Alle Kapitel von Accused of a Past I Don't Have: Kapitel 1 – Kapitel 10

Dozens of microphones were shoved in my face.Graham Ashford and Evelyn Bennett were busy comforting their adopted son, Josh Ashford, who was shaking uncontrollably. But when they turned to me, anger filled their faces."Asher Vale, what is going on? Josh has always been such a good kid! What did you do to him?"I stood there, stunned. I wanted to ask the same question myself, but when I opened my mouth, all I could manage was, "I have no idea what's going on. I don't even know him. I've never met him in my life."Josh started shaking even harder. "You're lying! You bullied me all through high school because you couldn't stand that I came from a wealthy family and was better-looking than you!"Look at his right wrist! There's a scar! He got it when I tried to fight back after he attacked me! You can see for yourselves!"He pointed at my right wrist. Sure enough, there was a scar, but I got it when I was 15, working on a construction site. I'd cut myself on a piece of sheet metal

Josh's face went pale. "I... I can't remember. It was so long ago. How am I supposed to remember all those details?"I pressed him further. "You can't remember? You said I bullied you so badly you almost dropped out of school. Something like that isn't exactly easy to forget, is it? Unless you've been lying about the whole thing!"The crowd fell quiet. People started to look uncertain, but before anyone could question his story, Josh let out a piercing scream.He dropped into a crouch, clutching his head with both hands and shaking uncontrollably. "It's all my fault! I lied! You never bullied me! Please don't hit me! Stay away! I'm sorry! I won't do it again, I swear!"He was putting on such a convincing display of terror that it looked as though I'd frightened him into a complete breakdown.Evelyn's eyes filled with tears. She immediately knelt beside him and pulled him into her arms, trying to soothe him. "It's okay, sweetheart. Mommy's here. You're safe now. No one's going to h

As soon as the officer finished speaking, Josh went pale.Evelyn was still staring blankly at my ID, as though she hadn't quite understood what she'd just heard."No record of him ever attending high school..." Graham repeated, his voice strained. He turned to Josh and swallowed hard, but couldn't bring himself to say anything.After a moment of stunned silence, the reporters erupted with questions."Wait, he's never been to high school?""Then what about Josh's bullying accusations? Who wrote that apology letter?""Josh, can you explain this?"Microphones were shoved toward Josh from every direction, and the cameras zoomed in on his pale face.His lips trembled as he struggled to find an answer. After a long pause, he suddenly burst into tears. "I... I don't know! Maybe he changed his name afterward, or someone else enrolled in school using his identity... I don't know!"He looked up at Graham, his eyes pleading. "Dad, I swear I'm telling the truth! The boy who bullied me bac

I continued, "You took his side. You called me a horrible person and told me to get lost."Evelyn was shaking, tears streaming down her face. She tried to say something, but couldn't get the words out."You're my mother," I continued, "but you've never once trusted me."She finally broke down in tears.A few steps away, Graham stood with his back to us, his shoulders trembling. He didn't turn around.The police questioned Josh for four hours. He sat with his head down, answering their questions one by one.He told them how he'd learned that the Ashfords had found their biological son, how he'd hired someone to track down my adoptive parents, and how he'd approached Fiona Mercer with an offer of 200,000 dollars for samples of my handwriting."I was scared... I thought Mom and Dad wouldn't want me anymore once he came back. I just wanted him to back off. I wanted him to know he couldn't just show up and become part of this family… I wasn't trying to hurt him. I just... I didn't wa

I turned to face Evelyn. Sunlight poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows, lighting up her exhausted face.I almost told her we were practically strangers anyway. But then I saw her bloodshot eyes and hesitated."Maybe someday," I said.I rented a small one-bedroom apartment with a living room. When the sun came in, the whole place felt warm.My landlady was an older woman who knocked 200 dollars off the rent when she found out I would be living alone.On the day I moved in, she showed up at my door with a bowl of beef stew. She said it wasn't easy being young and trying to make it on your own. If I ever got homesick, I could always come downstairs and visit her.I thanked her and closed the door. Then I stood there for a long time, staring at the stew. In all my 19 years, no one had ever told me I was welcome to stop by whenever I felt homesick.The day Ashford Group posted its official apology, my phone rang nonstop. The calls came from numbers I didn't recognize. Some wer