The Day They Livestreamed My Scars

Sloanes influencer friend, Dean, needed a massive, controversial spike for the regional competition on his streaming platform.
So, without telling me, she tracked down the two people I had severed ties with a decade ago: my parents.
He held the camera right up to my face, his tone playfully condescending.
Asher, youve always told everyone you were an orphan, that you had no family. But theyve been searching for you for ten long years.
On a happy day like this, you cant keep holding a grudge against your mom and dad.
Everyone present was waiting for the perfect, tearful reunion, for me to dissolve a decade of pain in a hug. Instead, I stood there, watching them, shaking uncontrollably. Then, I shattered the entire venue.
The wedding reception became a forced reunion, and quickly devolved into a public execution where I was condemned by everyone.
They called me an ungrateful deadbeat, a disgrace, and said it was karma that a person like me deserved to be deaf and blind.
A month after the online explosion.
Sloane stood outside my apartment building all night, drenched by a heavy, miserable rain.
The downpour plastered her to the ground. Scattered at her feet were the decade-old case files, the papers turning to pulp.
Asher Vance, Im sorry. I swear I didnt know it would be like this.
Asher, are you really never going to forgive me?
1
I had been waiting for the day I married Sloane for three solid years.
That reception, every detail from the grand floral installations to the specific variety of lily of the valley in her bouquet, was meticulously chosen by me.
But now, it was carnage.
Rose petals lay strewn across the red carpet, crushed and smeared.
The sheer chiffon draping the raftersthe atmosphere I had tried to createwas ripped down and lay on the floor in tattered scraps.
Asher! What the hell is wrong with you?
Do you know what youre doing right now? Do you still even want to get married?!
I must have looked like a maniac. If I hadnt, Sloane wouldnt have been staring at me like shed seen a ghost, deliberately shifting her body to block her ecstatic friend, Dean, who was still streaming with his camera held high.
I forced a grin, wrenching the boutonniere from my jacket and crushing it in my palm.
Sloane, what about you?
Do you want to get married?
Her face was ashen. She stood there, staring back at me, saying nothing. I held her gaze, and as I did, my eyes burned, stinging with unshed tears.
Sloane, why?
Why choose today to destroy me? Why, when you knew I ran from my past like it was a monster, did you summon those two devils and bring them here? And why were you standing there, so calmly, defending another man?
Sloane didn't answer. Her eyes flickered once, then she spoke with a terrifying calm.
Asher, they are your parents, after all. This is our wedding day; they had every right to be here.
Look at you now. Youre making a spectacle, making everyone miserable. What is the point?
I looked at her face, really looked at it, and burst out laughing.
Sloane, did you bring my long-lost parents to our wedding for Dean?
Her expression changed instantly. She bit down on her cheek, shot a warning glance at Dean, and then turned back to me.
Asher, this has nothing to do with Dean!
The second the words left her mouth, Dean, still filming right behind her, yelled out in a burst of fake excitement.
Hit that donation button, guys! Family, friends, lets go! Getting to the finals in the Creator Clash depends on you!
The confirmation was an ice-cold wave of clarity.
So that was it.
A month ago, I had overheard Sloane on the phone with him, laughing.
Dont worry, Dean. Ill figure out the buzz. I promise Ill get you the promotion you need to make the finals.
I hadnt thought anything of it then. I was sitting at the table, painstakingly writing out our wedding invitations, one by one. I was inscribing our names, detailing our future.
All the while, she was planning how to use mehow to leverage our weddingto lay a path for Dean.
The intensity of my stare made Sloanes face burn even hotter. She looked away, shamefaced and clumsy.
Asher, stop making a scene. Dean only wants you to reconcile with your parents because its good for you.
She reached out to take my hand. I instinctively recoiled, pulling away before her fingers could touch mine. Her hand froze awkwardly in mid-air, the wedding ring Id slipped on her finger a few weeks ago glinting on her pale skin. After a long pause, her hand clenched into a tight fist and slowly dropped back to her side.
Her voice, cold and distant, filtered into my ear through my hearing aid.
Asher, if you want to salvage this wedding, go over there right now and greet your parents. The reception will continue. Otherwise
She didnt finish the sentence, but the meaning was brutally clear.
I scanned her face and then slowly took in the entire room. Dean standing a few feet away, filming my parents; the guests whispering, watching the show; the wedding site, seven-tenths destroyed.
Did this absurd farce of a wedding really need to go on?
I looked back at Sloane, and with a shocking calm, I slipped the ring off my own finger.
Sloane, you and Dean really are a perfect match.
Im giving you to him. And my parents, too.
When the ring clattered onto the polished floor, Sloanes eyes went utterly cold. I ignored it, tossed the wilted red flower I was holding, and stepped past her off the platform.
As I brushed by, I thought I heard her whisper, Asher, you will regret this.
I didnt make it two steps toward the door before Dean, with his selfie stick, cut me off.
Asher, dude, wait up! Your folks have been saying some crazy stuff about you.
Seriously, how can you treat them like that? Look, my viewers are going ballistic.
He shoved his phone screen in my face. The livestream count was past 100,000. The comments were an avalanche of hate.
Ungrateful scum, go die!
Sixteen and a runaway? Stole your brothers life savings? Youre not human.
Streamer, slap him, and Ill send you a massive gift!
I stared at the comments, frozen. Deans little show was having a far bigger impact than Id imagined. People were already dropping my name, parts of my ID, and even my rough address in the chat.
Dean gave a smug, triumphant chuckle near my ear.
Asher, see? Everyone is so mad. Just apologize to your parents. You cant disown your family, even if youre marrying into money.
He paused, then his voice pitched dramatically high.
And, Asher, your parents love you so muchthey didnt even mention youve been married before, behind Sloanes back!
A gasp rippled through the gathered guests.
Dean clapped a hand to his mouth, feigning shock and guilt.
Watching his deliberately innocent, self-accusing face, my nails dug into my palms. My voice was dry, wooden, and raw.
You knew everything. Then tell me, why did I run away before I was even an adult?
Dean frowned, his eyes darting toward the livestream screen, clearly calculating the PR value of my answer.
I started to speak, but a sudden, violent shove from behind sent me staggering forward. I barely managed to catch myself before falling.
Whatever the reason, it is NOT an excuse to abandon your parents!
It was Deans mother. She pointed a disgusted finger at me, her voice booming so the entire venue could hear.
Youre a fraud! You married under false pretenses and played the victim! You are not worthy of my sons friend, or any decent woman!
The guests erupted in a furious buzz. The whispers slithered into my ears like venomous snakes.
Oh my God, married before and he hid it? Thats disgusting!
No wonder his parents are so upset. Hes a total snake.
Did he scam Sloane? These gold-digging losers are an embarrassment to all men.
Dean stood to the side, a tiny, satisfied smile tugging at his lips, his eyes shining with triumph. He played the part of the concerned friend, saying falsely, Dont say that, Mom. Asher must have had a reason
Yet, his phone was still held high. The stream count had broken 200,000. The comments were a riot.
Hit him! Slap him! That piece of trash needs a lesson!
This guy is terrifying!
The buzzing in my hearing aid was a frantic, piercing shriek. My vision blurred and blackened. Still, I tried to push out the truth.
They are not my parents! I ran away because they tried to sell me! And the marriage? I was forced! I had no other way to survive
Before I could finish, a middle-aged man lunged at me and landed a vicious punch.
My daughter was ruined by men like you! You cheat them with a sob story, then take their money and disappear!
Caught off guard, I stumbled back, crashing into the champagne tower. Glass shattered everywhere, the sparkling wine splattering onto my pristine wedding suit, staining it like blood as it pooled on the floor.
A chorus of shocked gasps rose from the crowd, but not a single person moved to help me.
Serves him right!
Karma!
Wheres Sloane? Get this lowlife out of here!
I pushed myself up, trembling.
I looked up and saw that someone in Deans chat had sent a massive donation. The comments were demanding:
Slap him! Give him a slap! Thirty rocket emojis if you hit him!
A flash of greed crossed Deans eyes. He sighed, looked at me with mock hesitation, and then
SMACK!
A ringing slap landed hard across my face. My cheek instantly felt like it was on fire.
The hearing aid was ripped out and fell to the ground. A chaotic, deafening scream of feedback exploded in my ear. A warm liquid trickled out of my ear canal. I curled up on the floor, clutching my head in agony.
In Deans livestream, the gift animations erupted in a frenzy. The comments scrolled wildly, celebrating.
Well done! Streamer is a legend!
That trash deserved it!
One more! Ill send another gift!
Clutching my injured ear, I slowly lifted my head. Through blurry vision, I saw Dean give the camera a triumphant V sign.
The victory lasted a second. A guest holding a phone and filming close-up suddenly cried out in shock.
Wait, whats up with his eye? Is that a glass eye?
Holy crap, thats terrifying!
Why is there so much blood on his face? He looks like a monster!
Who cares! Keep filming! This clip is going viral!
I couldnt hear their words anymore. The world had descended into complete silence. I watched, dazed, as they treated me like a novelty, holding their phones right in my face.
After a long moment, I propped myself up, trying to grope on the floor for my fallen prosthetic eye and hearing aid. But dozens of legs surrounded me, the cold lenses of their phone cameras like black, gaping muzzles, almost touching my skin.
Beyond the circle of bodies, Dean was still live-streaming, his face alight with excitement. I couldnt hear what he was saying. But the fireworks of gift-animations told the whole story.
My brokenness, my humiliation, my woundsit all fueled his fame. Sloanes calculation had lifted Dean to a new level. But as she ripped my scars open to create his trending topic, she likely never considered what my downfall would cost.
Or perhaps she did, and simply didn't care.
Because right now, as I lay on the ground in ruins, my eyes locked on hers in the corner of the room. She calmly looked away.
It had nothing to do with her.

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