Chapter 4

Because the photos were real, I was temporarily detained on suspicion of distributing explicit images and had to wait for someone to post bail.

Under the judgmental stares of the officers and everyone around me, humiliation burned through every inch of my body.

When they finally let me make a phone call, I chose Evelyn. The moment she answered, I tried to keep my voice steady, but I couldn't hide the fear creeping into it.

"I'm at the police station."

There was a brief silence.

Then Evelyn said, "I'll be there soon."

After the call ended, I lowered my head, preparing to call my parents next.

That was when I noticed an old group chat from one of my college clubs.

The messages were coming in rapidly. Most of them didn't know the full story, but after seeing Daniel's marriage certificate, they'd already made up their minds. To them, I was the other man—the homewrecker.

I scrolled through the messages, my stomach sinking with every accusation.

Then I saw one from Daniel stating, "You guys took the joke way too far. When Julian gets out, you'd better apologize to him!"

I stared at those words for a long time, and suddenly, everything became clear.

This hadn't been an accident. It had all been deliberate.

I quickly took screenshots of the entire conversation, one after another, and sent every single one to Evelyn.

…

That evening, during visiting hours, I expected to see my parents waiting for me.

Instead, Claire, Daniel, and the rest of our friends were sitting on the other side of the glass. None of them even bothered to hide the amusement in their eyes.

Claire stepped closer and lowered her voice. "I never wanted things to get this bad. But there's still a way to fix this."

I said nothing.

She got straight to the point. "If you agree to let this go, I can get you out on bail."

For a moment, I honestly thought I'd misheard her.

I was sitting behind glass because of what they'd done to me, and she was still expecting me to forgive the very people responsible.

Daniel rested a hand against his stomach and spoke in a subdued voice. "Julian, nobody meant for things to go this far. Everyone had too much to drink. I've already chewed them out, and I'll apologize on their behalf. If you can forgive them, we can put all of this behind us."

The others quickly chimed in. We'd known each other for years, they reminded me. There was no reason to destroy lifelong friendships over one stupid mistake.

I listened to them in silence, feeling strangely hollow. Even now, after everything that had happened, they still believed I should be the one to give in, the one to forgive, and the one to make things right.

When Claire realized I wasn't going to respond, her expression hardened. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm the only person who can help you right now."

I finally laughed. "You leaked the photos and called the police. Claire, you're the reason I'm sitting in here."

Her expression shifted.

"I never meant for things to get this bad," she said defensively. "You're the one who kept making a scene."

Daniel immediately put on a guilty look. "Julian, I know you hate me. You can do whatever you want to me. Just don't make things difficult for everyone else."

I watched him silently, letting him put on his little performance.

Then I finally spoke. "Why should I forgive any of you?"

Daniel's expression froze.

"Keep dreaming," I said. "I'm taking this all the way."

Claire's face darkened.

Then I caught sight of Evelyn at the end of the hallway. A lawyer and an assistant were with her, already speaking with the officers.

Claire noticed them, too.

The screenshots I'd sent Evelyn had been printed out and spread across a table, page after page. Her lawyer pointed out suspicious details surrounding the secretly taken photos and presented evidence showing that I had been deliberately set up.

A short distance away, Claire's expression darkened. She probably never imagined there would be someone willing to stand up for me.

Once the bail paperwork was completed, I was finally released from custody. I tried to act like I was fine, but the fear hadn't completely left me.

Evelyn seemed to notice. She gently steadied me.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

I nodded.

Without saying anything else, she took my hand and led me outside.

From the moment she arrived to the moment we left, she never once looked at Claire.

The moment we stepped outside, I pulled out my phone and opened social media. I posted a photo of the marriage certificate we'd received that day. The caption was simple. "Married. Do not disturb."

Our names—mine and Evelyn's—were clearly visible on the certificate.

Almost immediately, my phone began buzzing with notifications. I didn't bother checking them.

Behind me, Claire was staring at her own phone. She'd seen the post.

For a few seconds, there was nothing but silence. Then I heard her voice behind me. "Julian…"

I kept walking and didn't turn around.