Chapter 93
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“Do you really want to go to prison?”
I stared straight at Irvin and replied, enunciating every word, “It’s not that I want to go to prison. It’s that I didn’t do it. I trust the law to give me the fairest judgment.”
Irvin let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head in disbelief. “Emilia, you’re unbelievable. The evidence is crystal clear in front of you, and you’re still denying it!”
I gave him a cold smile. “ Have you ever considered the possibility that I didn’t do it?”
“You didn’t do it?” His voice was sharp, his disbelief palpable. “Then what exactly are you doing in that video? Are you seriously going to stand here and tell me that’s not you?”
“The person in the video is me,” I admitted, my tone calm. “But even if it’s me, even if I’m shown putting something in that drink, how can you be so sure it was that drug? How do you know Julianne drank the glass I supposedly tampered with?”
I stepped closer, my voice cutting through the tension. “I didn’t hand the drink directly to her in that video. There’s no proof that what I put in the glass was what you’re accusing me of. There’s no proof that she drank that specific glass.”
Irvin’s face darkened, and I could see his frustration boiling over. His hands trembled slightly as he clenched his fists.
“Emilia,” he said through gritted teeth, “you’re unbelievable. You’re so shameless it’s disgusting. The evidence is right in front of you, and you still won’t admit it. You won’t even show a shred of remorse.”
His voice shook with anger, and it took him a moment to steady himself. “Fine. I’ll give you one last chance-”
Before he could finish, Julianne interrupted, tears streaming down her face.
“Irvin, stop pushing her,” she pleaded, her voice trembling with emotion. “If Emilia doesn’t want to apologize publicly, then don’t make her. She’s your wife, your family, and my parents‘ daughter. Mom and Dad have been so kind to me, so good to me… I can’t let them suffer like this.”
Her sobs grew louder, and her voice cracked as she continued. “If I have to endure being misunderstood, if people think I’m some gold digger willing to be with anyone for money, so be it. I’d rather they hate me than see your family fall apart. I can’t bear the thought of Mom and Dad watching their daughter go to jail…”
Her every word sounded like the epitome of kindness and selflessness, a picture–perfect victim willing to suffer in silence for the sake of others.
But I knew better.
Every tear, every word was calculated to paint herself as a martyr while pushing me further under the bus. She knew exactly what she was doing–there was no way my parents would let her “sacrifice herself” like this.
Sure enough, Dad shot up from his seat, his face red with anger.
“Julianne, you don’t have to let her off the hook! Everything that’s happened is her fault! She’s brought this on herself! If she wasn’t so wicked, if she hadn’t tried to hurt you time and time again, none of this would’ve happened!”
His words were sharp, biting, and full of venom.
“No matter how you look at it, she deserves everything that’s coming to her!”
Mom nodded furiously, her face just as furious as Dad’s.
“That’s right! She deserves it! Drugging you, humiliating you in front of everyone, exposing something so vate–how are you supposed to move forward with Irvin after all this?”
Her voice cracked as she continued. “She’s pure evil! She’s a monster! I can’t believe she’s our daughter!”
Mom and Dad had always dismissed the fact that Julianne had once been married to Phillip. To them, it wasn’t a big deal. But it
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+25 BONUS
still felt strange to me. It was like something out of one of those historical dramas where a scandalous twist somehow leads to someone rising to power or greatness later on.
But Irvin wasn’t so accepting. His pride wouldn’t let him look past, no matter how much he cared for Julianne.
And now that the truth was out, Mom and Dad knew there was no way Irvin could ever be with Julianne under the weight of public scrutiny.
Their hopes of Julianne marrying Irvin were dashed.
Their frustration and anger burned hotter than ever. If murder weren’t illegal , I was certain they’d have killed me on the spot.
Instead, they doubled down, demanding that I be sent to jail.
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