Chapter 4

I slowly flipped through the papers. They were exactly the same ones from my past life.

The exact documents they used to convict me in the court of public opinion, right before they pushed me to my death.

More and more students held up their phones, recording, waiting for me to break down and confess.

My parents looked utterly devastated, but I didn't miss the faint, smug triumph glinting in their eyes.

I let out a cold laugh. "Papers can be forged."

Amber's face flushed with anger. "You!"

Suddenly, the heavy doors of the auditorium slammed open.

Dean Davis walked in, his face completely pale with fury. Behind him was the Student Affairs Director, dripping with sweat.

"Chloe Miller!" Dean Davis boomed. "The university has received dozens of complaints about your conduct today."

"Abusing your parents, abandoning your child. This is a severe violation of our campus code of conduct. It's not just immoral; it's illegal. The university will not tolerate this."

"Your study abroad scholarship is officially revoked. You are suspended immediately. Do not return until you have resolved this mess!"

I looked up calmly. "Dean Davis, suspending me before any actual investigation is done? Isn't that a bit rash?"

The Dean's face darkened, while the Director frantically gestured for me to shut up.

My mom quickly handed the baby to my dad and grabbed the Dean's arm, sobbing. "Please, Dean, don't suspend her! She worked so hard to get into this school. We can't ruin her future!"

She paused, putting on a show of maternal sacrifice. "She's just... young and confused. As long as she takes the baby, we won't press charges."

"If that's not enough, I'll get on my knees right now!"

The Dean quickly held her up, glaring at me with utter disgust. "Chloe, look at your mother. She's begging for your sake, and you're just sitting there, completely unrepentant!"

I ignored him, quickly firing off a text to my roommate before looking up.

My silence only infuriated him more. "Chloe Miller! Stand up and apologize to your parents, your child, and this university right now!"

I smiled. "Just give it a minute."

My mom grabbed my arm, squeezing it painfully hard. "Chloe, just do as we say," she hissed under her breath.

Then she turned back to the Dean, crying, "Dean, please, punish us instead! We'll write the apology for her!"

The crowd started murmuring in disgust.

"The Dean is standing right there and she's still acting like this? Her skin is thicker than a vault door."

"She's completely toxic. Karma is going to hit her hard."

"She's a lost cause."

Insults rained down on me from all sides.

In my past life, it was the exact same setup. No matter how much I screamed my innocence, nobody listened.

My dad eventually dragged me out of the hall, and in the struggle, I fell over the balcony railing.

And everyone assumed I committed suicide out of guilt.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed. On stage, near the AV console, my roommate gave me a subtle thumbs-up.

Perfect. Showtime.

I turned to my parents and cleared my throat. "You two put on a great show. But let me ask you one thing: what exact day was this baby born?"

They exchanged a quick look, thinking I was finally cracking. My dad's lip twitched with a hidden smirk. "Chloe, did you forget already? You were admitted to the hospital on August 8th, and you gave birth on the 10th."

"Are you absolutely sure?"

"Of course we're sure. We were right there with you the whole time."

I nodded slowly.

"Great. Now, let me show everyone where I actually was during those exact days."