Chapter 18  “The online community wasn’t wrong; Amanda really did claim credit for work that wasn’t hers. Now that she’s been exposed, it’s j what she had coming. She shouldn’t have done it in the first place. Everyone’s singing Nicole’s praises for her beaty and Kedoen. Promoting Nicole without spending a dime on trending topics seems perfectly fine, doesn’t it?”  At this point, she took Nicole’s hand. “Nicole is going to be a world–renowned painter, a name that’ll be remembered for ages” “Mom’s right. Amanda brought this on herself. The worse she looks, the more perfect Nicole seems. Controversy only boosts or visibility and gets Nicole’s name out there. In the future, Nicole will shine even brighter”  My reputation was smeared even after I was gone. My family was eager to squeeze every last bit of value out of me to dear the path Nicole.  When I used to paint, my mother would call me irresponsible and selfish, saying I was ignoring the Kennedy family’s future and westing my days on pointless things. But now, she couldn’t be prouder of Nicole, boasting about her successes, even if it meant stepping over he to do so.  Tums out, she didn’t hate painting. She just preferred Nicole. Everything Nicole did was perfect.  Even though I’d been betrayed by someone I loved, the stab in the back from my own family still cut deep.  Nicole glanced over at Chase. “Chase, what do you think? Should we take down the trending topic? After all, she’s your wife if she sees it in Cloudville, she might get upset.”  Chase initially felt a twinge of discomfort, but his eyes took on a cold edge when thinking about my quiet departure to Cloudville.  “Upset? She’s got no one to blame but herself. Leave it up. If she’s embarrassed, she should hurry back!  Chase spoke with a chill, showing no sign of standing up for me.  After years of being childhood friends, this was where it ended. He blamed me for my own misfortune.  Both our families had the power to suppress the trending topics. But for Nicole, they didn’t mind sacrificing my reputation.  Is this what family is supposed to be?  Curled up in a corner, I listened to their harsh words, watching them revel in their happy family moment. I realized I was the one who should disappear.  I didn’t know how much time had passed until I looked up again and saw that the scenery had changed.  Chase and the Kennedy family were gone. I found myself in a place that felt like a basement.  It was dark and damp here. Where was this? I’d never been here before.  I looked around, standing in a long corridor, the stone walls bearing cracks from the passage of time.  Candlelight cast a faint glow on me, but my shadow was nowhere to be seen on the walls. There wasn’t a soul around, and the silence was eerie.  A stone chamber seemed to be at the end of the corridor, so I hurried forward.  From a distance, I saw a stone bed with what looked like a woman lying on it.  Who would lie in such a place?  For some reason, the closer I got, the faster my heart raced. Thenmy vision gradually cleared, and I finally saw her.  The woman who had long since passed, lying still, her eyes closed–it was me.  19