Borrowed Guilt

The moment those words fell, the crowd exploded again.

"You're still trying to talk your way out of this? Dream on!"

"Yeah, if it wasn't you, then why is your face in the dashcam footage?"

"Unbelievable. You killed someone and still calmly headed to the airport as if nothing had happened!"

I slowly scanned the crowd, then caught sight of Wesley and Lily not far away, watching me with open mockery in their eyes.

If they could swap my face into that footage without leaving a trace, then changing my flight records would be just as easy.

I had expected that.

That was why, the day before our anniversary, I had asked Joseph to go and sign the contract with me. A witness was always the strongest proof.

After hesitating for a while, the police finally made a video call to Joseph.

The moment the call connected, he looked completely shocked by the scene in front of me.

"Nevaeh, aren't we supposed to finalize the contract this afternoon? Where are you?"

I did not have time to explain.

"Mr. Brooks, can you confirm that we were together yesterday?"

Joseph blinked, still dazed, then nodded. "Yes. Yes, we were. Nevaeh, what's going on?"

Once I got his answer, the officer took my phone and asked Joseph several more questions before ending the call.

At the same time, the investigation team pulled up real-time surveillance footage from the location where I signed the contract.

In the footage, I was clearly there, sitting with them, signing documents.

Then, even the police were stunned.

"The two of you?"

The entire scene fell into silence.

A shadow flickered through Wesley's eyes. Lily, however, refused to back down. She stepped forward.

"And what does that prove?

"It just proves that you're sleeping with your supervisor!"

I could not help laughing. "What did you just say?"

"You and your supervisor are together. Of course, he would lie for you. That's easy."

I raised an eyebrow. "Well, surveillance footage can't be faked.

"Just like the dashcam footage. It's evidence."

I thought Lily would hesitate, maybe slip up. Instead, she grew even more arrogant.

"Nevaeh, I think you've lost your mind.

"That footage is blurry. Even zoomed in, it only shows your outline.

"You could easily have your supervisor find a woman with a similar build.

"Then, have him lie for you and create a time gap. That's how you pulled this off!"

She crossed her arms and lifted her chin at me, smug and confident.

"And I can say all this because the man you cheated with is your supervisor!

"I didn't catch his face in the photo, but when you made that video call just now, I saw him.

"Your supervisor and the man in that photo are the same person!"

Her words stirred the crowd again.

"So calculating. Using a man to cover your crimes!"

"What are the police doing? Arrest her already!"

"You owe us an explanation!"

Even the officers looked at me with doubt.

"The figure in the surveillance footage is indeed blurry," one of them said.

I blinked.

At that moment, my phone buzzed with a new message.

[Nevaeh, is what she said true?]

I shook my head, my voice firm as I repeated myself.

"Lily is the real killer. Wesley is her accomplice."

I took a deep breath. "You all want to know where the baby is, right?

"Well, here he is."

I tilted my chin toward the back of the crowd. A figure in deep blue stepped forward.

"I'm here to testify for Nevaeh."