Heart Toward the Sky

All the comments were in defense of Robin.

[This woman is just jealous of Robin, trying to seduce her boyfriend.]

[Didn't you see how that guy snapped at her? And look how he dotes on Robin.]

[She's still hanging around them, even after they left. Pretending to be lovesick.]

[I can't stand vixens like that! Go to hell! Stay away from Robin's boyfriend!]

So, they thought that my fiancé was someone else's boyfriend.

I shrank into the backseat, staring into nothing.

The topic remained on the trending list, even gaining momentum. Without doubt, it was orchestrated by Owen.

Now I was skeptical about his love for me. If he really loved me, would he have allowed people to recklessly distort the truth and attack me?

I closed my eyes, the pain too much to bear. After a while, I made a call, my voice hoarse. "Get the trending topic taken down, now."

The barrage of comments surged again.

[I feel sorry for you, Chloe. It's unbearable. If only you'd softened up a bit, things wouldn't have turned out like this.]

[Just a bunch of brainless netizens following the hype. Robin is the real mistress! This is infuriating!]

[Owen has gone a bit too far this time, but you're too independent. He still wants to see you rely on him.]

[Seems like this trending topic won't be easy to remove. People are already trying to doxx you. Your family has seen it, and it's bound to affect your stock price.]

My gaze lingered on the last comment for a long time.

Sure enough, my phone rang not long after. The voice on the other end sounded resigned. "Someone's been boosting the trending topic. We're trying to remove it, but it's having almost no effect."

I stayed silent, and the caller asked, "Did you offend someone? This trending topic just keeps blowing up. Someone's pulling some serious strings here. Isn't your fiancé doing anything? Just watching it all happen?"

The caller didn't know the person behind it all was none other than my fiancé. But soon enough, he wouldn't be anymore.

My dad's call came through next, his voice thick with anger. "What the hell is going on? If no one had asked me, I wouldn't have even known."

I paused. "Owen has an affair. Why blame me?"

"Men like Owen cheat all the time," Garrett Vega huffed. "How could you let something like this get out of hand? And let that woman walk around like she owns the place, flaunting herself in front of you?"

"The trending topic was cooked by Owen," I patiently explained. "That woman is his mistress. Dad, this isn't my fault. I've already asked people to take it down."

"Not being able to control his heart is your fault," Garrett snorted and hung up the phone.

As the car pulled off, the driver turned his head and said, "Miss, we've arrived at the villa."

I numbly opened the car door, taking slow, deliberate steps toward the dark house, as I chewed over Garrett's pompous words.

When he had an affair, supporting all those women outside, it was somehow my mother's fault for getting older and losing her charm.

He conveniently forgot that my mother had used her savings to support his startup and had given everything she had.

...

That night, I called Owen.

He answered almost immediately, his tone lazy. "What's up?"

"Stop heating that trending topic," I said softly.

He paused, drawling, "What's with the mood? Are you upset?"

"What do you want?" I asked, my voice cracking.

He fell silent, and I continued, "Do you enjoy watching me get dragged through the mud, being called a mistress, and seeing the stock price drop? Is this what you want? Are you satisfied?"