How the hell did this happen?
It was supposed to be Riley Walker selling him out—so how did things flip like this?
"At first, I thought they might be in cahoots, but this clearly shows Liam getting himself into hot water…"
"Honestly, how can anyone say his sister tried to sell him?"
Riley is visibly freaking out. She dashes over, grabbing Liam by the arm. "Liam, where are you going? I got the caramel apples. It's time to go home."
"Get off me! Who says you're my sister?"
Liam, hyped up to be out and about, doesn't want the fun to end. He shoves her away, ready to jump into the stranger's car.
Tears of desperation well up in Riley's eyes as she pleads with the shop owner. "Ma'am, that man's a kidnapper—he's trying to take my brother. Please, stop him!"
But Liam ignores her, even rolling his eyes.
A flicker of doubt crosses the shopkeeper's face, but seeing Liam so calm, she hesitates. "Kiddo, you really being taken against your will?"
Liam shakes his head. "No."
Riley can't believe it. "Liam, stop messing around! Come home with me!"
The man seizes the moment to cut in. "Don't listen to this girl. He's my nephew, and I'm just taking him home. I don't know where this crazy chick came from."
And just like that, the shopkeeper sides with the man, thinking Riley's just causing a scene.
"This little girl's lost it, grabbing some random kid off the street and claiming he's her brother. Maybe she's the one who's unhinged."
"I've heard about kids being used to kidnap other kids. She's probably the real kidnapper, playing all innocent."
Liam looks at Riley with total indifference, like she's a complete stranger.
Riley's eyes grow even redder, but as just a kid, she can't out-argue the adults. Instead, she clings to Liam inside the car, insisting, "I'm not a kidnapper! He is my brother!"
The kidnapper, pissed that his plan's been blown, lashes out violently at Riley, dead set on taking Liam.
The shopkeeper, not wanting any trouble, just stands there watching Riley get dragged outside without lifting a finger.
Riley gets beaten brutally, yet she clings fiercely to Liam, refusing to let go.
That area is barely populated, and nobody seems to notice her desperate situation.
Finally, someone upstairs hears the ruckus and dials 911.
By the time the cops show up, Riley's barely conscious, still gripping Liam's hand, only letting go when she hears the sirens.
The Walkers are totally shell-shocked watching Riley shield Liam, unable to get a single word out.
Liam, his face going pale, shakes his head. "No... How can this be? Did I remember it wrong?"
His childhood memories are fuzzy at best; all he recalls is almost being kidnapped when he went out with Riley…
The comments start piling on.
"If Riley wanted to sell Liam, she could've just played dumb. Now she's beaten to a pulp and still getting vilified? I actually feel sorry for her."
"A little kid not knowing better is one thing, but how could the Walkers accuse Riley of trying to hurt her own brother?"
"Knowing Liam blamed her for this, I can't imagine what her life with the Walkers was like. No wonder she turned so bitter later."
The Walkers' faces go slack. "When we got there, Liam said Riley wasn't around, which is why we thought she didn't look after him properly…"
The judge resumes the video.
The cops rushed Riley to the hospital while bringing the kidnapper and Liam to the station, notifying the Walkers.
Liam, seeing Riley beaten up, is petrified, crying non-stop at the station.
When the Walkers show up, they focus entirely on their son, not even asking how Riley is, despite the police mentioning a young girl had protected Liam and was hospitalized. They show zero concern.
Liam doesn't dare speak the truth, and the family heads home without another word.
Meanwhile, Riley's left alone in the hospital, recovering with no one to care for her.
Upon discharge, she gets blamed for not looking after Liam, which almost led to his kidnapping.
No matter how she explains, the Walkers don't believe her.
The Walkers' faces are drained of color, and Liam shakes in his seat.
He'd thought Riley had wronged him, subjecting her to endless ridicule and humiliation, convinced she owed him.
But now, knowing it was his own damn foolishness, and Riley risked her life to protect him…
What about all the crap he's put her through ever since?
The judge's gavel comes down coldly. "Based on the evidence presented, the Walkers' accusations against Riley Walker for attempting to kidnap Liam Walker are unfounded."
The Walkers fumble for words, their emotions all tangled up. "We were wrong about that incident, but we didn't punish her too harshly for it… Later, when Cleo came back, whatever the siblings had, Riley got too. But she was jealous of Cleo. On Cleo's first day back, Riley pushed her down the stairs. Cleo never did anything to her; how could Riley be so heartless?"
Liam grudgingly admits, "Yeah, I went after her over that incident when I shouldn't have. But my sister was so kind—how could Riley be that cold-blooded?"
The judge stays silent, just continuing the footage.
Soon, teenage Riley appears on the screen, standing alone, while the Walker parents and Liam warmly surround Cleo on the couch.
"Cleo, now that you're home, we'll make sure you're never wronged again. We'll make it all up to you," they promise.
Mrs. Walker turns to Riley, her tone a clear warning: "Don't you dare bully Cleo, or I won't forgive you!"
Riley hangs her head even lower. "Okay, Mom, I'll go upstairs now."
As she turns to leave, Cleo rushes up, grabbing her arm. "Mom, I'm sure my sister won't bully me. We're going to the same school soon, so I'd like to chat with her and get familiar with everything."
Riley looks tense, but Mr. and Mrs. Walker don't even question it, urging her to get along with her sister.
The two sisters head upstairs. Once there, Cleo suddenly speaks up, "Riley, did you know your real mom was still looking for you when she died?"
"You stole my life of luxury, so it's poetic justice your parents died so miserably. It's all your karma. Be smart and get the hell out of my house, or you'll suffer even more later."
The screen glitches out momentarily, and when it clears, it shows the spiral staircase in the Walker mansion.
The two are standing at the stairs, Cleo looking down at Riley with an air of superiority, a total 180 from her earlier vulnerable act.
Cleo takes Riley's hand, her fingers ice-cold.
Riley instinctively tries to pull away, but Cleo tightens her grip.
Viewers watching the live broadcast begin to share their thoughts on the screen.
