Chapter 1

At the baby's one-month party, Zachery Fox's wife suddenly clutched the baby and cried out.

"The baby's gold locket is gone. A hundred grams of gold."

Everyone jumped in to help look for it.

And then the locket fell right out of my bag.

Mom glared at me, furious.

"Katherine Fox, if you needed money, why didn't you tell the family? Stealing from your own nephew, how could you sink that low?"

Dad was shaking with rage, and he slapped me across the face.

"How did I raise a daughter this shameless? I'm cutting you off."

I cried and tried to explain, but no one believed me.

And my brother and sister, wanting to teach me a lesson so I'd "remember it," posted what I'd done online for everyone to judge.

Overnight, I became a thief everyone spat on.

The school, under public pressure, revoked my enrollment on the spot.

Even the boyfriend I'd been with for five years chose to break up with me, all because his mother said, "You can't take a girl from a family like that."

I became a joke with no education, no love, and no family.

In despair, I jumped into the river.

After I died, my soul drifted back home.

And there I heard the cruelest truth of all.

Mom was comforting my brother.

"Zach, if you needed money, you could've told your parents. It's a good thing Katie took the fall this time. If it came out that you stole the locket and racked up gambling debts, your wife would've dumped you!"

My older sister said with a smile,

"Exactly, Zach. Do you even know how close that was? If I hadn't gotten to your hiding spot first and grabbed the locket and dropped it in Katie's bag, you'd have been the one they caught!"

That was the moment I understood.

Zachery stole the locket.

And once my own parents and my older sister found out, they chose to frame me to protect him.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day of the party.

Zachery's wife was crying out that the locket was gone.

This time, right as they were about to pin it on me again, I stepped forward first.

"There's no need to look."

"I know where the locket is."

...

The words landed, and Zachery's wife went rigid.

"Katie, you're saying you know where the locket is?"

I nodded.

"I do."

"Because I saw with my own eyes who took it."

The instant I said it, the whole hall fell silent.

Every pair of eyes turned to me.

But unlike the shock on everyone else's faces, Mom, Dad, my sister, and Zachery wore only panic.

They recovered fast, though.

My sister grabbed my hand and called out to Zachery's wife.

"Marlin, don't listen to my sister's nonsense. She's been with me the whole time. How would she know where any thief went?"

My mother jumped in at once.

"Right, Marlin, I'll vouch for it too. This girl's been with us the entire time. There's no way she knows where the locket is. She's making it up."

I let out a cold breath and shook their hands off.

"Marlin, I'm not making anything up. I really do know where the locket is!"

My father couldn't sit still. He raised his hand to slap me.

But I wasn't scared. I leaned my face right toward him on purpose.

"Go on, hit me right here."

"Even if you beat me to death today, I'll still say I know exactly where that locket is!"

My father's hand stayed up high, but it didn't come down.

I let out a cold breath.

"You people are the strange ones!"

"A locket worth over a hundred grand goes missing and none of you are worried. But the second I say I know where it is, you get this worked up insisting I don't, and you even raise a hand to me. Who exactly are you covering for?"

As I said it, I let my eyes settle on Zachery on purpose.

He flinched under my stare and glared back, furious.

"Katherine, what are you looking at me for? Don't tell me you think I stole the locket?"

I gave a cold laugh.

"Whether you did, you know best."

The crowd gasped, and their eyes swung toward Zachery.

The attention made him squirm, and he flared up at once.

"You little brat, don't you go slinging false accusations. I'm his father, why would I take my own son's things? Besides..."

He turned to his wife with a wounded look.

"I know I married into your family, but Marlin's always treated me well. You've never once shorted me on money. What would I want with that locket?"

His wife lapped up the flattery. She narrowed her eyes and looked me over with suspicion.

"Katie, some things you don't say without proof."

I laughed. Not a light laugh, but a loud one.

"Proof?"

"Marlin, that's easy. Just check Zach's phone right now. If he had the nerve to take the locket, there'll be messages to a gold shop on his social apps."

"Or open his texts and see if there's any record of paying off a debt lately. The gambling can't stay hidden forever!"

At that, the crowd erupted again.

His wife held out her hand to him.

"Zach, give me your phone."