stared death in the face to save people just like them, and my heart grew colder.
Ryan suddenly smiled, a cruel, knowing look in his eyes. No need to pull rank, Captain. You only have your position because of your parents, dont you?
He lowered his voice, but it was still perfectly clear for the livestream. But your parents werent heroes! They were the ones who caused the massive explosion ten years ago! They didnt die! They took the money and fled the country to live in luxury!
He leaned in closer. Your whole family is a criminal enterprise. Theyre your connection to the wealthy buyers, arent they?!
A roar filled my ears. The blood in my veins turned to ice.
Youre lying
With a surge of adrenaline-fueled strength, I kicked out, sending him flying across the room.
The next second, Ava slapped me so hard my head slammed against the steel bed frame. Stars exploded behind my eyes, and blood streamed down my face.
How dare you lay a hand on him! she screamed, cradling Ryan in her arms.
Ryan clutched his stomach, his voice a pathetic whimper. Ava, its true. An old firefighter told me everything. Captain Luke killed his teammate, he sells childrens organs he learned it all from his parents. The whole family is rotten to the core.
The rage was so intense my vision started to black out. I remembered my parents backs as they ran into that inferno without a moments hesitation, and it felt like a piece of my own flesh was being torn away.
Slander I choked out.
The livestream comments went insane:
A whole family of criminals!
The apple doesnt fall far from the poisonous tree! The parents are crooks, the son is a monster!
No wonder hes so cold-blooded, its in his DNA!
He doesnt deserve to be called the son of a hero! And they dont deserve to be called heroes!
Staring at the venomous words scrolling across the screen, I coughed, and a spray of black blood erupted from my mouth before I passed out.
When I woke, I was drowning in the glare of spotlights.
I was tied to a chair, an inmate at my own inquisition.
Before me was a massive banquet hall, hung with huge red banners:
PUBLIC TRIAL OF THE TRAITOR LUKE, WHO BETRAYED HIS COUNTRY AND COMRADES!
Below, a sea of hateful eyes stared up at me. I tried to shrink back in terror.
Ryan yanked my hair, forcing my head down. Today, the families of every victim your family has destroyed are here! he bellowed. Since the authorities wont act, I, Ryan, will deliver justice! Today is the day of judgment for the sinner, Luke! His family is steeped in evil! His parents were not heroes, but criminals who stole millions and ran!
The massive screen behind me lit up. It was a video of my parents, walking hand-in-hand on a beach. They were older, their faces lined, but it was them. It was unmistakably my mom and dad.
No. Impossible.
I shook my head, trembling uncontrollably. Ryan kept yanking my hair, forcing me to bow again and again to the jeering crowd.
A glass flew from the audience, shattering against my forehead. Warm blood streamed into my eyes.
Avenge the fallen firefighters!
A family of traitors! They all deserve to die!
Ryan smiled and took Avas hand. I told you, Captain. You cant win against me.
Ava looked at me with something like pity. Luke, just kneel and confess. Otherwise, these families theyre really going to kill you.
I started to laugh, and the laughter turned into tears. Without her, Ryan would never have dared. The old Ava would have cried if I so much as scraped my knee on a call. This Ava seemed to be hoping Id die sooner rather than later.
Ava, I rasped, you will regret this.
She flinched, then bit her lip. This has nothing to do with Ryan. I just I cant watch you continue down this dark path.
Her phone rang. After a brief call, her expression grew even colder. Luke, the Fire Department brass is on their way with the decoded body camera. Its over.
Ryan lost his patience. He waved a hand to men planted in the crowd. They surged onto the stage.
This ones for the teammate you murdered! one of them yelled, burying his fist in my stomach.
The air rushed out of my lungs, and I spat up a mouthful of blood.
Someone else poured a pitcher of ice-cold alcohol over my head. The searing pain in my countless wounds was blinding.
Stop this is a crime
An older woman rushed the stage and punched me square in the face. You killed my son! Youre not fit to be a firefighter! Give me back my son!
More people swarmed me.
My brother died because of your parents!
My husband had just gotten married! He never even had a chance to have children!
They kicked and punched, clawing at me, beating me with whatever they could find. Soon, I was a mess of blood and bruised flesh. One of my ears went deaf from a blow, and someone ground a broken piece of glass into my palm.
Blood and tears mingled on my face.
The livestream chat scrolled at a dizzying speed, a chorus of cheers.
Yeah! Beat him to death!
He deserves it! This is what happens to traitors!
The streamer is a hero! Taking out the trash!
Make his parents come back and face the music too!
My consciousness began to fade in a haze of pain and humiliation. I bit my lip until it bled, fighting to stay upright.
Just then, the doors to the banquet hall were kicked open.
A team of uniformed police officers stormed in, followed by the citys Fire Chief, his face a mask of frantic worry.
When his eyes landed on me, they turned red with fury. He held up my body camera and roared, his voice cracking with emotion.
All of you, STOP! Youre destroying a true hero!

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