After being condemned across the internet for plagiarism, I stood before everyone and announced my retirement from writing.

My boyfriend, Carter Xavier, who had been furiously accusing me just moments ago, froze in shock.

“What are you doing? Don’t you still have debts to pay?”

Ruby Quinn—his precious and the so-called victim of this scandal—immediately panicked.

“Vera, you don’t have to punish yourself like this. I’m willing to give you a chance to start over.”

I remained firm, my expression cold and unmoving as camera flashes exploded around me.

In my past life, these two had humiliated me, plotting together behind my back to steal my work.

My painstaking efforts had built Ruby’s reputation as a so-called genius author.

But not this time.

Without hesitation, I deleted the pen name I had used for the past six years.

I had spent enough time struggling in a cramped rental apartment. It was time to return home and claim my family inheritance.

As for Ruby Quinn—

Let’s see how you finish the rest of that stolen manuscript without me.

“Miss Mason, you keep claiming you have evidence to prove you didn’t plagiarize. So, where is it?”

“As someone who used to admire your work, I truly don’t want to believe you’d do something like this. But… were your past novels really your own creation?”

Countless microphones were pointed at me. For a moment, I was stunned, my heart pounding violently in my chest.

I was reborn—back to this very day, the day I held a press conference to clear my name.

In my past life, my boyfriend’s “first love” stole my novel—a story inspired by my own secret crush.

On the day it was released, her book shot to the top of the site’s bestseller charts, becoming a breakout hit in the teen romance genre.

After major influencers and marketing accounts shared it, countless readers flooded the internet, calling it a heart-wrenching masterpiece that brought them to tears.

I had planned to prove my innocence with my original manuscript drafts.

But on the day of the press conference, someone wiped my entire computer clean. Every trace of my work was gone without a clue.

What followed was a storm of online harassment unlike anything I had ever experienced.

Every day, I received chilling threats—mock memorial cards, printed obituaries with my face, and horrifying packages from strangers.

But I gritted my teeth and kept writing until a crazed stalker broke into my home and stabbed me to death.

And now, here I was again.

I had barely hesitated for a second before my beloved boyfriend of three years, Carter Xavier, jumped at the chance to throw me under the bus.

“Vera Mason, if you’re accusing Ruby of slander, then show your proof! Don’t smear her name with baseless accusations!”

His eyes blazed with anger, but beneath it, I caught a flicker of smug satisfaction.

Of course he was confident. He knew exactly what was, or more importantly, what wasn’t in my files.

Because he was the one who made sure I had nothing left to show.

He didn’t just want to ruin me, he wanted Ruby Quinn to take my place as the next literary star.

Lowering my gaze, I picked up my laptop and walked over to the projector.

I powered it on, linked it with my laptop, and the screen flickered to life.

Gasps filled the room as every eye locked on me in stunned silence.

Without hesitation, I logged out of the author account I had used for the past six years.

Carter and Ruby shot to their feet, their faces pale with alarm.

My voice was cold and steady.

“Everyone, my innocence has been stolen from me. The evidence that could clear my name has been erased by someone with malicious intent.

“So, from this moment on, I’m retiring my pen name. I will never publish under it again. I’m leaving the web novel industry—forever.”

*

I shut my laptop and turned to leave.

But Carter rushed forward, blocking my path.

“What the heck are you doing?! Don’t you still have debts to pay?

“You’re just going to quit—just like that? Wasn’t writing your greatest passion? Didn’t you say you’d never give it up?”

From behind him, Ruby grew frantic. She hurried over, her eyes brimming with tears.

“Vera, you don’t have to punish yourself like this. I... I’m willing to give you another chance. You can start over.”

I laughed coldly, watching their little performance.

Suddenly, Ruby bit her lip hard and dropped to her knees.

Tears streamed down her face as she begged, her voice trembling.

“Vera, please! Don’t leave the industry because of something so trivial.

“Your readers—they’ll tear me apart for this!

“I can delete everything—wipe it all clean! Let’s pretend none of this ever happened!

“But if you leave, everyone will blame me! I... I’ll quit writing too!”

The rapid clicks of camera shutters exploded around her.

My former star editor rushed over, grabbing her arm to pull her up.

“Ruby, what are you doing? Why would you get on your knees for a plagiarist?

“She did this to herself. You just signed a major contract with the company—don’t forget, you’ve got future projects to deliver.”

I had no interest in sticking around to be their punching bag, so I turned and walked out.

To avoid the swarm of reporters, I slipped through a side exit and caught a cab back to my apartment.

On the way home, my phone wouldn’t stop buzzing with social media notifications.

I opened the app, only to find that four of the top ten trending topics were about me:

#VeraMasonPlagiarism

#VeraMasonRubyQuinn

#RubyQuinnForcedToKneel

#RubyQuinnGhostwriterScandal

Vicious marketing accounts had twisted the truth, denying my authorship of every work I had ever created.

They claimed I stole Ruby Quinn’s ideas and even blackmailed her into being my ghostwriter.

The comment section under my profile was a nightmare:

“Ugh, disgusting! Can’t believe I ever supported a plagiarizing fraud.”

“I watched the live conference—Vera Mason couldn’t say a word to defend herself, and in the end, she humiliated Ruby and made her get on her knees!”

“Good thing she knows to quit writing and disappear. If not, I’d drive her out of the industry myself!”

“Even her own boyfriend exposed her. Vera Mason, what kind of person are you?”

“I bet she’s just running off now that she’s made enough money. Ruby should sue her into the ground!”

My DMs were worse—a flood of insults and threats.

Meanwhile, on Ruby’s social media account, her follower count was skyrocketing, and her comments were filled with waves of support and encouragement:

“Stay strong, Ruby! We believe in you!”

“You’re the real talent here. Don’t let this mess bring you down!”

I left a single comment under her post:

“Well then, good luck finishing the rest of the story. Don’t let your readers down.”

I knew I didn’t have much of my draft stockpile left so she was running out of stolen material.

Ruby was too impatient. She was afraid that I would publish my manuscript before finishing it, so she rushed to release what she stole first, trying to get ahead of me.

But the plot twists and foreshadowing I had carefully planted? She would never be able to pull them off.

Exposing her was only a matter of time.

*

I arrived back at my rental apartment.

The place was modest. It was about 900 square feet but I had made it cozy and warm.

The worn walls were covered with photos arranged in the shape of a heart.

Pictures of me and Carter.

However, every single one was secretly taken by me and printed without his knowledge.

He never let me take pictures with him.

He refused to post me on social media, and on anniversaries, he would vanish without a word.

I paid for everything—rent, utilities, dates, groceries. It was always me.

Without hesitation, I messaged my landlord, breaking the lease even though I would have to pay a penalty.

Then, I started packing—tossing what I didn’t need, boxing up what I did. I moved fast, determined to leave this place behind.

As I packed, there was a sudden knock at the door.

I opened it to find Carter and Ruby standing there.

“Vera, are you moving out?” Ruby’s voice was sweet, but her eyes were calculating. She reached for my hand with fake concern.

I pulled my hand back, my face cold and unreadable.

Carter stood beside her, his arms crossed, his eyes filled with contempt.

The sneer on his face was unmistakable.

“Moving out?” he scoffed. “Last I checked, her dad passed away years ago. The money she earned has been used to pay off his medical debts.

“A place like this, renting at one grand a month, was already stretching her thin. If she’s moving, it’s probably to some rundown shoebox apartment.”

My voice was flat and cold. “What do you want?”

Carter’s disgust twisted his expression. “Apologize to Ruby. Publicly. Admit you stole from her.”

*

My jaw clenched, and a vein throbbed at my temple.

Was he serious?

I shot him a furious glare, my voice cutting and cold.

“Carter, don’t you know the truth? After all these years living off me, how dare you stand there and say this to me?”

Carter’s expression didn’t waver. He spoke with smug confidence.

“You’re just a broke nobody with no family to back you up. But Ruby? She’s been a star since high school. Everyone adores her, and I’ll make sure she gets everything she wants.

“Didn’t you know? Her parents are both teachers. They’re good, respectable people. She’s better than you in every way, by a mile.”

The man I had dated since college—the one I once loved—was now using the cruelest words to tear me down.

He only knew that I came from a single-parent household and had moved out after a falling-out with my mom.

But what he didn’t know was that my mother was the head of the Merika region for a multinational corporation.

And when my father passed away, he left us an inheritance worth nine figures.

The truth was, if I hadn’t chosen to stay here to escape inheriting the family business, I would have been someone Carter could never reach in his entire lifetime.

Seeing my silence, Carter thought his words had hit their mark. A cold smirk twisted his lips as he pressed on.

“Some people are born princesses, while others—no matter how hard they try—are destined to be nothing more than servants kept in the shadows.

“If I were you, I’d pack up, leave quietly, and hand everything here over to Ruby.

“What are you waiting for? Get on social media and publicly apologize to her. Right now. Or don’t blame me for what happens next—”

Before he could finish, I raised my hand and slapped him hard.

The crack of my palm echoed through the room. Carter’s head snapped to the side, his face burning red from the blow.

His eyes went wide, bloodshot with shock and rage.

“Vera Mason,” he growled, his voice tight with fury, “Did you just hit me?”

Ruby screamed and jumped back, fumbling for her phone to record the scene.

But I was faster. I slapped the phone out of her hand, sending it clattering to the floor. Then, with all my strength, I swung my suitcase and slammed it into both of them, knocking them aside.

I snapped. I let every ounce of my anger explode. I grabbed anything and everything within reach and hurled it. Plates shattered, books hit the walls, glass broke into splinters. I didn’t care.

“You want my things so badly?” I shouted, my voice shaking with rage. “Fine—take them all!”

The room was a complete wreck, shattered pieces of my belongings scattered everywhere.

Without a second glance, I pulled the door open and strode out of the tiny apartment I had called home for the past three years.

*

The first thing I did was call my mom.

It had been years since we last spoke, but the second my call connected, she answered.

And at that moment, I broke. Tears streamed down my face, uncontrollable and raw.

In my past life, from the day I stormed out after college to the day I died, I never spoke to her again. I couldn’t imagine how it must have shattered her when she heard about my death.

But this time, I wasn’t going to waste another second.

I would be the spoiled little daughter she always wanted me to be.

“Come home, sweetheart. Just come home.”

Her voice trembled with emotion. She kept repeating over and over, as if holding me through the phone.

Soon, I was on a flight back to Haven State.

Before boarding, I glanced at social media and saw that Ruby had already posted another fake, attention-seeking update.

“Hey everyone, I’m taking a break from writing for a bit. Everything that’s happened recently has been a lot to handle. Vera Mason is a senior I’ve always looked up to, and I just need some time to clear my head.”

Right on cue, my former editor, Lily Fay, the same one who used to act like she had my back, jumped in to share Ruby’s post.

“Let’s all give Ruby some space to rest so she can return with even better stories! Also, exciting news—we’ll be hosting a fan meet-and-greet with Ruby next month in Haven State. Can’t wait to see you there!”

It was crystal clear that they were grooming Ruby to be their next viral, money-making star.

I sighed, powered off my phone, and closed my eyes, drifting into sleep.

When I got off the plane, my mom was already there, waiting for me in a Rolls-Royce with a driver and bodyguards.

She told me she had heard everything and was already pulling strings—bringing in a PR team and contacting lawyers to press charges.

“We’ll see this through to the end,” she said firmly. “No one lays a hand on my baby girl and gets away with it.”