Chapter 2: The Family Empire Falls Apart
News travels quickly.
Scandal travels faster.
By noon, someone had leaked part of the security footage online.
Not the entire attack.
Just enough.
The clip showed Preston placing his own phone inside Sophie's jacket.
Millions watched it within twenty-four hours.
Comments flooded every platform.
"He framed a child."
"She was only eight."
"Arrest him."
The perfect son became the nation's newest villain.
My mother called.
Not to ask about Sophie.
Not to apologize.
To complain.
"You've embarrassed this family."
I laughed.
It surprised even me.
"No, Mom."
"Preston embarrassed this family."
"You just helped him."
She hung up.
My father arrived later that evening.
He looked twenty years older.
"I can make this disappear."
"You'll drop the charges."
"There are lawyersâ"
"I didn't file them."
"What?"
"The State did."
His face turned white.
Child assault.
Filing a false police report.
Evidence tampering.
Attempting to frame a minor.
Those weren't family disagreements anymore.
They were felonies.
Then came the biggest surprise.
Preston's new wife appeared at my door.
She was crying.
"I didn't know."
She handed me a sealed envelope.
Inside were copies of text messages.
Conversations between Preston and his best man.
One message read:
Watch this. They'll believe anything if it's Evelyn's kid.
Another:
Mom and Dad will back me. They always do.
The final message was sent only minutes before the reception.
After tonight she'll never show her face around this family again.
It hadn't been anger.
It had been planned.
Every single step.
His wife covered her face.
"I married a monster."
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Three days later...
She filed for divorce.
