Chapter 2

2.

The moment the words left my mouth, Hayden stormed onto the stage and slapped me across the face.

"Joanie! What the hell are you talking about?" he roared.

Behind me, the screen flickered to life, displaying the contents of my flash drive. It contained every piece of data, every outline, and every rough draft of my research.

The timestamps were undeniable proof that I was the original creator. This wasn't something someone could just fake or copy overnight.

Annabel's face turned ghostly white. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and her entire body began to tremble.

The audience went silent, the collective mood shifting as they stared at the evidence.

I looked Hayden straight in the eyes. "Hayden, I'm not a thief. This research is mine."

When the plagiarism accusations first surfaced, Hayden had been furious.

He had screamed at me in front of everyone, calling me a disgusting, petty thief.

I hadn't cared about what others thought, but I had been terrified that Hayden would leave me over a misunderstanding.

He had always hated liars and frauds.

I had worked myself to the bone to find this evidence, just to clear my name in his eyes.

But looking at his rage now, I realized the man standing before me wasn't the man I loved.

He had changed into someone I didn't recognize.

Hayden didn't even look at the screen. He reached out to pull Annabel into his arms.

"Joanie, I never asked you to be as brilliant as Annabel," he spat. "All I wanted was for you to be a decent person, not a common criminal!"

"I'm your boyfriend. Do you think I don't know what your skill level is? Who are you trying to fool with this fake 'truth' just to dodge responsibility?"

"I was there with Annabel while she worked on this. I am the biggest witness to the fact that it's hers."

His voice, amplified by the microphone, echoed through every corner of the auditorium.

I stared at him, completely speechless.

Hayden's parents were world-renowned professors, and he was a star student himself. More importantly, he was my boyfriend.

His word carried more weight than any digital evidence I could provide.

Annabel's eyes welled with tears, looking up at him with pure devotion.

Hayden grabbed the mic from my hand, his voice filled with a self-righteous fury. "Joanie might be my girlfriend, but I will not cover up her crimes just because of our relationship!"

The crowd erupted into thunderous applause.

I stood there, frozen, as a bone-chilling cold settled in my marrow.

In that moment, I finally understood what it felt like for one's soul to turn to ash.