3
627words
Yesterday, I had asked two coworkers I trusted to call the police if trouble broke out.
Lily’s fake concern surfaced after a flicker of panic. “Zoe, involving the police? You’re just digging your own grave!”
Ethan looked desperate. “Taking $30,000 isn’t some childish prank -- you can’t talk your way out of this! Zoe, tell the officers it’s a misunderstanding!”
“Back off!”
I shoved through the crowd toward the cops. “I’m the one who called,” I explained. “My cousin Lily stole $30,000 from my grandmother’s surgery fund. She framed me and now she’s demanding I repay it while harassing me at work!”
Ethan grabbed my arm. “Zoe, stop this. Why do you always blame Lily for your screw-ups?”
I wrenched free from his annoying hand.
“Shut up! The police can figure out who’s lying!” Turning to the officers, I added, “Grandma’s place has security cameras. Pull the footage—you’ll see exactly who took that money.”
The cops nodded, asking Auntie and Lily to hand over the video. Auntie’s eyes darted around as she stammered excuses.
The senior officer cut her off. “Refusing to cooperate? Does that mean the young lady’s right—is your daughter the thief?”
Auntie, all bluster with us but a mouse around authority, went pale.
Lily sighed dramatically. “Officer, it’s a misunderstanding. Zoe was… in a state of undress during the theft. We deleted the video to protect her privacy.”
I met her gaze coldly. “You’re sure about that?”
“Absolutely.”
While Ethan was distracted, I snatched my phone from his hand and pulled up the video backup. “Everyone! See for yourselves who really stole it!”
I had actually logged into the camera account yesterday and saved the footage of Lily sneaking the card from under Grandma’s pillow -- just in case something like this happened.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
My coworkers erupted.
“She’s the real thief!”
“How shameless!”
“So the nudity story was just a cover! What a liar!”
Lily, never having been publicly shamed like this before, flushed scarlet. She tried protesting, but the police escorted her out. I followed.
Ethan trailed us with a worried look while Auntie wailed and rallied the relatives to the station.
“That footage proves nothing!” Auntie insisted. “Zoe forced Lily to steal that money for her new car!”
Her bias left me speechless.
Ethan piped up. “Officers, you shouldn’t hold Lily. I know Zoe—she has a history of bullying Lily. She pressured her into this for the car. I’ll cover the $30,000 myself.”
I gritted my teeth. “Ethan, didn’t I tell you to stay out of my life?”
He gave me an earnest look. “I won’t stand by and watch you destroy yourself, Zoe. Why don’t you see I’m trying to help?”
Help?
In my previous life, I’d trusted his “good intentions,” enduring years of him siding with Lily… and it destroyed me. Words failed me as fresh rage boiled up.
The relatives piled on. “Zoe’s always been rotten, but her boyfriend’s decent—standing up for Lily like this.”
Ethan shook his head sadly. “As her partner, I can’t let her bully people.”
Lily sniffed. “Zoe doesn’t deserve you, Ethan. Why can’t she see how good you are?”
Ethan frowned. “I’ve tried guiding her. I truly don’t get why she hates you so much.”
Despite the clear video and my coworkers witnessing the truth, Ethan and my relatives still painted Lily as some pure, victimized angel. They’d swallow her ridiculous “coercion” story over hard evidence any day. Done with them all, I trusted the law.
I approached the officer. “Did you check Grandma’s bank withdrawal? Does it confirm Lily is the thief?”
He studied me carefully. “We did. The $30,000 was used to purchase a car… registered in your name.”
