Chapter 4

Nancy froze for a moment, clearly flustered. After all, I had become public enemy number one, and she had no intention of getting dragged into the mess.

However, seeing me battered and disheveled, my eyes red from crying, she ultimately gave in and spoke up for me.

"That's right. When you came back to the neighbourhood last night, we had a little chat…"

Her voice still carried some hesitation, a trace of doubt. Even so, just having her step forward and clear my name at a time like this was enough to make me feel grateful.

At that moment, the woman who had slapped me earlier yanked a man by the arm and pushed her way out of the crowd.

She shoved him right in front of me. He was one of the seven men from the video.

"You've got witnesses? Well, so do we!"

She slapped the man before her and demanded, "Tell everyone. Is she the bitch you slept with last night?"

He shuddered, then nodded quickly. "Yeah, that's her! I'd never forget her face! If she hadn't thrown herself at me last night, I wouldn't have made such a foolish mistake! Honey, please, forgive me! I swear this won't happen again!"

I gritted my teeth and glared at him. "Nonsense! I've never even met you! Why are you making things up?"

"Cut the crap!" the man spat. He looked me up and down with disdain. "You weren't acting innocent when you were begging me to screw you last night. Oh, and I remember that mole on your butt."

The moment he said that, my face burned with shame and anger.

Beside me, Zachary's jaw tightened. "She does have a mole on her butt. I know better than anyone as her husband," he said through gritted teeth.

The crowd burst into laughter. Their scornful, mocking gazes pierced me like needles. Even Nancy, who had just spoken up for me, fell silent. She quietly shrank back into the crowd, too afraid to say another word.

More people pressed in, pointing and jeering. A flood of insults and crude words rained on me.

"What a shameless whore. Look at her, still denying it when all the evidence is against her."

"Even the mole on her butt made an impression. I'm sure she's been earning tons of money with that body."

"Hey, sweetie. Why don't you and I give it a go? I'm sure I can make it worth your while."

Someone whistled at me, and another even reached out, tugging at my clothes in front of everyone. I could only curl up in the corner, hugging myself tightly to protect what I could.

Zachary simply stood to the side, watching it all unfold, his arms crossed and his expression detached. His gaze held no pity, just cold disdain.

The officers saw the situation spiraling out of control but couldn't calm the crowd. They only managed to hold back some of the more aggressive people.

Sternly, they turned to me. One of them said, "Ma'am, regardless of what actually happened, why don't you apologize first? It might help ease the tension."

Why should I apologize for something I never did?

"I'm not apologizing," I said resolutely, but my voice trembled a little.

I looked up at the crowd, gaze unwavering. "For the last time, I was at my parents' place the whole night. That person in the video was not me!"

If I apologized, it would be like admitting guilt. Even if the real culprit were caught later, my reputation and the damage done to me could never be undone.

My words completely set the women off. They screamed at the top of their lungs, their insults even harsher than before.

"Who else could it be, then? Don't tell me you have a twin!"

I, too, wanted to know who had disguised themselves as me, forged a flawless video, even obtained my DNA, and created such a seamless crime.

What was the point of doing all that? Was it to ruin my reputation and destroy me?

I racked my brain, but I couldn't remember ever making an enemy who would go this far. My thoughts were a tangled mess.

Suddenly, a soda can hit my forehead, and a dull ache spread through my skull. With the police keeping the women at bay, they started throwing things at me.

"It's your words against everyone else's! I've never met a bitch as shameless as you!"

"Ladies, if she could sleep with seven men in one night, who knows how many more relationships she'll destroy in the future! We can't let her go this easily!"

"Yeah! Let's give her a good lesson and make sure she never shows her face again!"

Seeing that they couldn't control the situation, the officers had no choice but to make a decision. "Ma'am, we need you to come down to the station and cooperate with the investigation," said one of them.

In my previous life, this was exactly how I ended up being taken to the station. I was detained for a week for disturbing the peace.

By the time I was released, Mom had already died of a heart attack from the shock, and Dad had lost his life in a car accident.

I couldn't let that happen again. I wouldn't lose my family a second time.

Cold handcuffs snapped around my wrists. I frantically ran through every detail of both lives in my mind. Where had I overlooked something? What was the truth?

The police car door swung open, and the officers tried to push me inside. The moment my eyes landed on the car seat, a memory struck me—that foreign lipstick I had found in Zachary's passenger seat.

Suddenly, everything clicked.

I wrenched myself free from the police officer and turned to the crowd.

"I got it!" I shouted. "I know exactly who pretended to be me and framed me! It's my husband, Zachary Langford!"