Livestream Rehab: My Ex Regrets It All

The pain from bone cancer and the morphine withdrawal burned through what little sanity I had left.

A dense crowd had gathered outside my apartment. Cameras with long lenses packed the narrow hallway until it was completely blocked.

"That's him! The drug addict!"

"He looks normal enough. How can he be so rotten inside?"

Xenia stood at the front of the crowd in her crisp police uniform. Her expression was cold as she faced the cameras. "Everyone, this is Caleb, the drug user we arrested yesterday. He's a textbook case of someone who fell into ruin because of vanity and greed."

The moment she finished speaking, someone in the crowd hurled a rotten vegetable straight at my face.

Then, more followed. Some hurled rotten vegetables, some threw eggs, and someone even spat on me.

In the chaos, the wig I wore to cover my chemo-bald head was yanked off. My bare scalp was exposed.

"Freak! He's bald!"

The crowd's laughter and insults crashed over me like waves.

I stood there numbly, letting the filth drip from my head, down my neck, and into my clothes.

Then, an old, furious voice broke through the noise. "What are you doing? Stop! Leave him alone!"

It was Frank Stewart, my landlord.

He pushed through the crowd with a broom in hand and threw himself in front of me.

"Caleb isn't a bad person! He's sick, you monsters!"

He blocked a wave of garbage meant for me with his frail body.

I stared at him as his graying hair was now smeared with egg and rotting vegetables. My heart tightened so hard I could barely breathe. "Mr. Stewart…"

"Get that old man out of here," Xenia ordered with a frown.

Several officers immediately stepped forward and dragged him away.

Aaron seized the moment and turned to the cameras with a practiced tone of concern. "Don't be fooled, everyone. Many addicts are good at gaining sympathy from kindhearted elderly people. We're doing this for the old man's safety."

The crowd stirred again, their anger reignited.

"That old fool got tricked by a junkie!"

"He's probably in on it! Birds of a feather!"

The crowd shoved Frank. He stumbled and hit his forehead on the ground. There was blood.

"Mr. Stewart!" I screamed.

Xenia stepped close to me. Her voice was low enough that only I could hear her. "See that, Caleb? If you don't want that old man dragged into this mess for harboring a drug dealer, you'd better behave."

My body went stiff.

She was using the only person who still cared about me as leverage.

What else could I do?

I lowered my head and stopped resisting. I let the filth cover me.

I stood shaking in front of countless cameras like a condemned prisoner.

…

I was taken to the city square.

A massive, fully transparent glass enclosure had been built there overnight.

It was like a cage meant to display a monster.

I was the monster.

I was shoved into the enclosure. Blinding lights snapped on from all directions, forcing my eyes shut.

A sea of people gathered outside the glass. Their faces were filled with curiosity, disgust, and excitement.

Countless phones and cameras were pointed at me. They livestreamed everything, 24 hours a day.