Borrowed Guilt

A familiar voice came from behind me.

"Nevaeh, I never thought you could be this cruel."

I turned. Wesley was striding toward me, his face full of anger.

Right behind him was Lily, her head lowered, her expression shy and soft.

My pupils tightened as I watched the two of them approach.

Wesley looked regretful as he spoke to the crowd.

"The real killer is my wife. Yesterday was supposed to be our wedding anniversary.

"I begged her to stay home, but she insisted on going out."

He shook his head helplessly. "She killed someone. I share the blame.

"If I hadn't let her leave, none of this would have happened."

His performance worked. The crowd instantly leaned toward him.

"Nevaeh, I just finished giving my statement," he said, looking at me. "You should confess."

I let out an icy laugh. My sharp gaze shifted past him and landed on Lily.

"I didn't kill anyone. Why would I confess?

"The real murderer is Lily. What does this have to do with me?

"Last night, I was on a business trip..."

"You're lying!" A sharp female voice cut me off. Lily glared at me, anger flashing in her eyes.

Everyone turned to look at her.

"Nevaeh, you're lying!

"Yesterday, I saw you getting cozy with another man. When I caught you, you didn't even feel ashamed!

"And now, in front of the police and the victims' family, you're trying to frame me?"

She pulled out her phone and held it up.

There was a photo on the screen. A picture of me kissing a man.

"You all see this, right? I'm not lying!

"I have proof!"

I could not help but sneer. If she could fake dashcam footage, forging a photo like that would be nothing.

The crowd stirred again.

"Unbelievable. Not only is she vicious, but she's shameless, too."

"She has a husband and still cheats? That's disgusting."

Then, my husband joined them. His face was full of pain as he leaned weakly against Lily's shoulder.

"Nevaeh, I never thought you could do something like this.

"You cheated on me. Do you even have a conscience?"

Then he grabbed the officer's hand tightly. "Officer, you have to stand up for me!

"The reason Nevaeh stole the baby is that she can't have children!"

My heart skipped. I looked at Wesley, a mocking glint in my eyes.

Under the crowd's questioning stares, he hesitated for a moment, then continued.

"When we got married, I already knew Nevaeh couldn't get pregnant because of a medical condition."

As soon as he finished speaking, a wave of murmurs spread through the crowd.

"Man, you knew she couldn't have kids and still married her? That's dedication."

"Officer, isn't that a motive? You already have evidence. Arrest her now!"

Even though I had lived through this once before, facing it again still made panic rise in my chest.

"I have witnesses and evidence that prove I didn't commit the murder!"

My voice rang out, loud and firm. The noisy crowd fell silent. Even the officers frowned as they looked at me.

"We've already checked your flight records," one of them said. "They show you went to Avalon City early yesterday morning.

"The crime happened at nine last night.

"How do you plan to rule out your involvement?"