CHAPTER 3: THE VIDEO

The principal's office felt unusually crowded.

Connor sat silently.

Marco stood beside his sister.

Neither spoke.

Then the office door opened.

Connor's father entered.

A respected attorney.

Moments later, Elena and Marco's mother arrived.

She glanced at her children.

Then froze when she saw the mark on Elena's face.

"What happened?"

Nobody answered immediately.

Instead, the principal quietly played the hallway security footage.

The room fell silent.

Connor's father watched everything.

The slap.

Marco stepping forward.

Connor's expression changing.

The apology.

When the video ended, nobody spoke.

Finally, Connor's father turned toward his son.

"Did you do this?"

Connor lowered his head.

"...Yes."

His father closed his eyes.

Embarrassment spread across his face.

Not because the video existed.

Because his son had become the kind of person he had raised him never to be.

Then the principal revealed another surprise.

"The video has already reached over two hundred thousand views."

Connor's heart sank.

Everything was changing faster than he imagined.