I sacrificed three years of my life in prison for my wife, giving up everything for her.

But when I finally stepped out of those prison gates, I never expected to be labeled as a homewrecker by her new lover. He accused me of being a kept man, and even brought a gang to my home, violently smashing everything in sight.

When I learned the truth, rage consumed me!

***

Three years ago, my wife Sophie was involved in a car accident that injured someone. To spare her from the harsh reality of prison, I took the blame and served three years behind bars.

As I stepped out of prison, I felt older and more worn than before.

Sophie was there to greet me, and she hadn't aged a day; if anything, she looked even more radiant.

Watching her manage the company with such poise and still shower me with affection made every moment in prison worthwhile.

Just as we began to enjoy our time together, I stumbled upon a live stream featuring a young, handsome man consulting a lawyer.

He was distraught, sharing that he had been living with his girlfriend for three years when suddenly a former convict entered their lives.

The man explained how this ex-con was threatening his girlfriend and even bringing a gang to intimidate her into doing things against her will.

"I'm not afraid of him," he insisted, "but I'm terrified of what he might do to her. He just got out of prison—who knows how far he'll go?"

"Lawyer, what should I do?"

The live stream chat erupted with passionate comments.

"Unbelievable! How can there be such terrible people in the world?"

"Ex-convicts are all bad news."

"Just out of prison and already ruining someone's life. No one who goes to jail is innocent!"

"Scum like that should be punished!"

"Hey dude, don't waste your time with a lawyer—go find a 'bad guy buster' group. They know how to deal with losers like him!"

The comments kept pouring in, each more fervent than the last.

Meanwhile, the lawyer in the stream remained calm. "Your situation isn't too complicated, but the most important thing is do you have any evidence to prove that your girlfriend is being coerced and not acting willingly?"

The young man hesitated, his eyes flickering as he replied, "If I had direct evidence, why would I need you?"

He continued, "That scumbag is spending my girlfriend's money and living in a fancier villa than I am! I want him to pay for this!"

"Help me out here, lawyer!" he pleaded.

"I want that jerk back in prison for ten years—no, a hundred! He should never get out again!"

As the young man grew more agitated and even began to ramble, the lawyer frowned. "If what you're saying is true, then you should have some evidence. Just find your girlfriend and have her report it directly; that will solve everything. Is she being forced or is she choosing to be with him?"

The young man, clearly frustrated by the question, snapped back, "You're just a useless lawyer! If you don't want to help, then forget it!"

With that, he cursed and left the live stream.

The lawyer was left baffled but quickly brushed it off.

After all, he had encountered all sorts of people in his career.

I recognized the young man from the live stream and decided to call the HR department for more information.

His name was Ethan, Sophie's assistant at the company.

Given his heartfelt plea for help during the broadcast, I felt a sense of sympathy for him as a fellow man.

I called Sophie and said, "Honey, about that assistant of yours named Ethan..."

Before I could finish, Sophie interjected, "I've already fired him!"

"What?"

I was taken aback but didn't dwell on it. "Ethan seems to be in some trouble; he looked pretty pitiful."

"If it's not something too serious, we could just transfer him to another position instead of firing him," I suggested.

"He's been your assistant for quite a while. If he's facing difficulties, maybe you could lend him a hand."

After hanging up, I didn't think much more about it as I continued to work remotely from home.

Later that afternoon, I remembered the live stream and felt a surge of curiosity.

I clicked into the "Bad Guy Busters" live stream.

"Hey everyone! We're currently at the apartment complex where that scumbag ex-con lives!" one of the hosts announced.

"Please hit that little red star! If we reach 100,000 likes, the Bad Guy Busters will storm in and take action against this jerk!"

I was surprised to see that they were broadcasting from my own neighborhood.

This area had luxury villas worth millions; why would someone so wealthy resort to stealing someone else's girlfriend?

Curious about who this despicable person might be, I tapped the red star to show my support.

The Bad Guy Busters featured several attractive female hosts and two strong bodyguards. Their viewer count quickly soared past five million and was climbing toward ten million.

With such an audience, the hosts became even more animated. "Our mission is to deal with all scumbags!" one exclaimed.

"Usually, we focus on helping women, but today we have a special guest—a guy named Ethan. Regardless of gender, we're here to seek justice!"

Just as I was getting absorbed in the live stream, there was a loud knock at my door.

I opened it to find a group of people rushing in with various streaming equipment.

"Look everyone! This is the scumbag ex-con!" one shouted.

"How can an ex-con afford such a nice villa? He must be the one harassing Ethan's girlfriend!" another added.

"Exactly! He must have used threats—this is unacceptable! We're here to deliver justice today!"

Cameras pointed at me from all angles as insults flew around me.

I took a closer look at this group—they were indeed the Bad Guy Busters from the live stream.

What on earth were they doing here?

I was just here to watch the drama unfold, but now it's all happening to me!

I was stunned for a few seconds, then turned to the group and explained, "Everyone, I was watching your live stream too. I think you've got the wrong person!"

"We're looking for you!"

Before I could ask what they meant, a loud voice cut through the chaos.

It was Ethan from the live stream.

He stormed up to me, fury etched on his face, and slapped me hard. "You damn ex-con! Living off my girlfriend's money while enjoying this nice villa—you have no shame!"

I was taken aback by Ethan's sudden aggression.

Just that morning, I had thought about helping him.

Now, he was accusing me?

I had just gotten out of prison; how could I possibly be stealing his girlfriend?

The group of streamers rallied behind Ethan, shouting, "Look at this scumbag trying to deny it in front of the victim!"

"This kind of trash deserves to go to hell!"

"We must punish this scoundrel today!"

"Ugh! What a pathetic excuse for a man!"

The hosts were putting on a show for views, and some even spat in my direction.

I ignored their antics and focused on Ethan. "Ethan, please calm down. You're really mistaking me for someone else!"

"Shut up! You're just trying to cover up your shameful actions!" Ethan yelled back.

Seeing that he was losing control, I narrowed my eyes. "You really have the wrong person. Yes, I just got out of prison, but I'm not who you think I am!"

"Still trying to play innocent?" Ethan pulled out his phone and showed me something that made my heart sink.

It was a chat log between Sophie and me.

She had saved my contact as "Prison Guy."

Our messages were filled with playful banter about our relationship during my time in jail—Sophie teasing me about how much she missed me and how her love for me never wavered.

I had thought it was all in good fun—just a couple sharing intimate jokes—but seeing it now made my stomach churn.

How could this evidence end up in Ethan's hands?

Taking a deep breath, I realized that Ethan's girlfriend was Sophie.

He had pieced everything together from those messages and assumed I was the villain ruining their relationship.

How ridiculous!

I had sacrificed three years of my life for Sophie, believing we were deeply in love.

And now, it seemed her sweet words were nothing but lies!

The moment I went to prison, she had moved on with Ethan.

Now that I was free, I had become the villain in their story—the one everyone wanted to vilify.

The betrayal I received in return for my sacrifices was infuriating; it made my blood boil instantly.

Fury bubbled inside me as I glared at Ethan. "You need to talk to Sophie and find out the truth before coming after me!"

"You finally admit it! You're nothing but a despicable ex-con!" Ethan shouted in rage as he kicked at me.

I wasn't going to stand there and take it; I grabbed his foot and shoved him down to the ground.

But before I could do anything else, the streamers erupted into chaos. "See? He's violent! Look how skilled he is at fighting—he must have done this before!"

"He's admitting it by his actions!"

"Ex-cons are nothing but societal leeches—worse than any cheating scumbag!"

"Why are you still standing there? Someone subdues him!" they yelled as two hired musclemen rushed forward to pin me down.

"Let me go! I advise you to leave immediately and figure out the truth! Otherwise, I'll call the police!"

I was pinned to the floor by two burly men, struggling in vain as they held me down.

"Call the police?" Ethan sneered at my futile attempts. "You scumbag! You think you can bully and intimidate people? If anyone should be calling the cops, it's me—not you!"

The betrayal from my wife and the madness of this homewrecker fueled my rage to a boiling point. I glared at Ethan and warned, "This is your last chance. Get out now, or you'll pay for this!"

"Ha!" Ethan spat at me. "You're just a worthless ex-con! You're the one who's been threatening my girlfriend!"

He then scanned my home, his eyes filled with jealousy.

"Damn it! Everything here was bought with money from my girlfriend! How could a freshly released ex-con afford all this? You don't deserve any of it!"

As his anger escalated, he picked up a stick and swung it at an antique vase.

Crash!

The vase shattered into pieces.

That vase was a priceless heirloom from my father, worth seven million!

"Don't break that! You can't afford to replace anything in here!" I shouted at Ethan, horrified.

"Pfft! Everything here belongs to my girlfriend. Even if it's expensive, it's all hers—not yours!"

Ethan turned to the streamers and shouted, "Everyone, join me in smashing this place up! This ex-con doesn't deserve to live like this!"

The streamers went wild for the sake of their broadcast.

"Exactly! Scum like him should go to hell; he doesn't deserve this kind of life!"

"He got everything through illegal means—smash it all!"

"Viewers, hit that red star and shower us with gifts! Let's show you the power of the Bad Guy Busters today!"

The live stream went into a frenzy as their viewer count soared past ten million, and gifts flooded in, making the hosts beam with excitement.

They became increasingly reckless, each wielding a stick as they smashed things around my house.

But they were just girls; their strength was limited.

For showmanship, they had the two musclemen hold me down while they encouraged them to do the breaking. "Viewers, see? This is what happens to bad people!"

"We're going to destroy everything here!"

"This scumbag doesn't deserve this life!"

The audience grew more agitated as gifts poured in even faster.

Watching these streamers sink to such depths for views made me feel sick.

I didn't want to reason with them anymore; I pulled out my phone to call the police.

But one of the hosts noticed my move.

She snatched my phone and smashed it on the ground. "Scum like you think you can call your buddies for help? Not today!"

"That's right! No matter what connections you have, we're taking you down today! We have millions of viewers backing us—we're not afraid of you!"

The live chat exploded with comments.

"The hosts are fierce!"

"I'm impressed they're taking on an ex-con!"

"It feels so satisfying watching this; I hate ex-cons!"

"Exactly! There are no good people who've been in prison!"

"Smash it good! I'm finally donating today!"