"Thwack."

An 18-year-old kid stumbled backward, crashed into the chair behind him, and collapsed onto the floor. He tried to push himself up, cupping his bleeding nose. His eyes widened at the sight in front of him. A massive, muscular guy with a military buzz cut, dressed in a groom’s tuxedo, stood over him, panting heavily. His fists were still tightly clenched, and tears streamed down his face.

"How could you, Eric? You’re my brother, and Melissa is my fiancée. How long have you been sleeping with her, huh?" the burly guy roared, closing the distance toward Eric, who just sat on the floor looking completely bewildered while clutching his bloody nose.

"W-what? I didn’t do anything... Where’s the proof? Don’t just throw wild accusations at me, Jason," Eric shouted back, his voice cracking awkwardly.

Jason lunged forward, grabbing Eric by the lapels of his jacket to yank him to his feet. He gripped Eric by the throat. Eric immediately grabbed Jason’s forearms, but he was completely outmatched in size.

"Ja... Jason," Eric choked out.

"You went behind my back? You only came to my apartment to sleep with Melissa? She’s my fiancée, and we were supposed to get married today! As of right now, you are no brother of mine," Jason screamed, cocking his fist to smash Eric’s face again.

Eric instinctively shielded his face with both hands, but before Jason could land the punch, his father and uncle tackled him back. The two men dragged Jason out of the room. A middle-aged woman in an elegant dress then stepped toward Eric.

"M-Mom... I didn’t do any..."

"Slap!" Before Eric could finish his sentence, his mother’s hand struck his cheek. Eric cupped his stinging face and looked up at his mother. She was weeping, her face twisted in absolute disappointment.

"I never raised you to be like this... I am deeply ashamed of you. Melissa is your future sister-in-law. How could you betray your own brother like this?" his mother sobbed.

"I didn’t do anything, Mom! Believe me, I swear I didn’t do anything," Eric yelled in self-defense.

Eric spotted two girls standing behind his mother, his younger sister and his girlfriend.

"Vivian... Ruby... you guys... you believe me, right? I didn’t do anything," Eric pleaded, still holding his bleeding nose.

Vivian, Eric’s girlfriend, immediately looked away. Her face was a mask of heartbreak, her eyes welling with tears. Ruby stared at Eric with pure rage, arms crossed tightly over her chest.

"You’re not my brother. You’re disgusting, a freak, an immoral pig," Ruby said coldly.

Ruby turned on her heel and grabbed Vivian’s hand to pull her out, but Vivian pulled away. Their mother also turned and followed Ruby out. Vivian stood frozen in front of Eric for a moment, keeping her eyes averted to avoid looking at him. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Vivian... please trust me. I’m innocent," Eric begged.

Vivian finally looked at him, her expression cold and hollow. Her eyes brimmed with tears, though she fought them back. Slowly, she unclasped the bracelet Eric had given her from her wrist.

"I’m sorry, Eric. I wanted to believe you, but I can’t be with you anymore. Take this back, and please don’t contact me again," Vivian said, holding out the bracelet through her tears.

Eric went numb and sank back onto the floor. Vivian leaned down, placed the bracelet on the floor right in front of him, turned around, and walked out of the room. Eric was shattered.

The family who should have known his character and loved him had condemned him without a second thought. To make matters worse, the girl he had loved since childhood had just walked out on him too. Suddenly, footsteps echoed back into the room.

Eric looked up to see his father holding a duffel bag stuffed with his clothes and an envelope. "Thud." His father dropped the bag right at Eric’s feet, then thrust the cash-filled envelope toward him.

"What is this, Dad?" Eric asked, bewildered.

"Get out. You are no longer part of this family, and don’t you dare ever come back home," his father replied icily.

"W-what? What did I even do? I didn’t sleep with anyone! I won’t just sit here and take the blame for this. Where is the proof? If I leave, what about my school?" Eric shouted in protest.

His father just shook his head. Eric could see the immense disappointment and restrained fury boiling behind his eyes. Reaching into his shirt pocket, his father pulled out his smartphone, opened the gallery, and played a video that looked like surveillance footage. Eric’s eyes went wide. The video showed him walking into the apartment where Jason and Melissa lived.

Melissa opened the door, threw her arms around Eric, and they kissed right in the doorway before she pulled him inside. His father swiped to the next file. Another video popped up, but this time the setting was inside a catering van meant for tonight’s wedding reception. The video captured Eric intimately involved with Melissa inside the vehicle, and his face was unmistakably clear on camera.

"Still want to deny it?" his father asked, his voice terrifyingly calm.

"I-I didn’t do that! Dad, you saw me, I was helping set up for Jason’s wedding all day today," Eric protested.

"Haah... look at the timestamp. You slipped away for a bit, didn’t you?" his father countered.

"What? I only left to pick up the photographer! And I rode my motorcycle, I didn’t walk! I have never laid a finger on Melissa," Eric screamed.

"Shut up!" his father roared.

Eric instantly went quiet. He knew his father was a deeply patient, man of few words. He had never seen his father’s face turn so crimson with rage. The fact that this wrath was directed entirely at him made him feel small and terrified, even though he knew he was innocent.

"B-but I really didn’t do it, Dad," Eric pleaded weakly.

"Get out. You are no son of mine... Never come back to my house. I’m removing your name from my will, and don’t expect me to pay a single dime for your college tuition... Now get out of my sight," his father shouted.

Exhausted from the emotional outburst, his father staggered slightly and clutched his chest. Eric moved to catch him, but his father slapped his hand away. Suddenly, his mother rushed back in and supported his father, guiding him out of the room. Before she left, she glared back at Eric with pure malice.

"Leave... I want you gone by the time I get back here," his mother snapped.

"Slam!" She walked out, slamming the door behind her. Eric stood frozen in the silence, stunned. Tears finally began to fall. He was furious that not a single person in his family would even listen to his side of the story. Ultimately, he picked up his duffel bag, threw it over his shoulder, walked to the door, and opened it. He trudged down the hallway, still holding his bloody nose.

As he passed the main hall, he glanced over and saw his entire family gathered around a table. He saw his father resting his forehead on his elbows on the table, while his mother rubbed his shoulders. He saw Vivian sitting next to Ruby, her head lowered in anger and tears.

But what truly made his heart stop was seeing his brother Jason, completely ready in his tuxedo, with his arm wrapped around his bride-to-be, Melissa, who was already in her wedding dress.

His aunt and uncle sat next to Jason, talking to the couple, who were nodding and crying. Suddenly, Melissa raised her head and spotted Eric standing near the table. Following her gaze, everyone at the table turned to look at him.

"Scrape!" Jason bolted upright, glaring at Eric with pure hatred, but his uncle immediately held him back. Eric looked at his family members one by one. They stared back at him with bizarre expressions, a mixture of rage and disgust, as if he were some kind of vile monster.

Eric locked eyes with Melissa, hoping she would speak up and explain that the video was a lie. Instead, Melissa looked away, tears streaming down her face, hiding a faint, subtle smirk behind her hand.

"Why are you smiling, Melissa? Do you even care that you’ve completely ruined my life, huh?" Eric demanded loudly.

"Shut your mouth! Don’t you say a word," Jason barked, trying to break free to get to Eric. His uncle struggled to hold the massive groom back.

Eric took one last look at his family and his girlfriend. Their expressions only grew angrier, and in that moment, he realized that nothing he said would matter. That video footage was just too damning. Finally, he turned around and walked toward the exit without looking back.

Eric kept walking, leaving behind the wedding hall where his brother’s reception was supposed to take place. He clutched his throbbing, bloody nose, though the blood had already begun to dry. He opened the envelope of cash he was holding and checked inside.

I need to go to a hospital first... my nose is probably broken, Eric thought to himself. As he walked, suddenly "tap," someone patted his shoulder. Eric turned around to find a beautiful girl his own age dressed in evening wear standing behind him.

The girl gasped when she saw his bloody nose. She quickly pulled a handkerchief from her purse and pressed it against his nose.

"What happened, Eric?" she asked.

"A lot happened, Jade," Eric replied.

Eric explained everything to Jade, who was his cousin. Jade was completely shocked because she knew Eric’s character, and he was simply incapable of doing something like that. Eric shook his head.

"They have video proof... Even if it’s a bit blurry, the face in the video is definitely mine," Eric said.

"I’ve known you since we were kids, Eric. We grew up together. If you were really the kind of person they’re claiming you are, I wouldn’t be safe standing here with you, right? Don’t even worry about what they’re accusing you of. I believe in you," Jade said.

Suddenly, "Jade!" a voice called out from the hall entrance. Jade turned to see her father, Eric’s uncle, standing there, calling for her. Jade looked at Eric, then back at her father. She removed her handkerchief.

"I have to go back inside. Video proof or not, I still don’t buy it. You should get to a hospital first, and I’ll call you later," Jade said.

"Yeah," Eric replied quietly.

Eric turned and resumed walking. Jade watched him drift further away before turning to run back toward the entrance to meet her father.