Farewell to the Past, Hello to the Future

My fifth year in Los Angeles, and a journal found by a stranger went viral.
I need to know who wrote this.
Shes a warrior who fought for love.
I was about to scroll past, completely uninterested, when a flash of familiar handwriting caught my eye. My thumb froze.
My sponsors fianc is gorgeous. Hes exactly my type. Why should she have him?
All I did was make some AI deepfakes of her and let the whole school see. It was enough to get her expelled.
She got depressed, but I told everyone she was a sex addict. Her fianc believed every word I said.
With a little effort, I healed him and made him fall in love with me. Were so happy now.
And her? Shes probably dead.
The handwriting, the toneit was all the same. As bright and vicious as its owner.
The comments section was a storm of opinions.
Such a brave girl. If only Id had that kind of courage back then
We need more entries!
The original poster quickly obliged.
And she had the nerve to ask me why?
She only gave me five hundred dollars a month. I had to scrape by She deserved everything she got.
She planted the tree, and Im the one enjoying the shade.
Hes finally made it big, and hes so good to me.
He told me Im so much more thoughtful and understanding than she ever was. He proposed.
He is the Oscar-winning actor, Caleb Thorne.
The final post even included a blurry, intimate photo of two shadows tangled together. It was suggestive, tantalizing, and the internet ignited.
Users swarmed Caleb Thornes social media, tagging him relentlessly.
Caleb, your girl went through hell for your love story.
This is so moving. You better treat her right.
My heart breaks for her. She suffered so much in silence. What a strong woman.
A few dissenting voices questioning the narrative were instantly drowned out by a tidal wave of shippers.
A humorless smile twisted my lips.
I shoved my phone back into my pocket, my sleeve sliding down just enough to cover the network of scars crisscrossing my wrist.
The Los Angeles winter had a chill that seeped into your bones. Snowflakes drifted down from a grey sky, and the white puff of my breath vanished in the cold.
It had been a winter just like this one.
Even bundled in layers of down jackets like a bear, I couldn't escape the piercing glares, the whispered insults, the contempt.
Slut.
No matter how many times I explained that I was with Caleb that night, that I hadnt done anything wrong, the photos were irrefutable proof.
When I found him, my voice trembled as I begged him to at least tell them the truth, to clear my name.
He just frowned, his brow furrowed with concern. He was on the brink of stardom, he said. He couldn't go public with our relationship yet.
Lia, you understand, right? You wouldnt want to ruin my career, would you?
Nina came up from behind, wrapping me in a tight, sympathetic hug, telling me to just be patient.
So I went back.
And I waited. What I got was a drunkard lurking outside my dorm. He tore at my clothes, a leering grin on his face as he pinned me down. I fought, I screamed, but it was useless. When he was finished, he left me lying there like a discarded rag.
As the tears finally tracked from the corners of my eyes, my first thought was, Im dirty now. Will Caleb still want me?
I reported it. I filed a complaint. But the university administration buried it, their annoyance barely concealed. Where theres smoke, theres fire, one of them said, adding that the schools reputation couldnt be tarnished.
They informed me my spot in the graduate program had been rescinded.
The person who took my place was Nina. The scholarship student I had been sponsoring for years.
A set of fake photos, born from nothing, had completely shattered my life.
My phone rang, pulling me from the memory. It was my therapist. He was worried the journal posts would trigger my suicidal ideations again. I had tried to end it several times before. The worst attempt had me in the emergency room for ten hours, my body almost completely drained of blood.
Only after I assured him, again and again, that I was past all that did he hang up.
The post was still gaining traction. I couldnt help but look at my phone again.
Spurred on by his fans, Caleb had finally responded. Hed replied to the top comment.
Can anyone help me find her? Theres a substantial reward.
Her name is Lia Vance.
My name was out.
The internet sleuths dug in. It didnt take them long to unearth everything. That I had been the universitys golden girl, a brilliant honors student with dual degrees in law and linguisticsthe untouchable, ethereal dream girl.
And, of course, the video. The crystal-clear, 4K, uncensored video of the assault.
For a time, it was the thumbnail on every major adult website. Innocent Beauty or Insatiable Vixen? The fact that it was outdoors only added to the sordid appeal.
But even that wasnt what broke me.
The thing that finally shattered my sanity was discovering that while I was facing the world alone, waiting for the salvation they had promised, they were already wrapped in each others arms.
One day, Caleb, who had been ghosting me for weeks, suddenly called. I answered, my heart leaping with joy.
But he was just calling for money. Hed lost a role, he said, and needed cash to grease some wheels. Could I help him out, just like before?
I bit my lip, but I agreed.
He told me to wire it to his account as usual. But some impulse made me withdraw a duffel bag full of cash instead.
I just wanted to see him.
I didnt expect to find them outside his apartment, clinging to each other. Ninas face was flushed, her voice a seductive purr.
Caleb, I got into the grad program. I want a reward. Tonight I want to give you all of me.
His breathing was heavy, laced with an urgent desire. I already hit up Lia for the money. You can have any gift you want.
One of them was the man I had grown up with, my love, who had sworn he would cherish me for a lifetime.
The other was the scholarship student from a dirt-poor town I had supported for years, who had once knelt before me, thanking me for not giving up on her, promising she would repay my kindness.
And it was these two people who, as I teetered on the edge of the abyss, embraced each other and gave me the final push.
Tears streamed down my face.
When they called me a slut, I didnt break.
When the university turned its back on me after the assault, I didnt break.
But in that moment, I shattered.
I burst through the door, screaming, clawing, fighting. But I didnt even manage to touch a strand of Ninas hair before Caleb slammed me to the ground.
The bag of cash burst open, bills fluttering down over my face like a silent, stinging slap.
His brow was furrowed, his voice tight with the anger of being interrupted. Lia, cant you be reasonable for once? You brought cash on purpose? Who are you trying to humiliate?
I just stared, stunned, my lips trembling. Dont you have anything to say to me?
He took in my disheveled state, the trickle of blood at the corner of my mouth. He pursed his lips, a flicker of regret in his eyes that vanished as quickly as it appeared.
I
Suddenly, Nina rushed over, crying, trying to help me up. Im so sorry, Lia.
I didnt mean for this to happen, but Caleb hes just so dazzling. I couldnt help myself
Her eyes swam with tears, a picture of perfect remorse. It made my stomach turn. I raised my hand to strike her.
But Calebs hand struck first.
The force of the slap rocked my head. He seemed stunned by his own action, but he pressed his lips into a thin line and finished his sentence.
Lia, get a hold of yourself.
And dont think that just because you give her a few hundred dollars a month, Nina owes you anything.
Shes tougher than you, she works harder than you, and she deserves the best.
My cheek burned, his words of defense and accusation ringing in my ears. For a second, I was dizzy, remembering a time long ago when he had defended me just as fiercely, shielding me behind him.
A quiet wave of grief and rage washed over me.
And I laughed. Tears streamed from my eyes as the laughter grew louder, more hysterical. How pathetic. How utterly tragic.
Youre insane he muttered, pulling the weeping, fragile Nina into his arms and leaving.
He left me there. I sat on the floor from day to night, and from night until the dawn broke.
When I finally left, a mob of reporters was waiting outside, their cameras flashing like daggers.
Ms. Vance, is it true youve been sleeping around and are now trying to break up a happy couple?
They had twisted the story. Now I was the other woman. But we had always kept our love a secret for the sake of his career. There was no proof. I had no defense.
Someone in the crowd spat at me. Just a cheap bitch anyone can have. Stop the act.
I covered my face and ran, stumbling away, but the questions and the cameras followed me, a relentless nightmare that chased me all the way back to my dorm and refused to leave.
I was expelled for damaging the universitys reputation.
On that very same day, the internet broke. Caleb Thorne won a major international award, instantly becoming an A-list actor. He announced his relationship that same evening. He rented out an entire garden of Damascus roses and had a candlelight dinner with Nina.
The whole world celebrated. He was a real man, they said, for owning his relationship at the peak of his fame.
And I, the homewrecker, was dragged out and crucified by the public all over again.
A crazed fan threw red paint on my front door.
Then she came back with a knife.
I was in the hospital, recovering from the stabbing, when his interview came on the TV.
We hear that your girlfriends former sponsor is still relentlessly pursuing you.
He smiled and kissed Ninas forehead.
Lia did help Nina in the past, and I intend to repay every cent of that support, with interest.
But I also hope she can find it in her heart to leave Nina in peace.
Repay me?
Could he ever repay me? A cold sneer formed on my lips.
My dad and I had always been on our own, but a city development project had bought out our land. We got a check for three million dollars. That money was mine to manage. My father was a simple, hardworking man who kept his blue-collar job, earning a modest salary.
Now, there was barely fifty thousand left in the account. All these years, it had all gone to Caleb, funding his resources, greasing palms in Hollywood. How else could a nobody with no connections have made a name for himself in that shark tank?
Even sponsoring Nina it was because of him. We were in a poor, rural area, scouting for inspiration for one of his roles, when we met her. Shed dropped out of school to work, her hands covered in chilblains.
Hed said, Shes so pitiful.
And just like that, I began years of sponsorship, sending her five hundred dollars a month. She had been so grateful, calling me her savior.
I was in the hospital for three months. My father came to see me. The quiet, stoic man seemed to have aged decades overnight. While I slept, he would stand at the end of the hallway, a carpet of cigarette butts at his feet.
I decided I had to pull myself together.
I went back to my hometown with my father.
But the drunk who had attacked me found me. He showed up at our door like a low-life gangster, holding a half-empty bag of fertilizer. This is the dowry, he announced. Im here to marry you.
My father was shaking with rage.
I called the police. I pressed charges. But the man was let go with a slap on the wrist. He came back, bolder than ever, showing the video of my assault to all our neighbors.
I became a pariah, a plague.
I couldnt understand why he was so obsessed with tormenting me.
Until one day, I overheard him on the phone outside.
Dont you worry, Nina. Your uncle will take care of that little slut for you
Just my drinkings been getting a little bad lately

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