They Wrapped Me Like A Mummy To Make Her Smile Chapter 03

They Wrapped Me Like A Mummy To Make Her Smile Chapter 03

When I got home, I went straight to the bathroom.

The second I took off my clothes, I saw the bruises and the angry red marks covering my body.

It was hard to look at.

I turned the shower all the way to hot and stood under it, letting the water pound against my skin again and again.

I wanted to wash it all off.

The humiliation.

Every trace Ryan had left on me.

But nothing came off.

The laughter still echoed in my ears.

The stares still crawled over my skin.

And his casual, weightless words—”Relax. It was just a joke.”

They looped in my head like a curse.

The hot water hit the raw spots and I started trembling from the pain.

But the pain was good.

It kept me awake.

It reminded me this wasn’t a nightmare.

This was real.

Ryan really had used me as a prop just to impress Chloe.

A knock came from outside.

“Emma? Why are you in there so long?” Mom called. “Water’s expensive. Don’t waste it.”

“I’m coming,” I said, turning off the faucet.

My voice sounded hoarse. Not like mine at all.

She probably had somewhere to be and didn’t notice anything was wrong.

That was fine.

I didn’t want to explain.

How would I even explain it?

Tell her the person I trusted most turned on me?

Tell her I’d been displayed like some kind of joke at school?

No.

I couldn’t say it out loud.

In the mirror, I looked like a mess.

Pale. Lips drained of color.

The marks on my wrists stood out the most—dark, swollen, impossible to ignore.

I grabbed some antiseptic and dabbed it on carefully.

It burned.

A sharp, stabbing kind of pain.

But it was nothing compared to the ache in my chest.

I’d known Ryan almost my entire life.

Our families lived in the same neighborhood. Our parents were close friends.

Our moms shopped together. Our dads had drinks together.

We’d been in the same class since kindergarten.

On his first day of school, he cried so hard he couldn’t breathe. I gave him a lollipop.

After that, he followed me everywhere.

“Emma, wait up!”

“Emma, this is for you!”

“Emma, we’re gonna be together forever!”

Back then, his eyes were bright. His smile was pure.

He was reckless and loud. I was the quiet, responsible one.

When he got into trouble, I covered for him.

When a teacher asked who broke something in class, I took the blame.

He hated studying. I helped him review.

Before finals, I gave him all my notes and stayed up late rewriting them for myself.

He used to say, “You’re the best, Emma. I’m gonna marry you someday.”

I’d roll my eyes and say, “Yeah, right.”

But secretly, I was happy.

I thought we were best friends. Closer than anyone.

I even let myself hope that one day he’d look at me seriously and say—Emma, be my girlfriend.

Turns out, in his eyes, I was just something convenient.

Someone who’d never leave.

Someone safe to sacrifice.

Just to impress Chloe, he didn’t hesitate to turn me into a spectacle.

To let everyone laugh.

To crush whatever dignity I had left.

My phone started vibrating nonstop.

The class group chat.

I opened it mechanically.

Someone had posted the video from earlier.

The title was in bold: [Top student gets what she deserves—LOL.]

In the video, I looked like a broken doll.

I lay there motionlessly while people laughed in the background.

Comments flooded in.

[Didn’t expect Emma to be this funny.]

[She always acts so perfect.]

[Ryan’s a legend.]

[Chloe’s wish is his command.]

[She’s been clinging to him forever.]

[So embarrassing.]

My hands started shaking.

Every comment felt like a slap across my face.

So that’s how they saw me.

I left the group chat.

Then I opened social media.

Of course.

Clips and screenshots were everywhere.

Different captions.

Same message.

Mockery.

Ryan had posted too. [Today’s entertainment. @Chloe You happy now?]

The picture was me.

He’d even added a laughing emoji.

Chloe replied: [You guys are so mean~ I was just kidding.]

Three shy emojis after that.

What a joke.

Underneath, dozens of likes and cheering comments.

“King Ryan!”

“Anything for our queen Chloe.”

“What’s next? We’re ready.”

I locked my phone.

My heart felt numb.

My pain was their fun.

My humiliation was their game.

And Ryan—the person I thought would always stand by me—was the one who hurt me the most.