Chapter 5

A strange woman, Brenda, lunged at me like a madwoman, punching and kicking me, tearing at my hair.

“It was you who deliberately put a needle in her pencil case, making her cut her hand!”

“The SAT is in two days! If she hadn’t found it in time and wasn’t seriously injured, my daughter’s life would have been ruined by you!”

“You’re only eighteen, how can you be so vicious!”

I struggled free from her, bewildered. “It wasn’t me, I don’t even know your daughter!”

“Audrey, you’re still trying to argue! I saw you put a needle in her pencil case myself!”

Scarlett suddenly stepped out from behind Brenda, pointing at me confidently.

My face instantly went cold:

“Why would I put a needle in her pencil case? You have no evidence, how dare you accuse me without proof?”

“Who said there’s no evidence?”

The moment I heard Gordon’s voice, my blood ran cold.

He held up his phone and played a video.

Due to the camera angle, the footage showed me discreetly walking to a classmate’s desk and seemingly putting something into their pencil case.

I suddenly remembered that was me helping a teacher from the next class give a prize to their top-performing student.

It was a pen, not a needle.

But my explanation only earned me a retort from Brenda:

“Scarlett saw it with her own eyes! We have witnesses and evidence, and you still won’t admit it!”

I turned to Gordon, gritting my teeth as I asked him, “Did you see it with your own eyes too?”

Gordon avoided my gaze, remaining silent for a long time, then his voice came out hoarse:

“Audrey, you’re usually so jealous and always targeting Scarlett, but I never expected you to harm a classmate. I’m very disappointed in you.”

I looked at him, unable to believe it.

That sentence, without a doubt, confirmed that I had maliciously assaulted someone.

“How can a school teach a monster like you! I’m going to expose you to your school and let everyone know what kind of person you are!”

Brenda stormed out, slamming the door.

I looked at Gordon, trembling uncontrollably. “Why?”

He clenched his fists, his eyes filled with complex emotions, and whispered:

“Audrey, Scarlett didn’t mean for it to get this big. She didn’t expect a joke to cause so much trouble.”

“If Mom and Dad knew, they would be so disappointed in her. She’s used to being proud, and this is the first time I’ve seen her cry so sadly and fearfully.”

By the end, his voice was even tinged with tenderness.

I stared at him intently, word for word:

“So you deliberately pretended to be weak to get me to come all this way, just so I could take the blame for Scarlett?”

His breath hitched, and he spoke with difficulty:

“I’ve already secured a fallback plan for you, nothing bad will happen to you.”

The last bit of hope in my heart shattered.

I don’t know how I got back to school that day.

I only remember that when I arrived, along the way, I was met with disgusted looks and harsh whispers from my classmates:

“It was her who deliberately put a needle in a classmate’s pencil case. It’s so dangerous to be in the same school as someone like that!”

“Can’t they just lock people like her up and not let them out? It’s terrifying.”

Before I even reached my classroom, I was called to the principal’s office.

The principal personally pushed a document in front of me:

“The victim’s family has made a huge fuss about this, forcing us to respond. Your early admission has been revoked.”

“Furthermore, the school has unanimously decided to expel you.”

I stood frozen, my entire body cold.

I couldn’t understand why, despite trying so hard, I couldn’t hold onto the things that mattered to me.

But ever since I returned to the William family with Gordon, it felt like I had been constantly losing things.

Losing Gordon, losing my home, losing my early admission.

In the end, even my school enrollment was gone.

All I wanted was to leave quietly, but even that was so difficult.

A message popped up on my phone.

Gordon sent me transfer documents and two plane tickets:

“There’s a school affiliated with the Williams in Seattle. I’ve already arranged for them to accept your transfer.”

“It’s too late for the SAT, but with your grades, even if you study for another year, you can still get into a great school.”

“After the SAT is over, I’ll go with you.”

So, Gordon had thought of all the consequences, he knew the situation I might face.

He still went ahead and ruined me to this extent for Scarlett.

I stumbled out, clutching the documents, and stood at the school gate for a long time until the security guard shooed me away.

After the SAT, I was dragging my suitcase, about to board a train.

Gordon’s message popped up: “I’m already waiting for you at the airport. Where are you?”

I sent him one last message: “I’m not going to Seattle with you. We’re done.”

As soon as the message was sent, Gordon’s phone started ringing off the hook.

I didn’t answer. I just blocked all his contacts.

I turned and got on the train.

Gordon, goodbye forever.