After Rebirth, I Deleted My Million-Follower Account

I deleted my social media account with over a million followers.
My followers were baffled, speculating that my account had been hacked.
But it was Heidi, an influencer in my niche, who came to confront me directly. Why did you just give up? Have you lost your mind?
I tuned out the noise, choosing instead to lose myself in the vast, quiet beauty of the country.
In my past life, my content and Heidi's were identical.
The internet called me a cheap clone, a copycat with no soul. The hate flooded my DMs, and it even spilled over into real-life harassment.
I tried to fight back, posting my original scripts, my storyboards, the behind-the-scenes footage of my creative process. They called it all fake.
The relentless cyberbullying crushed me. I was diagnosed with severe depression and, one day, I ended my own life in my small, lonely apartment.
I never expected to open my eyes again. But here I was, back on the very day it all beganthe day Heidi's first stolen video went live.

1
My finger hovered over the "Publish" button.
One more tap, and I would set in motion the series of events that would ruin me.
A violent shiver ran through me, and I snatched my hand back as if I'd touched a hot stove.
My chest heaved, my breath coming in ragged gasps, like a drowning person finally breaking the surface. I looked around at the familiar room, at the finished video on my screen, and the reality crashed down on me. I was reborn. I was back on the day I was supposed to post major transition video.
Once I calmed my racing heart, I saved the video to my drafts and immediately searched for Heidis social media profile.
Her latest post popped up instantly.
It was a stark departure from her usual style. Heidis previous videos were bland, the editing was clumsy, and they barely scraped a few hundred likes. This new one, posted just half an hour ago, had already rocketed past ten thousand.
The comment section was on fire.
"Imagine this look in a dark fantasy series. She'd be the final boss."
"A creator with a few thousand followers doing the work of a creator with a million. The quality is insane."
"Oh my god, is this level of beauty even legal?"
"My wife! Who the hell let my future wife out of my dreams and onto my screen?"
...
The moody lighting, the bold, avant-garde makeup, even the camera angles, the specific cuts, the background music, and the captionevery single detail was identical to the video sitting in my drafts.
If I didn't know for a fact that the idea had come to me while binging a British drama, that I had pulled all-nighters for weeks perfecting the script, I would have thought I was the one who had copied it.
But the reality was cold and hard: Heidi had beaten me to it.
And with that one video, she had gone viral overnight.

2
In my last life, that video was the beginning of my end.
I had been so excited when I posted it, expecting praise and recognition.
But when I opened the comments, all I found were accusations. "Plagiarist," they called me, pointing me toward the "original" video.
I clicked the link they shared, and my world tilted. There it was: Heidi's video, posted just hours before mine.
It was a 99.9% match.
But I knew, I knew, I had never copied anyone.
Rage boiled up inside me.
To prove my innocence, I released everythingmy original script with timestamps, behind-the-scenes clips of my shoot. It was useless.
Because Heidi immediately posted her own "creative process," with timestamps that were even earlier than mine.
Thats when the floodgates of hate truly opened.
"Looks like she had her 'proof' ready from the start, just so she could drag Heidi's name through the mud."
"Support original creators! Down with copycats!"
"Madeleine, get out of the beauty community! You're not cut out for this, just quit."
"LMAO, talk about getting called out. She asked for receipts and got them."
Then came the official statements. Heidis management and her agency both released press releases, swearing she was the original creator, that the entire concept was developed through internal team brainstorming.
I was just an independent creator. I did everything myself, from start to finish. I had no team, no agency, no one to vouch for me.
And then came the final nail in the coffin. My boyfriend, Ethan, posted a video publicly breaking up with me. He claimed my previous work was just a patchwork of ideas stitched together from other creators. He called me a habitual plagiarist.
His words were a killing blow.
I was plunged into a deeper abyss. My comment sections became a warzone, and the messages in my DMs were vile, filled with threats and vitriol I couldn't bear to read.
The constant pressure suffocated my creativity. My inspiration dried up. No brands would work with me. Money became tight.
My self-destructive behaviors escalated until I finally sought help and was diagnosed with severe depression.
On a bright, sunny afternoon, I chose to end my life in that cramped apartment.
I never thought I would get a second chance, a chance to be back at the beginning, where it all went wrong.
This time, things hadn't spiraled out of control yet. This time, I had to figure out what the hell was going on.

3
Clinging to a sliver of hope, I used my alt account to dig through Heidi's other social media profiles.
Unfortunately, she wasn't the type to share her daily life or work routine.
Just as I was about to give up, I spotted a familiar figure in the background of a group photo.
I tapped on the Live Photo, and it animated for a brief second. The camera panned slightly, catching the person's left hand.
And on that hand was a ring I knew all too well. It was Ethan's.
There was no mistake. I had given him that ring for our one-year anniversary. It was a custom design Id commissioned myself; there wasn't another one like it in the world.
So, at some point, Ethan had gotten involved with Heidi behind my back. No wonder he had abandoned me so ruthlessly, only to throw his support behind her.
There was no time to grieve the betrayal. My mind was already racing.
I used to vent to Ethan about work all the time, share my frustrations, and even my most brilliant, half-formed ideas.
Could Ethan have leaked my concepts to her?
It was more than possible. But he'd been on a supposed "business trip" for a while now and wasn't home. Even if he were, he'd never let me look at his phone. I had no concrete proof.
But it was a lead. A place to start.
I took a screenshot of the photo and sent it to Ethan. I told him we were done, then I blocked his number without waiting for a reply.
Next, I changed the passcode on my apartment door. I wasn't about to let him walk back in here whenever he pleased.
With those preparations complete, I sat down and forced myself to think about a new video concept.
This time, there would be no mistakes.

4
To be absolutely certain, I decided to switch up my style again.
My last video was my first step out of my comfort zone, moving away from the pale, innocent, and waifish aesthetic that had defined my channel. I had tried something glamorous and confident.
Since the stolen version had been such a hit, I was sure my next idea would be even more popular.
After days of intense brainstorming, I finally finished the script.
Looking at the concept on my screen, I couldn't help but grin.
There was no way anyone could steal this one.
To prevent any leaks, I shot the entire video inside my apartment, avoiding any public locations. I filmed and edited the whole thing myself.
When I looked at the final cut, I felt a surge of pride. I was born for this.
To be extra cautious, I went to Heidis latest video and left a comment from my alt account: "Can't wait for your next video, queen! Please post soon!"
A little while later, she replied. "This last concept took so much out of me, I probably won't be updating for a little while."
I replied with a crying cat emoji and felt a wave of relief. It seemed like she had no plans to post anytime soon.
It confirmed my suspicion. She had most likely heard the idea for the last video from Ethan and immediately rushed to produce it.
But could two people have the exact same idea, down to the smallest detail?
For now, I had to chalk it up to a bizarre coincidence. Sometimes, great minds just think alike.
I uploaded my new video, wrote the caption, and was just about to publish it.
Suddenly, a notification popped up on my phone from my alt account. I glanced at it.
The color drained from my face.

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