Chapter 3

After he left, I sat alone on the cold metal bench for hours.

That night, through the iron bars of the cell, the guards' radio was tuned to a local business station.

A cheerful anchorwoman's voice drifted in: "Tonight, the Brandon & Chloe Charity Foundation, founded by the brilliant young sibling entrepreneurs, is hosting its grand opening gala..."

My heart skipped a beat.

My children.

"Sources report the foundation has already raised over ten million dollars, dedicated to providing legal aid for underprivileged individuals who cannot afford an attorney. This noble cause has earned praise across the city..."

"During the press conference, Mr. Brandon Evans stated that justice should never depend on wealth, and that before the law, everyone deserves fairness..."

Everyone deserves fairness.

Then what about their own mother?

They were willing to spend ten million dollars fighting for total strangers, yet they were forcing their own flesh and blood to confess to a crime she never committed!

I slid down against the freezing iron door onto the floor, staring blankly at the dim bulb on the ceiling.

The bagel Mark had brought was still clutched in my hand, now crushed and soggy from my cold sweat, completely stripped of its sweetness.

All I wanted was to go home.

Yet now, I could barely remember where home even was.

The day of the preliminary hearing arrived.

The gallery was packed. Former colleagues, old neighbors... their stares pinned me down like needles.

"Look, that's her. Who would've thought Mrs. Evans would do something like this?"

"Taught high school for thirty years, and this is how she ruins her reputation."

"I heard her kids are wildly successful. Must be so humiliating to have a mother like that."

The whispers rushed into my ears like a toxic tide. I wanted to defend myself, but I didn't know what to say.

Even if I spoke, no one would believe me.

My court-appointed public defender sat beside me without even looking up.

"Mrs. Evans, when the judge asks, just say you had a momentary lapse in judgment. We can angle for probation."

I shook my head, my voice raspy. "I didn't steal it."

"The evidence is right here on paper, so don't be stubborn," the lawyer snapped, visibly irritated. "I'm doing this for your own good."

*For my own good.* Always for my own good.

The judge entered, and court came to order.

The prosecutor read the charges: grand larceny, indisputable evidence, egregious conduct.

My heart hammered against my ribs.

No. Everything was wrong.

When Brenda took the stand, her eyes were rimmed red, acting like the ultimate victim.

"Your Honor, Mrs. Evans came over to visit, and I welcomed her with open arms. But she kept staring at my necklace the whole time."

She dabbed at her eyes with a tissue.

"We were neighbors for twenty years. I treated her like my own sister. I never dreamed she'd steal from me!"

A wave of hushed gasps rippled through the gallery.

I tried to stand up to dispute her, but my legs felt like lead. I couldn't even lift myself.

"We also have security footage," Brenda's son said, standing up to play a video file.

On the large monitor, a blurry figure with a frame very similar to mine lingered suspiciously outside my front door before quickly slipping inside.

That silhouette... it really did look like me.

Yet I had zero memory of it.

I couldn't remember a single thing.