Chapter 4

At the same time, Mia's thoughts rang out again.

[I feel bad that I have to do this to Teresa. I did plagiarize her artwork. I just hope this makes her understand that no matter how much Nolan loves her right now, he's only drawn in by her talent and not her soul.

[They'll get married and have a daughter, and she ends up becoming a full-time housewife. Once that happens, she'll get bogged down by the chores of daily life, and he will start having a change of heart. That's when her true suffering will begin.

[I'll be his mistress in the future, one of the women he carefully chose to keep him company. I know he'll constantly hurt Teresa because of me.]

My heart jolted. Sure enough, Nolan's expression wavered, and his brows drew together.

"Tess, the publication date for Mia's artwork really is earlier than yours. Did you see her work during that week when you were creating your submission?" Nolan questioned me.

My expression froze, and my heart clenched painfully. "I didn't. Weren't you with me the entire time when I was working on it?"

Nolan pressed his lips together. "I was by your side, but I didn't pay full attention to your creative process. You could've easily won this sort of competition without plagiarizing anyone, Tess. I have full faith in your abilities. Come on, then. I'll go to the library with you, and you can come up with a new artwork. There's still time."

It sounded like he meant well when, in reality, his words made it a certainty that I was guilty of plagiarism.

A spectating crowd had gathered outside Professor Dorsey's office, and they immediately started whispering among themselves.

"I can't believe the top student of her class would actually plagiarize someone else. How shameless of her! I guess grades don't reflect a person's character after all."

"Look at her. She makes it seem like she's the one being wronged. Nolan loves her more than anything else in the world. He would even pluck the stars out of the sky for her, and even he admits that she plagiarized Mia's work. So, what does she have to feel bad about?"

Even Professor Dorsey sighed. "Teresa, I know you're a good student and a smart young woman, but you shouldn't be plagiarizing just to secure the top prize in a competition. I won't put it in your permanent record this time. Just destroy your previous artwork and submit a new one—but remember, this mustn't happen again."

Malicious gazes came from all directions, burning into me.

My face was pale. I clenched my hands and straightened my back, declaring, "Thank you, Professor Dorsey, but I won't be submitting a new piece of artwork. I never visited the site where Mia posted her artwork. I'll get someone to check all of my browsing history as evidence to prove my innocence.

"I didn't plagiarize, and I refuse to admit to something I've never done. I won't stop defending myself and clearing my name!"

As Professor Dorsey looked at me in shock, I turned to Nolan. I would've been fine if anyone else doubted me, but he shouldn't. He knew full well that Mia was from the future. If she could memorize the winning lottery numbers, what was stopping her from remembering my artwork?

"Don't ever come near me again, Nolan," I said.

His expression stiffened. "You're telling me not to come near you ever again just because I told the truth? It's perfectly normal for people to make mistakes sometimes. It's not like I doubted your talents.

"I was even willing to accompany you while you made a new piece of artwork, so why are you getting mad at me? Either way, I won't allow it. I refuse to accept this."

As I listened to his haughty tone and words, he suddenly seemed like a complete stranger to me. I even felt a little relieved.

I was relieved that Mia let me see his true colors sooner rather than later. I hadn't fallen in too deep yet. It wasn't too late.

"Come near me again, and I'll call the police," I warned him before leaving Professor Dorsey's office.

Once I was outside, my emotions started getting the best of me. Nevertheless, I resisted the urge to cry and immediately wiped away any stray tears that fell from my eyes. I wasn't going to show any weakness.

I'd gone all the way to the lake when someone patted me on the shoulder.

Mia's head popped out from the side, and she flashed me a smug smile.