On my wedding day, my best friend's mother spread rumors that I had been a kept woman in college and had multiple abortions. When I found out, my first instinct was to call the police. Everyone urged me to prioritize the wedding, to ignore the gossiping hag. But then, people at the same table as the rumor-monger began live-streaming, and the story exploded. My mother-in-law, believing the lies, forced my husband to divorce me. Someone complained to my workplace, and I was fired. My parents, humiliated by the scandal in our village, disowned me. Under this relentless assault, I fell into a deep depression and jumped to my death. Then, I opened my eyes. I was back on my wedding day. 1 "Hold on." I paused the makeup artist's brush, lowered my gaze, and picked up my phone. It took only moments to find the live stream. Clicking in, I saw several middle-aged women chattering away animatedly. "What business is the groom's family in? Such a grand affair!" "I hear they're in hotels. Several properties, they say. Honestly, little Chloe here, she's got talent. Pretty face, knows how to reel in men." My phone, now on speaker, drew the attention of my bridesmaids. One of them leaned in, eyes widening in surprise as she recognized someone on screen. "Fiona! That's your mom!" Fiona hurried closer. Her mother, Mrs. Rhodes, was still talking. "You know, my Fiona is actually prettier than Chloe, but she just doesn't have that vixen-like charm Chloe does. Chloe's chest is so big, all thanks to men. She's been seducing boys since primary school, had a sugar daddy in college, would hook up with anyone for money, and had several abortions. Oh, the sin of it all!" At this, Fiona's face went white. "Chloe, don't listen to my mom's nonsense! I'm going out there right now to stop her!" Before Fiona could move, I sprang to my feet with a whoosh and walked directly towards Mrs. Rhodes's table. Fiona reached out to stop me. "Chloe, don't go. Today's your wedding day. I'll go, I'll talk to my mom properly. I promise she won't say another word." My friends behind me chimed in, urging caution. "It's your wedding, Chloe. It's not time yet. The bride shouldn't be out there. It looks bad." "Yes, Chloe, just bear with it. You know my mom's mouth, she just can't control it. I'll go scold her right now. After today, I'll make her apologize to you. Don't let her ruin your big day." Fiona's face was a picture of sincerity, as if she truly had my best interests at heart. In my previous life, I hadn't learned about this from a live stream. It was a relative, unable to stomach it any longer, who had come to tell me. I had listened to their advice then, swallowing the humiliation. I never imagined that the very next day, before Fiona could even bring her mother to apologize, the rumors would have already spread like wildfire. Because of those lies, I lost my husband, my parents, and my job. In the end, I was literally hounded to death. And Mrs. Rhodes, from start to finish, never uttered a single word of denial. Given a second chance, there was no way I would let this pass. After all, between a wedding and my life, I knew which held more weight. I ignored Fiona and strode purposefully towards the exit. When I reached Mrs. Rhodes's table, she was still detailing my supposed abortions. "She was still in college then, how could she let her parents know? She borrowed money from my Fiona. My Fiona, being the loyal friend she is, secretly took my money, and that's how I found out. The boy's mother, she knows me too. Later, I confirmed it; her son definitely got little Chloe pregnant." "Auntie, is that really true?" "Mom! What nonsense are you spouting?!" Fiona's and my voices rang out simultaneously. Mrs. Rhodes flinched, startled. She turned, saw me, and offered an awkward smile, quickly trying to play it off. "Chloe, why are you out here so early?" I stared at her, my face a mask of shock. "Auntie, is that true? I had an abortion in college? You saw it?" 2 It had been a small circle of people who knew, but the moment I appeared and spoke, every eye in the room swiveled towards us. Mrs. Rhodes instantly became flustered. Fiona, mortified, tugged at her mother's sleeve. "Mom, apologize." Mrs. Rhodes stood up. "Chloe, I'm so sorry. You know your Auntie's mouth, it just has no filter." My eyes widened, a look of utter disbelief on my face. "So, you're saying this is true then?" Mrs. Rhodes was about to say something when my parents and my fiancé also rushed over. "Chloe, what's wrong?" My mother took my arm, her voice gentle. "Whatever it is, let's talk about it calmly." "Mom, Auntie here says I messed around with men in college, got pregnant, and had an abortion." I said, my voice filled with feigned horror. "I have absolutely no memory of this! That man must have used some unspeakable means on me!" At this declaration, my mother's face instantly darkened. She turned to Mrs. Rhodes. "Mrs. Rhodes, what is the meaning of this? My daughter's wedding, and you're here spreading rumors?" Mrs. Rhodes offered a placating smile. "I misspoke. I've already apologized to Chloe." My mother turned back to me, trying to coax me. "Chloe, your Auntie Rhodes just loves to gossip. She's already apologized to you, so just let it go." My father also chimed in from behind me, "Yes, look at you! What's with this display? All our relatives and friends are here. No one will believe these baseless rumors." It wasn't just my parents; everyone began to smooth things over. Seeing that the matter was about to be brushed aside, I let tears well up in my eyes. "No, no, no! Auntie Rhodes described it so vividly, how could it be false? I have no memory of anything like this happening, so it must have been done against my will! That man is a criminal! Auntie Rhodes, please, tell me who this man is! I'm going to call the police!" Hearing me threaten to call the police, Mrs. Rhodes, who had been laughing and trying to mediate, instantly lost her smile. She quickly said, "There's no such person! Just say I made it all up, alright? Chloe, today's your wedding day. I was wrong, I shouldn't have said those things. Please, have a wonderful wedding. I'll drink this tea as a toast, as my apology to you. Just pretend I was spreading rumors, okay?" Mrs. Rhodes raised her teacup and drained it. She looked at me, "Alright now?" I stared straight at her, as if deeply displeased by her gesture. Mrs. Rhodes felt my displeasure, yet also felt that as an elder, she had given me, the junior, due respect, and I was still being relentless. So she moved to leave, claiming she had spoiled the mood and shouldn't stay. I quickly grabbed her arm. "No, Auntie, you can't just leave like that." Mrs. Rhodes looked at me, exasperated. "I've apologized. What more do you want from me? Do you want me to kneel down and kowtow twice?" I frowned. "Everyone heard what you just said. Since you claim it was a rumor, then clarify it for me. Right now, you get up on that stage and tell everyone that you were talking nonsense, that you love to gossip, and that everything you said earlier was just your imagination." At this, Mrs. Rhodes's face fell. She was already mortified enough having to apologize in front of so many people. Now I was forcing her to speak on stage. She instantly became displeased. "Chloe Bellwether, I apologized to you to save your face! Are you truly going to pretend that I wasn't telling the truth? Let bygones be bygones. I offer that advice to you." I tightened my grip on her hand. "So you're saying it's true then? In that case, tell me who this man is. Otherwise, if you're just fabricating stories, I'll sue you for defamation." Mrs. Rhodes was successfully provoked. "That man's name is Nathan Miles! You two were intimate when he was still married, you haven't forgotten that, have you?" I flinched slightly. At the same time, Fiona's face went from pale to flushed. 3 Mrs. Rhodes didn't notice her daughter's unusual reaction. She only saw my expression and immediately became smug. "Remember him now, don't you?" Before I could speak, Fiona quickly grabbed her mother's hand and pulled her towards the exit. "Mom, you're really going too far! Today is Chloe's wedding. Chloe and I are friends. How are we supposed to face each other after this?" Mrs. Rhodes huffed, "What are you afraid of? I already gave that little girl a chance. It's her own fault for blowing things up. A friend like that isn't worth having anyway." Mrs. Rhodes wouldn't know. Fiona wasn't afraid of our friendship breaking apart. She was afraid of the truth being exposed. In my last life, I had always wondered how Mrs. Rhodes could remember such vivid details about a completely unfounded event. Listening to her speak just now, coupled with Fiona's reaction, I had a bold idea. Once she uttered the man's name, I was virtually certain. Someone had indeed been a mistress in college and had had an abortion. But that person wasn't me; it was her own daughter, Fiona. I had seen Fiona getting into Nathan Miles's car multiple times outside the university. I knew they had been involved for a while, but I didn't know Nathan was married. There was also a period when Fiona was incredibly weak. I asked her what was wrong, and she said she was having her period. At the time, I didn't understand how a period could cause such pain. Seeing the two of them about to walk out of the hall, I blocked Mrs. Rhodes again. "You can't leave. You need to testify for me." I insisted that I had no memory of this incident and no recollection of ever interacting with Nathan. Since she remembered it so clearly, she should go to the police station and tell them the whole story. If she refused, it meant she was fabricating the story. Mrs. Rhodes, however, thought I was deliberately playing dumb, trying to cover it up. She stopped moving and instead yelled at me, "Even if you don't believe it, it's true! I'm telling you, Nathan Miles is getting engaged here today! I'll call him right now. Things won't end well then!" I bristled. "Go on, call him over for a confrontation if you dare!" Mrs. Rhodes, spurred on, directly flung Fiona's hand away, pulled out her phone, and made a call. Nathan Miles was indeed getting engaged right here. Within minutes, Nathan's mother arrived. The moment she stepped in, Mrs. Rhodes grabbed her hand. "Your son, during his first marriage, did he get a college girl pregnant? Look, is it this girl?" I had expected Nathan's mother to deny it in such a public setting. After all, it wasn't exactly a proud moment. But to my surprise, she said quite proudly, "Oh, that was years ago! Who remembers those things? But yes, there was a young girl who kept chasing my Nathan around." After speaking, she finally realized the setting, covering her mouth and chuckling. "Why did you call me here to talk about this?" Mrs. Rhodes beamed at me. "Chloe Bellwether, you heard that, didn't you? Let's just leave it at that. It's your wedding today, so I'm giving you some face. I won't spill all the details of your past." With that, the two of them nonchalantly began discussing Nathan's second fiancée, saying she was the daughter of Nathan's boss, and that he was highly regarded. I spoke up, "This auntie only said there was 'a young girl.' Is this young girl me?" Everyone in the hall stretched their necks, craning to see us. The emcee urged several times that the auspicious time was about to begin. My parents, feeling utterly humiliated, came over and pulled me. "Chloe, what kind of occasion is this? You're causing such a scene! Can't you just sort this out after the wedding?" I shook my head vigorously. "I want to resolve this now! Otherwise, my reputation will be ruined!" My father, seething with anger, swore, "She's already giving you face! Didn't you hear her? Don't press the issue! Do you even want to get married?" I looked up and saw my future husband and mother-in-law's faces were as black as soot. The disgust in their eyes was overflowing. My mother-in-law said scornfully, "This is the 'good' daughter-in-law you picked for me? I said she was a slutty fox from the start, but you wouldn't believe me." My fiancé walked over, his tone deeply displeased. "Chloe, are these things true? If they are, then I'm afraid this wedding can't go forward." My mother-in-law added from behind him, "How utterly shameful. Doing so many filthy things, and then making such a huge scene about it." Listening to their words, I felt even more wronged. My parents were only concerned with their own reputation, wanting to get the wedding over with. My fiancé thought my actions were humiliating. Yet, he and I had met in our freshman year of college, spending every day together for years. He knew better than anyone whether I had been pregnant. But in the end, he still believed those people. The three of them, who were supposed to be the closest to me, chose not to defend me when I was slandered. They wanted me to just endure it. Even though I had experienced all this in my previous life, my heart still ached uncontrollably. No one was standing up for me. So I would stand up for myself. I declared, "Even if I don't get married, I will get to the bottom of this." "Fine," Mrs. Rhodes chuckled. "It's not like we're the ones being humiliated." My mother quickly moved over, slipping a red envelope into Mrs. Rhodes's hand. "Sister Rhodes, please be kind. Don't quarrel with a child." Mrs. Rhodes snorted coldly. "Out of consideration for our past friendship, I'll let you off the hook. Everyone, just assume I was joking earlier, okay?" With that, the three of them began to walk out. I tried desperately to stop them. "You can't leave!" But my parents held me in a death grip. Just as I couldn't break free, two police officers entered the door, blocking Mrs. Rhodes and her companions. "Hello, we received a report that someone was assaulted while unconscious. Could the victim please identify themselves?"
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