I rushed back from another city to attend Theo, my nephew's parent-teacher meeting, only to be mistaken as a gigolo by my future brother-in-law. Without any warning, he and his gang smashed the classroom furniture, loudly insisting I would pay the price. The moment I stepped in, he struck me with a stick, knocking me to the ground.

"You manwhore, who do you think you are, messing with my girl and trying to get close to Theo? If I don’t put you in your place today, I might as well have wasted my life!” Derek yelled. “After I’m finished with you, you’ll be stuck in bed for good! Let’s see you mooch off rich women then!”

In front of all the other parents, he slammed a mop handle down on me. I clutched my head and fled like a stray dog while his laughter grew increasingly loud. Just before things spiraled further, my sister finally arrived in the classroom.

——

To rewind a little, I had sped to the school after getting a call from Theo's teacher, who said someone claiming to be the boy's biological father was causing trouble. My real brother-in-law, Jared, had been dead for five years, and the more I thought about it, the more anxious I became. I had called my sister multiple times, but none of my calls went through.

At this point, I reasoned that my sister had barely paid attention to Theo's school affairs in recent years, probably not even knowing where his classroom was. So, I went up by myself, phone in hand, ready to call the police if necessary. However, before I could reach the classroom, the loud commotion inside shook the building.

"Don’t blame me for holding up the meeting. This manwhore right here almost got away with it!"

“He’s been blowing up Harper's phone with hotel bookings and credit card bills—he’s already drained her savings! And now he thinks he can just show up here, at my kid’s school? Yeah, not happening.”

“Any real man would be pissed! How can I let this slide? I’m a fitness influencer! I’ve got a reputation to protect. I'll make him pay!”

Upon hearing that, I rushed to the classroom. When I reached the door, the parents inside were riled up and agreed with everything he said.

"Go ahead, man! We didn’t see a thing! Who cares if the meeting gets delayed? That man deserves to get what’s coming!"

"I hate homewreckers like him, always looking for a free ride. He’s got no shame!"

Fueled by their support, Derek rolled up his sleeves, encouraged by the crowd’s approval.

“Thanks for the backup! Mind if I stream this? Let the whole world see what happens to leeches like him!”

The more I listened, the worse I felt. Standing at the door, I stretched to look inside—and locked eyes with someone I recognized.

To my shock, it was Derek, my sister’s fiancé.

I hadn’t been home in years after getting kicked out for refusing to get married, so the only time I’d seen Derek was in photos my sister posted online. Back then, she had once told me he was a fitness influencer and had even offered to have him give me some tips. But she said we’d wait until after their wedding, and I never heard about it again.

Now, looking at his angry, red face, I quickly pulled out my phone and called my sister.

No answer.

I sent her a text instead.

“Hey, Harper, did something happen between you and Derek? He’s here at school freaking out!”

“You’ve been so busy with work. You should really explain this to him before things get out of hand! Mom and Dad are already mad at me. If anything happens with your wedding, it’s gonna be a disaster!”

Just as I hit send, I saw a pair of spotless sneakers stop before me. Before I could react, someone grabbed my hair and yanked me into the classroom. A swift kick to my back sent me crashing to the floor.

As I hit the ground, my phone nearly flew out of my hand and into my mouth.

Derek shouted, "Everyone, take a good look. This is the fucking manwhore I’ve been talking about!"

“He was standing outside, too scared to come in after hearing me!” Derek jeered. “How pathetic—won’t even admit what he did. If I were him, I’d be hiding my face in shame!”

He then rammed his phone camera into my face, smashing it against my mouth.

Derek’s strength wasn’t just for show—he really knew how to hit. My lips swelled instantly, but no one in the room spoke out for me. Instead, they pointed and cursed at me. I could feel the blood trickling down my chin as Derek continued to humiliate me in front of everyone. The pain in my mouth was nothing compared to the shame and humiliation I felt at that moment.

Determined not to crumble, I pulled myself up, forcing myself to regain some sense of composure.

Lifting my head to Derek, I explained, “Listen, you’ve got this all wrong. I’m not some prostitute, I—”

But before I could finish, he swung his gym bag into my face with all his strength. Blood poured from my nose, and my phone hit the floor, the screen cracking on impact.

He grabbed it and snapped at me. "What? You’re still denying it? This is the phone my fiancée bought for you! I’ve got the receipts to prove it. Get ready for a lawsuit!"

I wanted to clarify that Harper gave me the phone as a birthday present last year, intended as a peace offering to help me reconcile with our parents. But before I could say anything, the taste of blood filled my mouth. I coughed hard and put my hand on my chest.

As if taking advantage of the moment, Derek turned to the other parents and sneered. “Look at him! I barely touched the bastard, and he’s already down! Some tough guy, huh? No wonder he conned my girl out of her money! Blokes like him are the absolute worst!”

Feeling the heat of the crowd's judgment, my face turned red as blood vessels popped into my eyes. The parents' stares were as sharp as daggers.

Fighting back my frustration, I spoke up, “Are you deaf? I'm not some fucking prostitute, you moron! What makes you think that?”

After all, he was going to be my brother-in-law. I didn’t want to worsen things for my sister, so I tried to stay calm and reason with him. Maybe if he had some proof, we could talk it out. Heck, if my sister had done something wrong, I’d try to fix it. But hearing me talk only seemed to make him angrier.

Ignoring my attempts to reason, he shoved his phone camera even closer to my face. “Look at him, everyone! He still won’t admit it! Even now!”

“I swear, if I don’t make him suffer today, I’ve wasted my time coming here!” He lit a cigarette, pulled out another phone, and showed me photos of Theo and me at an amusement park.

“Now, what do you have to say for yourself?” Derek sneered. “I found these on my fiancee's phone! You really went all out trying to get close to my son, didn’t you? Let me tell you something—try it again, and I’ll bench press you!”

Completely at a loss, I furrowed my brow. Those were just pictures from my nephew’s birthday. My sister had been busy, so I took him to the amusement park instead.

But somehow, things had spiraled into this huge misunderstanding.

Seeing my silence, Derek snorted. “Got nothing to say, huh? Fine. Bro, get him! Leave the bastard conscious enough to talk!”

“Mess up his face—let’s see how he lands a sugar mama after this!”

Despite the pain, I forced myself to stand as his gym bro friends rolled up their sleeves and approached me. When I opened my mouth, the scab on my lip cracked, sending a sharp sting through my body.

“You’ve got this all wrong! I’m Theo’s uncle! Harper’s my goddamn sister!” I reasoned.

But Derek wasn’t buying it.

He shot me a look of pure disgust. “Uncle? His own mother doesn’t even know she’s got a son! I’m about to marry Harper, and I’ve never heard her mention a brother!”

He then scoffed. “What kind of ‘brother’ are you? Some fake one? You really think you can fool me? Let me knock some sense into you that you won’t forget!”

Those words left me stunned. I hadn’t realized my mom was so furious she would literally cut me off from the family.

In a panic, I turned to the other parents, pleading with them to call the police. But not one of them even looked my way. They seemed to be enjoying the show, and one person even threw a pencil at me. The pencil stuck into my scalp, snapping in half, sending a wave of pain through my head.

Derek’s expression darkened, his rage building as he prepared to hit me again.

Desperate, I shouted, “Wait! Let me call Mom, okay? I’ll put her on speaker—you can hear for yourself!”

For a brief moment, a flicker of suspicion crossed Derek’s face. He threw my phone back at me. “Fine. But if you’re messing with me, you’re dead!”

As I dialed, Derek’s friends watched me closely, ready to jump at any moment.

My heart pounded as the phone rang. Then, suddenly, the call disconnected, and I got a notification: Blocked.

Mom had cut me off. The phone slipped from my hand as despair washed over me.

Derek chuckled coldly. “Your mother-in-law probably thinks you’re some creep bothering her! Still gonna pretend you’re innocent?”

Desperation hit me hard. I suddenly thought of Theo and said quickly, “Wait, my nephew, Theo! He’ll vouch for me! I’m here to attend his parent-teacher meeting!”

But before I could finish, Derek stormed over and punched me square in the face. One of my teeth flew out, streaked with blood, and hit the floor with a sickening thud.

“Enough! I told you, don't even mention Theo's name! Stay away from him from now on!”

Among the gossip and banter of the other parents, I overheard Miss Lewis bringing the entire class to the office. She was busy looking after the children, so it made sense that she hadn’t shown up yet. At this point, no one dared to help me. My thoughts raced, but Derek wouldn’t even let me think as I trembled in pain.

With a quick glance, Derek signaled his gang to start destroying everything in the classroom. Their wild, out-of-control behavior drove the watching parents back, and the classroom quickly became a battleground.

Meanwhile, Derek panned the live stream camera around the room, capturing the broken desks and chairs and the paint peeling off the walls. In just five minutes, the once-pristine classroom was completely trashed. Red paint splattered across both blackboards, creating a chilling, chaotic scene.

Seeing the devastation, Derek laughed even more hysterically. “This bastard thought he could just waltz into my son’s parent-teacher meeting. Well, I’m making sure he won’t forget this day! I’ve been hitting the gym every day just for this!”

I couldn’t stay quiet any longer. “If you keep this up, you’ll regret it when Harper shows up!” I warned him. “Do you even realize what you’re doing? You’ll be in a lot of trouble after she finds out what you've done!”

With a mocking smile, Derek curled his lip. “Did you hear that, everyone? He's threatening me. I’m shaking in my boots! He steals my girl and now wants to act tough!”

Before I could react, he walked up to me and swung his gym bag again at my head. After several heavy hits, my head spun, and I could barely think straight. Enraged, he stormed out of the room.

Outside the classroom, parents began to gather in increasing numbers. Neighboring rooms had come to watch, and several of them were now filming the scene with their phones pointed at me. Their laughter drowned out my limp screams for help. Even picking up my phone to call the cops was too hard.

After a few attempts, I managed to prop myself up and reach for my phone. But just as I touched it, I was struck hard from behind.

Standing over me with a dirty mop, Derek's face contorted with anger. “Running away from me now, huh? Where do you think you’re going? The only one walking out of here on two feet today is me! All my time in the gym’s been for nothing if I let you off!”

He struck me so hard that I collapsed onto the floor. My gaze fell on the crowd outside the window, and the spectators were all cheering for Derek.

I was the only one being treated like a criminal.

By now, the classroom was completely wrecked, with no corner untouched. One of Derek’s friends walked over and kicked me hard in the ribs.

Already weak and battered, my body went limp. Blood and dirt were all over my suit as I struggled to get back on my feet. The pain was unbearable, but I refused to give Derek the satisfaction of seeing me defeated.

“This is too easy for him! Didn’t he want to attend the parent-teacher meeting? Let’s give him a real chance!” Derek’s friend suggested.

Right then, Derek’s eyes gleamed with cruel excitement. “Drag him to the broadcasting room and make him confess to the whole school that he’s just a gold digger living off rich women!”

Hearing this, my eyes widened as I shook my head frantically.

Without hesitation, two burly men grabbed me by the armpits and lifted me. My legs dragged on the ground as my body went limp. Struggling to keep my posture, my car keys slipped from my pocket and fell to the floor.

Derek’s eyes bulged with rage. He retrieved the keys and hurled them at my face, causing the keyring to graze my temple and leave a bloody stain.

“What a gold digger! You let Harper buy you a car? She wouldn’t even get me one! Who the hell do you think you are?!” Derek spat, glaring at the Porsche 718 Cayman with growing hatred.

Suddenly, a nosy parent said, “I swear I saw him get out of it earlier! How does a guy like that drive around here without caring if he hits kids? No shame at all!”