The moment Allie Brooks stepped into the hall, every eye seemed to turn toward her. A buzz of whispers rippled through the crowd, like wildfire finding dry grass. She stood frozen, the weight of countless stares pressing down on her shoulders.
“What’s happening?” she muttered, her voice barely audible over the murmurs.
Allie’s colleagues from the journalism club, who had been standing nearby, exchanged uneasy glances. Cheryl Waverly broke from the crowd and marched toward Allie, her face a mask of fury.
Pointing an accusatory finger at Allie, Cheryl hissed, “How could you, Allie? How could you frame me? You’re vile, absolutely vicious. Was it not enough that you destroyed my and Nick’s baby?”
The accusations landed like a bombshell. Gasps echoed across the hall. Allie’s jaw dropped. He
