Chapter 3

My mother's voice was loud, loud enough to pull in the people around us. In that moment, plenty of them turned to look at the two of us.

“Ava, you're the one who drank, you drove drunk, and now you want to pin it on me!”

Seeing so many eyes on me, her voice climbed even higher.

There was more nerve behind it when she said that.

People all around me were pointing and muttering, and watching it happen, my heart sank right along with them.

I knew I had no proof.

So in the end, I was taken in.

At the police station, my mother was still watching me. “Ava, don't go blaming me for this!”

“It's your own mistake, so you have to take responsibility for it!”

I heard her out with a cold face.

There was nothing left in my eyes but despair.

The person I was now couldn't stand to listen to another word from her.

I knew that from the moment she made that phone call, the two of us could never go back to the way we'd been.

Before I could get a word out, two people came in through the door.

Lance Gilbert and Nora Gilbert.

The second Lance saw my mother, he went straight over and gripped her hand, and at the same time he looked at me. “Ava, don't take this the wrong way, but Uncle Lance has to say it!”

“You've always had it out for Nora. I never imagined your temper could be this vicious!”

“Drunk driving, on top of that!”

Listening to that, I let out a cold laugh and said nothing.

I knew there was no point saying anything to a hypocrite like him.

He was the one who'd sweet-talked my mother into framing me, and he could still stand there and say something that shameless like he had every right.

Nora, off to the side, looked at me. “Ava, I've already called the company!”

“The boss says he'll come in tomorrow morning and announce your punishment at the meeting!”

“That project of yours, there's no way you can keep it now!”

“But don't you worry, I'll be sure to manage it well for you!”

There was a smugness in her voice when she said it.

I only looked at Nora coldly, then turned my head toward the few officers beside me.

I'd long since stopped holding out any hope for the three of them.

As far as I was concerned, these three had come here to ruin me, plain and simple.

“Officers, I really didn't drive drunk. My mother made me drink a bottle!”

I said it fast.

I told them the whole thing.

At the same time I turned to look at my mother, still foolishly hoping some part of her conscience might stir.

Only to find her giving me one cold glance.

Then she took Lance's hand, her eyes full of smiles. “Nora is so capable, she'll manage all of it just fine!”

“It's Ava who gives me such headaches!”

Watching what my mother did, in that moment, my heart went dead.

I turned my head, glanced at the two officers in front of me, and gave a bitter smile.

Clearly they hadn't expected a mother to treat me like this either.

There was a trace of pity in the way they looked at me now.

For them, by this point, they'd actually seen through some of it.

But no matter what, I had no proof.

So in the end, I was still detained.

Only, as I was being taken in, my mother watched me, her eyes full of smiles. “Ava, you just sit tight in there. A week from now, Mom will come get you out!”

“Don't worry, when the time comes, Mom will cook you a whole table of your favorite dishes!”