Chapter 3

I got home that night, and Brandon’s message popped up.

“Aurora, Sienna was scared by those people at the wedding. How could you have friends and family like that? That’s just bullying. Let’s put the wedding off for now. I might need a few more days to comfort her.”

Bullying her? What a perfect liar.

Looking at his words on my phone, I couldn't even summon anger anymore.

I typed back:

“No worries, take your time.”

Brandon’s message came through quickly again.

“Are you mad at me?”

“Sienna is the child we sponsored together, from a struggling community. We watched her every step of the way until now. What are you doing? Sponsoring someone only to abandon them later? You’re truly disappointing me.”

He was disappointed?

I scoffed.

Brandon and I had gone to a less fortunate area to sponsor Sienna.

She was the oldest, already seventeen, and not within my initial consideration.

But Sienna knelt before me, saying her parents had passed away, and if I just gave her a chance, she would repay me well.

My heart softened, and that very day, I brought her out of that community.

I spent three months running back and forth to get her into school.

Brandon said I’d found myself a queen.

At the time, I even told him not to be so cold and to smile more at the kids from the community.

Until later, their relationship grew closer and closer, and I felt like the outsider.

So this was how she repaid me.

I lowered my eyes, turned off my phone, and ignored him.

Brandon didn’t send any more messages.

For several days, he used his honeymoon leave to travel to several countries with Sienna.

They even went to Antarctica to see the aurora borealis.

I stared at the photos, lost in thought.

Brandon had once told me that the aurora was pure and romantic, and he would never take another girl to see it.

Just as he would only love me, for life.

But in just a few years, he had forgotten everything he said.

It wasn't until my friend, Chloe, frantically messaged me that I snapped out of my memories.

“Aurora, you won’t believe it, that b*tch is selling your explicit photos in the big group chat!”

My brows furrowed.

“Add me.”

As soon as I joined, I saw Sienna’s message.

“Aurora’s explicit photos, big sale! Not $998, not $98, just $9.8!”

“If you want them, I can even throw in the video of her getting ditched at her wedding. What a deal, right?”

I gripped my phone so hard my palm almost bled.

I clicked on the group members.

Brandon was in there.

He was just quietly watching Sienna insult me like this, without saying a word.

Chloe practically screamed through the phone,

“Aurora, how does she know about your past?! And how did she get those photos?!”

I looked at Brandon’s profile picture, and it took me a while to remember.

When Sienna first transferred, she said she was scared.

To cheer her up, Brandon had pulled out photos from when I was bullied in high school.

My clothes were torn, I was wearing only a flimsy tank top, my face was swollen and bruised.

Cheap lipstick was smeared all over me.

Sienna finally smiled looking at those.

Her dark eyes curved into a smile, her voice laced with amusement:

“How utterly pathetic.”

I had realized something was wrong back then and wanted to send her back.

That was the first time Brandon ever fought with me. The man who had always indulged my every whim cold-shouldered me for a whole month, all for Sienna.

“What a despicable pair! I’m so mad, I’m going to go tear them apart right now!” Chloe fumed.

It took me a while to speak, my voice hoarse.

“No need. I’ll do it myself.”

The next day, Sienna, wearing a smile, stepped onto the hosting stage as usual.

“Hello, everyone watching on screen, I’m your host for today, Sienna—”

Before she could finish, the staff members gasped.

On the big screen, a sudden display of intimate photos of her and Brandon appeared.

Causing a scene at my wedding, selling my photos in a group chat, posting all kinds of vile messages.

“Oh my god, how could she be like that?”

“She always seemed so proper, but she’s so trashy in private. We should stay away from her, or she might put us in a group chat too.”

“Mostly, she’s getting so close to someone else’s husband. Messing up someone else’s wedding, and still has the nerve to call someone else a third party.”

Sienna's body stiffened.

The TV station director walked in from outside, roaring angrily:

“Sienna! What is going on?!”

The big screen continued to play.

Sienna was almost in tears.

“No, this isn’t me! Don’t look, none of you look!”

“This is someone framing me, yes. It’s Aurora, that b*tch, she’s framing me!”

“Is that so?”

I walked out onto the stage.

“Those were photoshopped, but what about this?”

As soon as I finished speaking, several police officers entered from outside. Cold handcuffs clicked onto her wrists instantly.

“Sienna, you are under arrest for disseminating obscene material and infringing on personal rights. Please come with us.”

Sienna froze. Seeing me behind her, she lunged at me in a furious rage.

“Aurora, you b*tch! It was you, wasn’t it?!”

I pointed at the screen.

“The TV station is still broadcasting live, sweetheart. Little kids shouldn’t use such language.”

Sure enough, countless calls flooded in instantly, all condemning Sienna.

Even the TV station executives couldn't suppress it.

Sienna, who had never experienced such a massive public spectacle, was completely stunned.

She was so scared she couldn't even cry anymore.

I bent down and touched her face.

“Like it? This is a special public service announcement I customized just for you.”

“Honey, next time you plan on doing something bad, remember to study the law first.”