Chapter 4

The crowd grew noisy.

"What does she mean by that? Is she saying the movie is maliciously whitewashing a criminal?"

"The portrayal of the criminal in the movie did feel uncomfortable."

"Yeah, and the victims were so stereotypical, like the 'victim blaming' kind of narrative..."

Scarlett heard the murmurs, a flicker of panic in her eyes, and she tightened her grip on Liam's arm.

Seeing this, Liam's eyes darkened.

"Audrey! Do you have to cause a scene in public?!"

"Your parents' incident happened so many years ago. Why can't you just let it go? Why do you insist on not letting them rest in peace even after death?!"

I looked up at him sharply.

The way he looked at me—disappointed, angry, and even a hint of resentment.

Only the tenderness and care from before were gone.

I felt a little dazed.

All those years, I'd seen him as my salvation.

He'd told me, in his most gentle voice, over and over.

"Audrey, don't be afraid, I'm here."

"Audrey, look, the sun is out. Let's go sunbathe together, I'll read you poetry."

I vaguely reached up and touched my face.

The bitterness I'd suppressed for too long now coalesced into tears, streaming down my face.

Liam saw my tears and froze for a few seconds, a flicker of remorse crossing his face.

He instinctively raised his hand, as if to wipe away my tears like countless times before.

But then he realized we were too far apart.

He was on the stage, bathed in the spotlight; I was in the audience, isolated and alone.

He awkwardly lowered his hand. Across the noisy crowd, his lips moved, and I heard him clearly.

"Audrey, don't make a scene. We'll talk about this at home."

After my entire family had been nailed to a pillar of shame by him and Scarlett.

What home was there left for us?

I scoffed, curling my lips, and walked step by step onto the stage, addressing Liam.

"My parents were slandered as criminals who got what they deserved. You're the ones not letting them rest in peace! Liam, if it were you, could you let it go?"

He opened his mouth, his Adam's apple bobbing with difficulty.

He spoke, his voice hoarse, "Audrey, I did it for your own good. Your parents' story needs more attention, it needs the truth."

Absurd.

A short, bitter laugh escaped my throat.

"The truth?"

"The truth that romanticizes crime and criminals while stepping all over the victims?"

"Or the truth where my parents are demonized, my father became an exploitative boss, my mother a homewrecker who stole a husband, and I, a cruel girl who bullied classmates?"

My voice suddenly rose. "Liam, how does it feel to feed off our pain?!"

The atmosphere around us solidified.

Liam's trembling voice broke the silence. "Audrey, that's not what I meant. I just got agitated for a moment."

His eyes reddened, as if he truly regretted it.

But the next second, he urgently said, "But this movie is very important to Scarlett; it can't go wrong. Audrey, just back down for now, okay?"

"After this, we'll get married."

I slowly looked up at him, hot tears streaming from the corners of my eyes.

But I laughed, my whole body trembling.

"Back down? How can I back down?! You know how much pain I've been in for the past six years, you know all of it!"

Liam heard my laughter, and his tone grew impatient.

"Then what exactly do you want?"

"Do you want to ruin my career, destroy Scarlett's most important work, just to be satisfied?"

His eyes were filled with disappointment. "When did you become so unreasonable?"

I stood frozen.

Looking at that face that once brought me so much comfort, I suddenly found it terrifyingly unfamiliar.

"In your mind, her slandering my life is called 'artwork'?"

"And I, the victim you're trampling and exploiting to the bone, am the criminal?"

My questions made his face even uglier.

He avoided my gaze, no longer daring to look into my eyes.

Seeing this, Scarlett frowned, her tone scornful.

"Ms. Shaw, why are your words so unpleasant? Liam and I are giving this issue more discussion; we're documenting it with a film."

A flash of malice darted in her eyes.

"Anyone who didn't know better would think you're that daughter who bullied her classmate and drove someone to suicide."

So, Scarlett knew everything.

She just wanted me to admit my identity and humiliate me publicly.