Chapter 5: Proof Against Me
1405 Words
I couldn’t hear anything after that.
“The necklace… we found it in her room.”
Those words kept repeating in my head like something broken.
Over and over.
Louder each time.
Until everything else faded.
“No…”
The word slipped out before I could stop it.
My eyes were fixed on the necklace in the staff member’s hand.
Chloe’s necklace.
The one she claimed was missing.
The one I never touched.
That’s not possible.
“I didn’t…” My voice trembled. “I didn’t take it.”
No one responded.
No one moved.
Because the evidence was right there.
“I swear,” I said again, more desperately now, my chest tightening painfully, “I didn’t do this.”
Chloe gasped softly beside Ethan.
“Anna…” she whispered, her voice filled with disbelief. “Why would you…”
She didn’t finish the sentence.
She didn’t need to.
Why would you steal from me?
Why would you lie?
Why would you become this kind of person?
The questions hung in the air without being spoken.
“I didn’t take it!” I repeated, louder this time, my voice cracking under the weight of it.
Ethan finally looked at me.
Not with anger.
Not even with disappointment.
Just… cold judgment.
“You still want to deny it?” he asked.
My heart dropped.
Still?
So in his mind…
It was already decided.
“I’m not denying anything,” I said, shaking my head quickly. “Because I didn’t do it. Someone put it there.”
My eyes moved instinctively to Chloe.
For a split second—
Our gazes met.
And there it was again.
That flicker.
That quiet, hidden satisfaction.
My stomach twisted violently.
“You think I would do that?” Chloe asked softly, her voice trembling.
She stepped back slightly, as if hurt.
As if she couldn’t believe I would even think such a thing.
“I didn’t say your name,” I replied, but my voice was already weakening.
“You didn’t have to,” she whispered.
Silence.
Heavy.
Suffocating.
Ethan took the necklace from the staff member’s hand, examining it briefly before his gaze returned to me.
“It was found in your room,” he said.
Each word felt like a verdict.
“I know what you’re trying to say,” I replied quickly, panic rising in my chest. “But you have to believe me, I didn’t—”
“Enough.”
The word cut through everything.
I flinched.
Not because he raised his voice.
But because of how final it sounded.
Like he didn’t want to hear anything else.
“I won’t repeat myself,” he continued, his tone calm but cold. “If you did it, admit it.”
My fingers curled tightly into my palms.
“I didn’t.”
The words came out weaker this time.
Because no matter how many times I said it…
Nothing changed.
Ethan’s gaze didn’t soften.
Didn’t waver.
“Then explain how it ended up in your room.”
I opened my mouth.
And froze.
Because I couldn’t.
Because I didn’t know.
Because the truth—
Didn’t matter.
“I…” My voice failed me.
And that was enough.
A quiet sigh escaped him.
“Unbelievable,” he muttered.
That one word.
It hurt more than anger.
More than shouting.
Because it wasn’t emotional.
It was dismissive.
Like I wasn’t even worth the effort of being angry at.
“I didn’t do it…” I whispered again, but now it sounded like I was trying to convince myself.
Chloe wiped at her eyes, her voice breaking softly.
“Ethan… maybe we should just forget it,” she said. “I don’t want this to turn into something bigger.”
Something bigger.
It already was.
“Forget it?” he repeated.
His tone shifted slightly.
Colder.
“No,” he said. “If she did it, there are consequences.”
My heart skipped.
Consequences?
I looked at him, something close to fear creeping into my chest.
“Ethan…” I said, shaking my head slowly, “you can’t be serious.”
He didn’t hesitate.
“Apologize.”
The word hit me like a slap.
“What?”
“Apologize to Chloe,” he said.
For a second, I thought I misheard him.
“You want me to apologize…” My voice trembled, disbelief flooding through me. “For something I didn’t do?”
His expression didn’t change.
“You embarrassed her,” he replied.
Embarrassed her?
A hollow laugh escaped my lips, shaky and broken.
“I’m the one being accused,” I said. “I’m the one being searched, humiliated, and you think I embarrassed her?”
“Lower your voice,” he said coldly.
That did it.
Something inside me snapped.
“No,” I said, louder now, my eyes burning. “I won’t.”
The room went still.
Completely still.
Even the staff seemed to freeze.
Because I had never spoken to him like that before.
Not in this life.
Not in the last.
Ethan’s gaze darkened.
“Apologize,” he repeated.
“No.”
The word came out instantly.
Without hesitation.
And for the first time—
I saw it.
A flicker of anger in his eyes.
Real anger.
“You’re making this harder than it needs to be,” he said.
“No,” I replied, my voice shaking now, “you’re making me admit to something I didn’t do.”
“Then prove it.”
I froze.
Again.
Because I couldn’t.
Because everything was already against me.
The necklace.
The accusation.
The silence.
Everything.
My vision blurred slightly as tears gathered in my eyes.
No.
Don’t cry.
Not here.
Not in front of them.
But it didn’t matter.
Because the more I tried to hold it in…
The worse it felt.
“I didn’t do it,” I whispered again.
But this time…
It sounded small.
Weak.
Useless.
Ethan looked at me for a long moment.
Then he spoke.
“If you refuse to apologize…”
My heart pounded.
“…then you’ll be punished.”
Everything inside me went cold.
Punished?
For something I didn’t do?
I stared at him, my lips parting slightly, but no words came out.
Because suddenly—
I couldn’t recognize him.
Was he always like this?
Or did I just refuse to see it before?
“What kind of punishment…” I asked quietly, my voice barely audible.
He didn’t hesitate.
“You’ll stay in your room,” he said. “No leaving. No contact with anyone outside. Until you admit the truth.”
My chest tightened painfully.
“That’s not fair,” I whispered.
“Fair?” he repeated.
There was no emotion in his voice.
“Neither is stealing.”
That was it.
That was the final blow.
Something inside me broke completely.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
Just… quietly.
Because no matter what I said…
No matter how much I tried…
He would never believe me.
Not then.
Not now.
Not ever.
Tears slipped down my cheeks before I could stop them.
And this time…
I didn’t wipe them away.
Because what was the point?
“Fine,” I whispered.
The word came out empty.
Defeated.
Ethan’s expression didn’t change.
He turned away immediately.
As if the matter was already settled.
As if I no longer mattered.
“Take her upstairs,” he said.
Two staff members stepped forward.
I didn’t resist.
Didn’t speak.
Didn’t look at anyone.
Because I already knew—
There was nothing left to say.
As they led me toward the stairs, my steps felt heavy.
Slow.
Unreal.
Halfway up, I stopped.
Not because I wanted to.
But because something in my mind finally connected.
A memory.
Sharp.
Clear.
This scene.
This accusation.
This exact moment
It happened before.
In my past life.
But…
My breath caught.
Something was different.
Back then
The necklace wasn’t found in my room.
My heart started racing.
Then where
Cold realization spread through me like ice.
If this didn’t happen the same way before…
Then someone
Changed it.
I slowly turned my head.
My eyes landed on Chloe.
She was still standing there.
Quiet.
Fragile.
Perfect.
But this time
She was looking at me.
And she was smiling.
Not softly.
Not kindly.
But knowingly.
Like she had been waiting for me to realize it.
My blood ran cold.
Because in that moment
I understood something terrifying.
She knew.
- Writer
