I had always been the "nice girl" in every group. Ever since school, people liked me because I was easygoing and always willing to help.

If someone had a problem, they came to me.

But I was never that close to Rosie. We only started hanging out after we graduated and ended up working in the same city.

I'd had dinner with her and Carlos maybe twice before that night she showed up at my place, crying her eyes out.

Honestly, I was surprised to see her. But in my last life, the moment I saw her tears, I believed her story.

She'd said she was just in a bad mood, so she'd gone to the bar with some friends and had too much to drink.

But she blacked out and woke up next to some guy. By the time she came to, it was too late.

She didn't come home all night, and Carlos had called her a million times.

Now, her family and friends were all asking where she'd been.

To make things worse, she'd found a video of herself on social media

It showed she was drunk and grinding on a stranger.

Those hanging out with her denied everything, claiming she'd left the bar halfway through.

She didn't know what to say to Carlos or face everything.

So, she came to me, begging for help.

Rosie was a well-known marriage counselor.

She had over a million followers on various social media platforms.

If Carlos found out, her career and her marriage would be over.

I'd listened to her story and agreed to cover up for her.

I had been truly worried about her.

She'd clung to me, desperate.

She said, "I know I messed up, but I love Carlos so much. I can't lose him.

"This was a mistake. If anyone finds out, I'll lose all my clients. They'll think I'm a fraud."

She was so convincing, even swore up and down it was a one-time thing.

I thought it was just a mistake, and I didn't want to see her life ruined over one bad decision.

So, I agreed to cover for her.

I said, "Rosie, listen. I'll help you this time, but this is it. If anything happens again, you're on your own.

"And as a marriage counselor, you should know better. Don't do something like this again."

She nodded furiously, thanking me over and over.

She promised she would live well with Carlos and would not do stupid things again.

And just like that, I picked up the phone when Carlos called.

I told a lie about how Rosie had been with me the whole night at the bar.

Before leaving, Rosie hugged me and called me the best woman in the world.

She said, "Ella, this will be our little secret. Please, don't tell anyone."

I didn't want to get involved in anyone else's marriage, but I nodded, trying to be a good friend.

I thought that would be the end of it.

But the very next morning, I woke up to my phone ringing off the hook.

I'd missed at least ten calls.

When I finally answered, the angry voice of a man came through.

He yelled, "Ella. Is this how you treat your friend?

"Rosie's about to jump off a building because of you. You'd better get here now."

Rosie's wild night out at the bar quickly made its way to the top of the trending list.

She was a marriage counselor who preached fidelity and reconciliation.

Her raucous behavior behind the scenes instantly drew a flood of ridicule in the comments on her social media accounts.

Standing on the rooftop of her apartment building, Rosie recorded a video to set the record straight.

She stated, "I'm Rosie Lloyd. I was drunk because my friend spiked my drink. But since none of you believe me, I might as well die."

By including hashtags about suicide and current trends, Rosie's video spread like wildfire.

Soon, crowds gathered outside her building, drawn by morbid curiosity.

Her husband and parents sobbed uncontrollably downstairs, and the firefighters arrived, setting up safety measures.

From the rooftop, Rosie screamed, her voice cracking in desperation.

She said, "What do those videos prove? I was set up. They got me drunk on purpose.

"Why are you doing this to me? I don't want to leave Carlos. Are you all trying to push me to my death?"

Without another word, she jumped, landing right on the air cushion the firefighters had prepared.

Then she was rushed to the hospital.

Almost simultaneously, the tone of the comments on her social media flipped.

[Jumped off a building to protect her marriage. What dedication!]

[Marriage counselor saves her marriage with a heroic leap.]

[Her toxic friend is the real villain here.]

As trolls flooded the internet with similar messages, the video of Rosie jumping became viral.

Content creators seized the moment, cutting and remixing the footage. They tried to dig me out.

Eventually, Carlos identified me as the "toxic friend".

Then I found myself the target of an online witch hunt.

[Ella knew Rosie couldn't handle her alcohol and still dragged her to the bar. Ella got her drunk just to ruin her marriage. What a snake!]

[She's just jealous because she's single. That kind of person deserves the worst.]

When Rosie woke up in the hospital, her first words were not to blame me.

She said, "Ella didn't mean it, I'm sure. Please, everyone, let this go."

She said it with such grace and magnanimity that she fainted again right after.

Carlos recorded the scene and posted it online.

This sparked a new wave of outrage at me. People praised Rosie's kind nature, while the internet tore me apart.

Even my boyfriend posted a video announcing he was done with me.

He even joined Carlos to confront me.

Soon after, I was fired from my job when my boss saw the news.

Carlos led a mob that gathered outside my door, demanding I pay for what I'd done.

No one believed me, no matter how much I explained.

Desperate, I called Rosie and begged her to tell the truth.

But Rosie sounded frail and confused.

She asked, "Are you mistaken? When did I ever ask you to help me lie to Carlos?"

"I was at Ella's place that night, but she kept telling me it wasn't a big deal, that society is more open nowadays," Rosie said.

Her voice carried uncertainty.

She added, "Ella, weren't you the one who dragged me to the bar? You're the one who insisted on inviting those men to join us, right?

"Why did you set me up like that? I was worried that Carlos would cause you trouble. How could you still lie like this?

"When I was on that rooftop, I thought my life was over. But even then, I didn't blame you. We're best friends, aren't we?"

Rosie started sobbing, her voice trembling as if she were deeply hurt.

She continued, "I can't believe you would stab me in the back like this. If I've done something wrong, why didn't you just tell me? Why would you do this?

"Forget it. I don't want to talk to you anymore. Having a friend like you is unbearable."

With that, Rosie hung up.

It was masterful.

In just a few words, she made herself the innocent victim, expertly manipulating the situation.

My boyfriend, who had learned about it, turned on me instantly.

He was furious and slapped me across the face.

He yanked the engagement ring from my finger and flung it across the room.

He yelled, "You're disgusting, Ella. We're done."

He kicked me to the ground and, without hesitation, began packing his things.

As I struggled to breathe, my phone rang again. It was my boss.

He said, "Ella, your actions have brought disgrace to the company. After careful consideration, we've decided to terminate your employment. Come by tomorrow to finalize the paperwork."

Carlos was equally mad.

He began rallying others to beat me, shouting through a megaphone for the entire complex to hear.

He said, "Watch out for your so-called friends. This witch was hell-bent on destroying our family.

"Fake friends like her don't hesitate to stab you in the back."

They trashed my apartment, smashing everything in sight.

They even threatened to throw me off the balcony to make me feel what Rosie had felt.

Cornered on the balcony, I got a video call from my parents.

Rosie's parents had sent people to my hometown, where they had my parents shoved into a well.

As I watched, they fell.

The shock made me faint.

My boyfriend woke me up by dousing me in cold water.

He smashed all the gifts he had ever given me.

I stared at the wreckage of my life. The screams of my parents echoed in my mind.

As I stood at the edge of the balcony, Carlos pushed me.

No crowd gathered to witness my fall, and no firefighters came to save me. I hit the ground hard, becoming nothing more than a broken corpse.

From the afterlife, I watched Rosie rush to the scene.

The moment she saw my body, she pretended to faint in horror.

But I saw the wicked smirk on her face.

After my death, my boyfriend and the others testified that I had committed suicide out of guilt.

Even my parents' deaths were written off as them being ashamed of having raised a daughter like me.

Former classmates came to mourn me.

But angry netizens drove them away, destroying the flowers they left at my grave.

Netizens stood at my grave with red paint, wantonly scrawling graffiti. Countless vulgarities and insults echoed back and forth there daily.

After she was discharged from the hospital, Rosie showed up at my funeral.

Behind her were a dozen cameras recording. I became her best tool for driving up her viewership.

She said, "Even though Ella tried to destroy my marriage, I forgive her. She must have been in a bad place to do what she did."

The video went viral, boosting Rosie's image as a saint.

[That 'toxic friend' sure was lucky to have Rosie as a friend.]

[People these days are fickle. Rosie almost lost everything because of that snake.]

My spirit followed Rosie as she celebrated with her lover.

She bragged about how well everything had gone.

She sneered, "I only meant for her to be a shield, but she couldn't handle the pressure and jumped. Hilarious."

In the end, Rosie's affair was buried, and I became the scapegoat.

She rode the wave of attention to the top, becoming an internet sensation.

And she doled out advice on how to save marriages.