Four days after the rooftop fiasco , I woke up in a hospital bed . Margaret sat beside me , recounting everything . Milton was blindly defending Cheryl , even blocking his parents when they opposed him . The suspension didn't faze him , and he even hired top - tier lawyers for her . " We failed you , " she whispered , her voice breaking . " I swear , even if it kills me , I'll get you justice . " She looked 20 years older , her eyes hollow . Richard Woodard sat nearby , his hair turning gray overnight . But I felt oddly calm . My past life's horrors had left me terrified of motherhood . Losing my ability to bear children now might be a grim blessing in disguise . I rasped weakly , " Thank you , Margaret . " The change in my appellation distressed her . For the past 20 years , I had always called her Mom . She understood then that things between Milton and me could never go back to what they once were . On the day I was discharged , they handed a thick stack of evidence to the police , formally suing Cheryl . Milton was a minor online celebrity with a million followers from his " hot doctor " persona . He preemptively smeared me online . While I lay comatose , he painted me as a jealous shrew obsessed with sabotaging his innocent first love , sparking a viral hate campaign branding me a manipulative villain . By trial day , the courtroom was packed . Margaret wheeled me in , my body frail in the chair . Milton's gaze met mine , his lips tight . Margaret had told me he swallowed Cheryl's lies whole , convinced she'd acted in self - defense . 1/3 Chopter 15 +25 Bonus He had texted me before the trial . [ My parents are senile , falling for your act . I talked to everyone there . You slapped Cheryl first , and she pushed you . You tripped over a bottle . It was not her fault . " I'd replied . [ Get help . ] He blocked me in a rage . In court , Cheryl played her part to perfection - quivering and tearful on the defendant's stand . Her act earned sympathetic murmurs from the crowd . Milton submitted witness statements backing her innocence and leveraged his online clout , with a million - plus votes in a poll declaring Cheryl guiltless . Certain of victory , they strutted with confidence . Margaret and Richard , stone - faced , ignored their son and passed a USB drive to our lawyer . When the video played , Cheryl's face drained of color . The screen showed her stomping on my abdomen , blood pooling as I lay helpless . Milton froze . The audience and the internet exploded in shock . Cheryl screamed , " It's fake ! " Then a plain - dressed young woman took the witness stand . It was one of Cheryl's hired thugs from that night . She hadn't touched me , instead recording the assault . " I stand by the video's authenticity , " she declared , her eyes burning with hatred toward Cheryl . To Margaret , she'd confessed , " Cheryl bullied my friend until she jumped off a building . " Richard and Margaret had mobilized their connections , uncovering the truth about Cheryl's parents , swept away in a flood . Cheryl , resentful of their demand for an apology to the bullied classmate , had drugged them with sleeping pills and left them to drown . That classmate , driven to mental collapse by Cheryl's torment , was the witness's best friend . Cheryl was dumbfounded , her façade torn apart . Beyond bullying , she was vain and greedy , squandering Milton's money on lavish sprees , bribing classmates to do her bidding , and even luring them to underground casinos for 2/3 Chapter 6 +25 Bonus kickbacks . Once they fell into the addiction and lost money , she would take a 10 % cut . That was why , on the day she bullied me , she had so many " friends " around her . They were all students she had controlled with the threat of exposing their gambling habits . When this came to light , the entire internet erupted . That underground casino was shut down immediately . Allegedly , the casino owner offered a million on the dark web for Cheryl's hands . Then came the final blow . Evidence showed Cheryl was a compulsive gambler with millions in debt . She had been stringing along seven wealthy , attached men in explicit affairs . Graphic photos flashed across the screen , sealing her ruin . She collapsed in her chair , a broken doll . Milton glared at her , his teeth grinding . " You lying bitch ! " Support