The Live Stream

Chapter 4

The morning of my discharge, I stood in front of the hospital mirror, fixing my blouse and adjusting my blazer. I looked tired, broken even, but my eyes burned with purpose. I wasn’t leaving the hospital just to return home and lick my wounds. I was headed to the lion’s den—Jason’s family home—to claim what was rightfully mine.

I knew what awaited me. His mother, Greta, had always hated me. She never approved of Jason marrying me, calling me a gold-digger even though I gave up my wealthy life to build one with him. His two sisters weren’t any better, treating me like an outsider despite the years I spent trying to please them. Today, though, I wasn’t looking for their approval. I was here for justice.

The chauffeur pulled up in front of the sprawling Whitman estate. The sight of the grand mansion used to fill me with pride; now, it only fueled my resolve. I took a deep breath, stepped out of the car, and walked up the marble steps.

A butler opened the door, his expression neutral as he led me to the lavish sitting room. Jason’s mother and sisters were already seated, their perfectly styled hair and cold, scrutinizing eyes waiting to pounce. Jason leaned casually against the fireplace, arms crossed, watching me like I was the entertainment for the evening.

“Well, well,” Greta said, her lips curling into a sneer. “The prodigal daughter-in-law returns. What’s the occasion? Did you come to beg for scraps?”

Jason’s older sister, Vivian, chuckled. “Scraps? She doesn’t even deserve that. She’s nothing but a barren, washed-up—”

“Enough,” I said, cutting her off. My voice was steady, firm. “I didn’t come here to trade insults.”

“Oh? Then why are you here?” Greta asked, her tone dripping with condescension. “Hoping we’d take pity on you?”

I ignored her, my gaze locked on Jason. “I want my share of the company,” I said, my voice unwavering.

Laughter erupted from around the room, cruel and mocking. Jason shook his head, his smirk widening. “You really are delusional, Andrea.”

“Your share?” Greta scoffed. “What share? You didn’t build anything. You’re just a leech, clinging to Jason’s success.”

“I gave up everything for him!” I snapped, my composure slipping for a moment. “My family, my inheritance, my dreams—I poured everything into his company, into his life. And now, I want what’s mine.”

“You’re not getting a dime,” Vivian said coldly. “You’re nothing but a burden, a disgrace to this family.”

I felt my nails dig into my palms, but I refused to let their words break me. “If you think I’m walking away empty-handed, you’re mistaken. I’ll take this to court if I have to.”

Jason chuckled darkly. “Go ahead. You’ll lose.”

Before I could respond, a waiter entered the room with a tray of drinks. He served everyone, and I hesitated for a moment before picking up the glass of juice placed in front of me.

“To new beginnings,” Greta said mockingly, raising her glass.

I took a sip, the cold liquid sliding down my throat as I fought to steady my breathing. I needed to stay calm, focused. But as the minutes passed, a strange sensation crept over me. My vision blurred, and a wave of dizziness washed over me.

I blinked, trying to clear my head, but the room seemed to spin. My hands trembled as I set the glass down, realization dawning too late.

They had spiked my drink.

“You…” I murmured, my voice slurring as I struggled to stay upright.

Jason’s smirk was the last thing I saw before everything went dark.

I woke up to the faint hum of an air conditioner buzzing in the background. My body felt heavy, and my head throbbed as I tried to recall what had happened. I glanced down and froze. My blouse was gone, and my skirt was barely hanging on.

Panic surged through me as I scrambled to check myself, running my hands over my body. Nothing seemed out of place, no bruises, no pain—just the unsettling chill of vulnerability.

Where am I?

I closed my eyes, trying to piece together the fragments of my memory. The meeting with Jason’s family, the spiked drink, the dizziness… Then, nothing.

I forced myself up, scanning the dimly lit room. A plain hotel suite. No sign of anyone else. My stomach churned as a terrifying thought crept in. What had they done?

I quickly dressed, grabbing my purse and phone from the nightstand. My hands trembled as I dialed a cab and gave the driver the address of my hotel.

When I finally reached my room, I collapsed on the bed, my heart racing. I unlocked my phone, and a flood of notifications greeted me. Dozens of missed calls and messages from my best friend, Claire.

Claire: “Andrea, are you okay?!”

Claire: “Jason is live right now… You need to see this.”

Claire: “Call me ASAP.”

My blood ran cold. I opened the live feed, my heart pounding. Jason was standing in front of a crowd of reporters, his expression one of carefully crafted sorrow.

“I loved my wife,” he said, his voice cracking as he wiped a fake tear. “But even in our darkest moments, after losing our baby, she… she betrayed me.”

The reporters murmured, and Jason continued. “The night of her accident, she was on her way to see her lover. I trusted her, and she broke that trust. Even now, during our divorce, she’s seeing him.”

I clenched my fists, my breath caught in my throat. He was lying.

Then he dropped the bombshell. Jason held up his phone, showing blurry photos of me in bed with a faceless man.

The room spun, but not from the remnants of the drug. Rage surged through me. I knew what this was.

They spiked my drink. They set this up.

Jason was ruining me, dragging my name through the mud. He was turning the world against me, playing the victim while painting me as the villain.

The reporters gasped, and the comments on the live feed were brutal:

“She’s disgusting!”

“How could she do that after losing a baby?”

“Jason deserves better.”

Tears blurred my vision, He knew how hard i worked to raise in the beauty influencing game before i got pregnant and now he was doing this …A huge scandal filled with lies .

Jason had won this round, but the game wasn’t over. He wanted to destroy my reputation? Fine. Let him think he’d succeeded.