Chapter 3

That afternoon, the entire department had a mandatory seminar on digital safety and fraud, with guest speakers from the local police department.

By the time I arrived, the campus auditorium was packed.

The moment I sat down, all eyes locked onto me.

"Hey Chloe, did you see the live stream last night? Any comments?"

"They didn't name me. I have nothing to say."

Before the words even left my mouth, a girl in the front row slammed her hands on her desk and stood up. "Chloe, how can you be so shameless?"

I looked up. Of course. It was her.

She turned to face the entire hall, her voice dripping with fake sweet concern. "Hey everyone! I'm Amber, the host of Red Hood Vlogs. I hate seeing fake people act innocent, so I actually brought Chloe's parents here today to get to the bottom of this. What do you guys think?"

"Hell yeah!"

Cheers and applause erupted instantly.

Amber rushed to the back door and gestured dramatically. My parents walked in.

They looked like simple, struggling parents, clutching a cheap baby bag and holding the newborn. They walked right up to my row, looking nervous.

Amber held up her phone, live-streaming. "Don't worry," she coaxed them. "Tell us the truth. The whole campus is backing you up."

My parents nodded, thanking her profusely.

My mom stepped closer, gently tilting the baby toward me. "Chloe, please, just look at her. She's so quiet, she barely cries. I'm not asking for much. Just sign the birth certificate and acknowledge her. We'll raise her, I promise! We won't burden you!"

I glanced down. The baby was sleeping soundly, looking soft and pink. She really was cute. Maya was truly heartless to use her own child as a pawn like this.

"She's cute," I said coldly. "But what does she have to do with me?"

My parents' jaws clenched, their hands trembling with suppressed rage.

They were furious that I wasn't sticking to their script, but they had to keep up the act.

The crowd started jeering.

"Jesus, she won't even look at her own kid. She's a monster!"

"Her mom is practically begging on her knees, and she won't even blink. Unbelievable!"

"Who cares if she gets straight A's? She has no morals!"

Amber shoved her phone camera right into my face. "Chloe, your parents sacrificed everything to put you through college. You haven't even graduated and you're already discarding them like trash. Did your education teach you nothing about basic decency?"

The crowd roared with laughter.

"If you didn't want a baby, you should've kept your legs shut!"

"Kick her out! She doesn't deserve to be here!"

"Sue her for abandonment! Send her to jail!"

Amber waved her hands to quiet the crowd, looking at me with smug satisfaction. "Chloe, I'll ask you one last time. Will you take responsibility for your child?"

I sat up straight, looking her dead in the eye. "I deny every single accusation."

Amber shook her head dramatically at her camera. "Well, guys, you see her attitude. I guess some people just..."

The shouts from the audience grew deafening.

My parents put on a grand show of bowing and apologizing to the crowd. "Please, don't yell at her! It breaks our hearts to hear you say these things. We apologize on her behalf."

"It's our fault for not raising her right. We are so sorry for causing trouble for the university. Our Chloe isn't a bad girl, she's just confused!"

The auditorium gradually quieted down, some students even sniffing in sympathy.

Once the noise died down, I spoke up, my voice calm and steady. "You keep saying this baby is mine. Aside from those photos and videos, do you have any actual proof?"

Amber blinked. "Chloe, the forensic analysis proved the media is 100% authentic."

"Authentic, sure. But the girl in them isn't me."

My parents' faces darkened. My dad gritted his teeth and pulled a folder from his bag. "Chloe, we didn't want to do this. You forced our hand."

Amber grabbed the papers, her eyes lighting up. "DNA test results, hospital discharge papers, complete with signatures and fingerprints. It's solid proof, Chloe. What do you have to say now?"