Chapter 1

The deathly silence shattered into an even more turbulent uproar.

"How could a greedy woman like Lara Quinn possibly have a white soul?"

"The equipment must be malfunctioning! Check it again!"

Voices of doubt erupted from the crowd like a tidal wave.

Brody Pierce's body froze in place. He stared at that glaring expanse of white, his expression darkening.

"Brody, could there be some hidden reason behind what Lara did?" Ellie Pratt spoke up at just the right moment, her gentle voice carrying perfectly measured concern.

"Impossible!" Brody whipped around, his denial bursting out instinctively.

He strode toward the control panel, his voice ice-cold. "Verify the equipment data immediately!"

The technicians scrambled toward the instruments, frantically troubleshooting. Ellie gazed at my white particles and gently slipped her arm through Brody's, putting on a show of magnanimity.

"People can change. Perhaps at the very end, Lara's conscience finally awakened."

She paused, then lowered her eyes, her voice taking on a hint of grievance. "Brody, it's alright if you still have feelings for Lara. After all, she was the one who stayed with you through those hardest days."

The words struck Brody's most sensitive nerve. He suddenly pulled Ellie into his arms, the movement carrying an unquestionable force.

"That kind of woman who'd betray everything for money? I feel sick just looking at her!"

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried throughout the entire silent courtroom. "The only person I love now is you, Ellie."

He lowered his head and pressed a kiss to her forehead, then raised his eyes and swept his icy gaze across the entire room.

"Today, I'm going to make everyone see those filthy transactions in her memories. I'm going to nail her to the pillar of shame forever!"

The crowd cheered.

"That explosion killed over a hundred workers, and the leaked wastewater affected more than a dozen surrounding towns. My son died from heavy metal poisoning!"

"Before she died, she was living the high life, eating and drinking better than we common folk! Self-immolation was too good for a parasite like her!"

My past crimes were dredged up one by one. No one believed my soul could be pure white.

Amid the deafening voices, a technician ran over, his face pale. "Mr. Pierce, there's nothing wrong with the equipment."

Brody's expression grew even darker. He waved his hand dismissively.

"The particle coloring might have technical errors, but the memories are absolutely real! Play the core memories immediately."

The massive dark screen slowly lit up. White light flooded out, and my soul trembled.

The image showed the cramped, rundown apartment we'd rented together after graduation.