Seeing how warmly they welcomed me, the tension that had been gripping my nerves finally loosened. Tears slipped down before I could stop them.

Yeah. No matter how the outside world treated me, my family would always stand by my side. That was what I believed.

At dinner, Mom made a whole table full of my favorite dishes. Meatloaf, grilled salmon, fresh greens. All the flavors I grew up with.

The atmosphere around the table felt warm and easy. The town mayor, Bruce Hoffman, was there too, sitting beside my father, chatting casually. Every there and then, he would turn to me and ask about my work in the city.

Then Mom suddenly set down her utensils and asked carefully, "Eric… did something happen while you were out there? People in town have been talking. They said… they said you got into trouble in the city."

I was about to explain. However, then I remembered what happened the last two times I told the truth.

I did not dare try again. So I quickly changed the subject. "Mom, I'm just on vacation. Nothing happened. Don't worry about it."

I felt a quiet sense of relief, knowing my parents did not use smartphones and had no way of seeing any of it online.

Just then, my younger brother walked in, holding his phone, looking angry.

"Bro, how can those people online say things like that about you? It's disgusting!"

My heart dropped. Cold sweat broke out across my back as I scrambled to grab his phone.

However, I was too late. Dad, Mom, and Bruce had already gathered around, staring at the screen.

A wave of dread crashed over me. Then, just like that, everything shattered.

My father suddenly flipped the entire table over.

"You bastard!" he roared. "How did I end up raising someone like you!"

My mother's face went stiff. She grabbed a rolling pin from the corner and walked straight toward me.

"Do you even know what you've done?" Her voice was tight. "You're going to drag this whole family down with you. Our reputation will be ruined because of you."

I froze, instinctively stepping back.

"Mom, why are you hitting me? I didn't do anything wrong!"

"Didn't do anything wrong?" My brother stood off to the side, his expression turning vicious, like he was a completely different person.

"Bro, you're so selfish! How could you post something like that? Do you have any idea what people in town will say about our family?"

"What did I post? It was just 'OK'!" I finally snapped, shouting at them. "Why are all of you treating me like this? I'm your family!"

Bruce let out a long sigh, his face full of regret. He slowly stood up and looked at me, his tone heavy.

"Eric, our town has always been peaceful. We've never had someone like you.

"What you've ruined isn't just yourself. You've ruined your family's name. You've dragged the whole town down with you."

He paused, then his voice turned icy. "The only solution now is for you to pay the price. Only then will things settle down."

"Pay the price?" I could hardly believe what I was hearing. "Have you lost your mind? All this over an 'OK'?"

"Someone like you…" his voice suddenly rose, "will only bring more trouble if you stay!"

The moment he finished speaking, several strong men from the town rushed in. They grabbed me and dragged me outside like I was nothing.

The rough ground scraped against my body, sharp stones tearing at my skin, a burning pain shooting through me as blood streaked across the ground behind me.

I struggled desperately, my vision blurred with tears.

"Dad! Mom! Help me! I didn't do anything wrong! Please believe me!"

No one answered.

My father stood with his back to me, his shoulders trembling slightly, but he never turned around.

My mother covered her face, crying so hard she could barely stand.

My brother just stared at me calmly, like I was a stranger.

They dragged me all the way to the lake.

The next second, several hands forced down on my shoulders and shoved me into the freezing water. The cold hit like a shock, swallowing my whole body.

I threw my head back, struggling for air, but they pushed me down again. Water rushed into my nose. The suffocating pressure clawed at my mind like a beast.

Just as my vision started to fade to black, I suddenly remembered something. Something I had ignored all along.