35 The Ugly

Videos and pictures were shared, and the truth about what happened got twisted. A lot of netizens made a feast out of it that there were probably dozens of different versions. Especially because the Leos' and the Sus were very well-known in Mayne. Among the versions, there were a few that had the most number of shares or reposts: The girlfriend cheats on her boyfriend on his birthday in front of him, The boyfriend caught his girlfriend making out with his best friend, Son of General Leos—Sgt Evan Leos charged for domestic violence.

Most of them were clickbaits, taking advantage of a portion of the video where Evan brazenly accused Angela of cheating on him. Although a lot of people knew the truth and even tried to defend her, the ugly side of social media was just too big of an opponent. It brought bullying to a whole new level that a large number of people victim shamed her.

Social media isn't really the problem—it's how the people use it.

And because of this, Angela did not only suffer from the violence that night; she also suffered from the violence of words from the strangers behind their devices that attacked her and her friend, Paul.

She had trusted Evan and even liked him. She thought she was falling for him—until he began to show the real person behind his mask. They used to see each other back then for only once or twice whenever he comes home. It was only now that they got to spend more time together. However, it wasn't until a few days ago that he started being irritable and overly possessive.

Angela thought that his behavior was because his departure date was nearing—since he had been talking about his leave quite frequently. She found out that Evan had been peevish because of the pressure at home concerning his next training. His father expected so much of him and they even got into an argument. Knowing this, she was understanding towards his behavior.

She wished that she saw the signs early on regarding his drug abuse. However, the joke was on her because there was none until it was late.

According to what her best friend Nina had gathered, Evan had only started taking illegal substances the day before. They hadn't seen each other that day because he told her that he was busy preparing for his leave. Who would have known?

...

The whole incident blew up which involved the authorities, and the gossip mongers of Mayne City, Esmea were on the lookout for further happenings. Angela's father fought with his friend, General Leos, as he wanted Evan to be put in jail for what happened.

The military is pretty much its own entity and since Evan was a marine, he was confined under a set of rules and principles. Without getting the Feds involved, he was sent to a military prison called the brig—where he served for the felony that he committed, in conjunction with a treatment program for his substance abuse, and his rank reduced from a Sergeant to a Corporal.

...

Angela Su went to therapy sessions for a few months. She bounced back to her normal later on. She was well aware of the fact that what happened to her was horrible. However, she didn't want to keep living like she was always afraid.

She believed that there wasn't only black and white. In this fûcked up world, there was grey.

Which was why she chose to move on. She decided to dream again. Her happy bubble wasn't or probably wouldn't be permanent—as from time to time when she would be reminded of what happened, the vivid memories of that night would resurface.

Three years later when Angela had mostly forgotten about the incident, Evan Leos was back again in Mayne City.

It was then that her brother decided to bring her with him to Hillberry Isle to attend the Chos' wedding—to keep her away from trouble.

And it was when she first saw and met a man who is the epitome of grey—and his name is Gael.