Chapter 5 Going Viral

Rosalind was beautiful and talented, and she had over 100 thousand followers on social media. While I was still getting harassed online, she stepped forward and posted a video claiming to be another victim of the fire. At the same time, she and Linden milked their story for all it was worth, playing up the whole "love could conquer all" couple angle. "This fire took so much from me, but I found love. If it weren't for him, I would have burned to death. "He lost his hands saving me. So, I'll be his hands for the rest of our lives. We'll face everything together, no matter what." In the video, they were cuddled up together, looking totally in love. She got Linden to join her in making recovery content. Despite their injuries, they came across as strong and optimistic. People couldn't get enough of the beautiful couple, and their follower count shot up by another 100 thousand overnight. Rosalind's sudden fame caught the media's attention. Reporters even showed up at the hospital with cameras, eager to interview her. When asked about the trauma from the fire, Rosalind looked melancholy and was on the verge of tears. "The fire terrifies me, but my friend's betrayal hurts even more. There was another friend of ours in the studio that day, but I won't mention her name here. "When the fire started, she was closest to the exit, but she just ran out by herself without looking back. If she had just helped hold that door open for a moment, maybe Linden's hands wouldn't have been destroyed. And I... I wouldn't have lost my voice..." At this point, she turned to look at her boyfriend beside her, and tears streamed down her face. This beautiful moment went viral online. Well, how could anyone not feel sorry for such a fragile yet strong young woman? She didn't mention my name, but it didn't take long for people to figure out who she was talking about and dig up all my personal details. While netizens praised their unbreakable love and amazing resilience, they also turned their anger on me. "Rosalind and her boyfriend are true love goals! But their friend is a monster!" "I know who that person is! It's Aurora Aldridge, their college classmate. Remember that video of Linden's sister confronting her? That went viral too!" "This woman is disgusting! She should be arrested and thrown in jail!" "If I had a friend like that, I'd make her life hell!" "Why is this awful person completely fine? Why didn't she just die?" … Rosalind and Linden got everything—love, attention, and even sponsorship deals that made them money. Meanwhile, the online harassment against me started spilling into real life. People tracked down my home address and workplace, delivered funeral wreaths to my door, and created fake obituaries with my picture. My father was an entrepreneur, and this whole mess caused his company's stock price to tank. Even so, he never blamed me. "Rory, why don't you go abroad for a while? Let Dad handle the rest," he said. Dad had even gone gray overnight, but he never asked me what really happened or held it against me. He always had my back, no matter what. In my previous life, Dad had opposed my marriage to Linden, and I was so angry about it that I didn't speak to him for years. He never forced the issue, just quietly sent me money and took care of me my whole life. Without him, I probably would have died even sooner. Looking back now, I was such an idiot. I couldn't even tell who really cared about me. Nevertheless, I still didn't want to leave the country. There was something I needed to figure out first. "Dad, have the investigators released their findings on the fire yet?" "Not yet." "Then let's wait a bit longer. I can always leave after the report comes out."