Chapter 4

When I still refused to speak, Wesley lost the last of his patience. He turned to the camera. "This man is my mother's first husband. The same man who sold her to a gambling house to pay off his debts! And that's not all. After my dad married my mom, he kept coming around to harass my little sister Sadie. He said once she was old enough, he'd sell her off too!"

The comments erupted.

[She's insane! She threw away her daughter, her son, everything… for her ex-husband! She drove her own husband to kill himself!]

[She's the worst kind of trash! She's got to be some kind of masochist. I heard that back when they were together, she couldn't even get a scrap of food while he ate like a king!]

[I used to live next door to them. Everything you're saying is true. He'd beat her bloody and dump her outside like garbage, and nobody did a thing. He used to tell people that anyone could have her as long as they paid! And she just handed the ticket over to the same guy!]

[She should've just died! The world doesn't need someone like this walking around. Her ex should've finished the job!]

[Her husband didn't deserve this. He jumped off a building over a piece of trash like her.]

Then, my phone rang. Wesley spotted the name on the screen before I could reach for it and snatched the phone out of my hand.

My ex-husband Hank Peterson's sneering voice blared through the speaker. "Thanks for the 30-million-dollar ticket! Really, thank you! If you weren't so stupid, I'd never be living the good life! Ha!

"One dollar! You sold it to me for one dollar! Five years ago, your husband should've beaten you to death for it, and now, your son probably will! I always said you were worthless! And someone like you doesn't deserve 30 million anyway!"

Wesley's eyes went bloodshot, veins pulsing at his temples. "I'm warning you! That ticket is mine! I've already called the police. If you know what's good for you, you'll give it back!"

"You idiot! I'm on my way to the airport right now! I'll be out of the country before you can do a damn thing! You and your pathetic mother can keep living like beggars!

"Oh, and where's your mommy? I want to give my good little dog a pat on the head. She's so well-trained! Nothing like a good beating to teach a woman her place! You should try it sometime!"

When I heard that, I felt no anger at all. My voice was perfectly calm. "It's the least I could do. After all, we were husband and wife once. You don't just forget something like that."

Wesley was shaking from head to toe. "So, five years ago, Dad's ticket… That was you too?"

"That's got nothing to do with me! Bold of you, huh? Five years ago, why didn't you give that ticket to me and instead..."

I grabbed the phone back and hung up before he could finish, fumbling with it in a way that made me look guilty.

The audience was beside themselves.

[Somebody do something about this woman! And who did she sell the first ticket to?]

[I can't breathe. How can someone like this exist? Has she been brainwashed? She doesn't even care about her own son!]

[That poor daughter-in-law. Imagine marrying into this family!]

I looked over at Corinne. Her face was ghost white. If Wesley had not been holding her up, she would have collapsed. She cradled her belly, stroking it gently.

Even now, she had not said a single word against me. There was no accusation in her eyes, only confusion and sadness. Tears rolled silently down her cheeks.

After a long silence, she finally spoke. "Mom, I know this isn't who you really are. Maybe you have your reasons. I'll wait until you're ready to tell us."

She tugged softly at Wesley's sleeve. "Honey, don't be so hard on her. Tell these people to leave. Turn off the live stream. She's getting older. Please don't fight her on this."

Wesley shook off her hand, his face flushed. He dialed Hank's number again. The call connected almost immediately. I watched his expression darken by the second until it settled into something terrifyingly still.

I heard what was said on the other end.

Wesley hung up and looked at me for a long moment. The hostility from before was gone.

Then, out of nowhere, he said, "Everyone should go. The ticket situation is a misunderstanding."

Corinne blinked in confusion. The viewers were even more lost.

[That's it? Just like that? We'll all help you report her to the police!]

"The video from five years ago is fake," Wesley said. "I made it all up. My mom never sold the ticket. The whole thing's a joke. Don't take it seriously."

The comments were nothing but question marks.

[What? I was about to call the cops for you! Is your entire family insane? You were messing with us this whole time?]

[What is happening? Am I losing my mind?]

Then, Wesley's phone chimed with a notification. He tapped it open without thinking.

The color vanished from his face. His fingers would not stop trembling. Everyone in the room stared in confusion, myself included.

I tried to see what was on the screen, but he pulled away before I could. In the next second, Wesley hurled the phone into the fireplace. Before the flames had even swallowed it, he leaned in and whispered something in my ear.

Before I could react, he ran for the window and threw himself out.

The sound of impact from the street below was enormous. I stood frozen in place, and in that single instant, all the warmth left my body at once.

Wesley had done the same thing his father had done five years ago. He had jumped from the 30th floor.