The Scapegoat

Before Katie could finish her sentence, Selina had already flipped open the design portfolio—and everyone's expression changed instantly.

 

Katie's words caught in her throat.

 

Every single design was defaced with black ink, covered in vulgar slurs like "whore" and "bitch," scrawled aggressively in red marker.

 

The handwriting was twisted and ferocious, oozing hatred toward the portfolio's original owner.

 

A suffocating silence fell over the entire living room.

 

Selina slowly raised her head, her sharp, icy gaze locking onto Katie's terrified eyes. She spoke each word with deliberate, venomous clarity:

 

"Katie, you've got a death wish."

 

Her eyes were so piercing, so devoid of warmth, that Katie's knees buckled. She collapsed to the floor with a thud, stammering, "I-It wasn't me!"