Chapter 4

"Julia, stop lying. If you have an addiction problem, I'll hire the best lawyers in the country for you. I'll send you to the top rehab in Malibu. But you can't cover up a murder with more lies!"

Before I could answer, he turned to Detective Ramirez.

"Detective, as her fiancé, I'm heartbroken. But I have a conscience. I won't cover for a murderer, not even the woman I love!"

I smirked. Heartbroken. Won't cover for a murderer. Right.

The first time around, this was the man who swore he loved me. To protect his sister who killed someone while high, he snuck into my apartment.

He took my current, valid prescription—which I never went anywhere without—from my purse and planted it in the car.

Then he paid off this same TMZ reporter to lie on the stand, leaving me with no defense.

After prison, I was suddenly saddled with tens of millions in fake debt and ended up jumping off a building.

But this time, I was going to let them feel what it was like to be crushed by their own scheme.

Detective Ramirez narrowed his eyes, his sharp gaze landing on Grant.

"Sir, you're accusing Miss Julia of a hit-and-run last night. Do you have any actual evidence?"

Without hesitating, Grant pulled a clear plastic baggie from his suit pocket.

Inside was a prescription pill bottle.

"Detective, I went to the impound lot. I found this Adderall bottle under the floor mat of the Porsche! Her full name is printed right on the label!"

He was completely lost in his "righteous hero" act.

"This is solid proof! She has a history of ADHD, a habit of abusing this stuff! It’s a controlled substance. She never goes anywhere without it! It proves she was the one driving last night. She must have gotten high, started hallucinating, and panicked after she hit someone. She ran off and left her life-saving medication behind!"

He didn't notice the looks the cops behind the glass were giving him.

Like he was an idiot walking into a trap.

"So you're saying," Detective Ramirez's voice was ice cold, "that she killed someone in a hit-and-run last night, and left behind a prescription she never goes anywhere without?"

Grant looked confused by the detective's tone but nodded confidently.

"That's right! She never lets that bottle out of her sight. It proves she was the one driving!"

"Pfft—"

I couldn't hold it in anymore.

I burst out laughing in the quiet police station.

"Grant. Fabricating evidence? Perjury? Those are felonies. Enjoy prison."

He glared at me, rage in his eyes. "Julia! When are you going to stop this madness? You can't even admit you were high!"

Blair chimed in with a sneer. "Yeah, you admitted to smashing a car while you were wasted. You probably blacked out and don't even remember dropping the bottle!"

I raised an eyebrow, watching them desperately try to frame me, a deep smirk on my face.

Detective Ramirez, who had watched this whole pathetic show, finally closed his case file. His voice was stern.

"Sir, I don't know where you 'found' this bottle."

"But yesterday, at 6:30 PM, when Miss Julia was officially arrested, her 'current and valid' prescription for Adderall was inventoried, placed in a sealed LAPD Property Bag, and locked in our evidence vault!"

The detective's words echoed through the station.

"Before you fabricated your evidence, did you even bother to look at the date on the label? The bottle you're holding is six months out of date! How does someone who checked in with a current prescription drop an expired one at a crime scene in the middle of the night?!"

Detective Ramirez took a step forward, his hand resting on the grip of his gun, staring down Grant, whose face had gone completely white.

"Furthermore, the toxicology screen from her booking shows no traces of any unauthorized prescription drugs in her system! She has been in a maximum-surveillance holding cell since 7 PM last night."

"So now, please explain to the LAPD how you stole this six-month-old bottle from her apartment and tried to pass it off as evidence from the crime scene."

The station went dead silent.

The once-arrogant reporter, now being held by two officers near the door, was shaking so hard he nearly dropped his confiscated camera.

The heartbroken look on Grant's face shattered. His eyes darted around in disbelief.

"How... How is that possible? Last night you weren't..."

I lifted my chin, watching his handsome face twist in terror. And I smiled.