Chapter 5
533words
With her vouching for me, everyone fell into a tense silence.
In my previous life, I hadn't been able to make out what was on the screen. This time, I wasted no time. I scrolled through the footage frame by frame.
Even though it was nighttime, the ATM lights were still bright.
Under the clear, almost daylight-like glow, my face was unmistakably visible.
No matter how I looked at it, the person in the footage was undeniably me.
I felt frustrated but refused to give up. I stubbornly kept my eyes locked on the screen.
Seeing me so close to the monitor, Madison immediately signaled for Evan to pull me away.
"You're really evil, Caitlin! You were the only one who had access to Mrs. Austin's card yesterday. Who knows what kind of trick you used to secretly copy it? You probably faked that ankle sprain just to create an alibi!"
Evan, eager to support Madison's accusations, quickly chimed in, "Yeah, Madison's right. She saw through your scheme in an instant!
"Caitlin, you're clever but not clever enough to fool us. Either you return the money, or you'll pay for what you've done to their innocent child!"
I turned to face the two of them and studied their faces carefully.
Yesterday, they were my perfect boyfriend and best friend, but today, they stood together, practically wishing for my immediate demise.
And I had no idea when they'd begun dating behind my back.
After hearing their words, my colleagues looked at me differently now.
"Caitlin, five million dollars isn't a small change. If you did this, you'd better hand it over now. Mr. and Mrs. Austin are already suffering so much. Can you really bear to make things worse for them? You'll probably spend the money on cars and houses. But that's their daughter's surgery money!"
At the mention of their daughter, Alfie's and Demi's tears, which had stopped, began to fall once again.
"Young lady, you're a good person. We thought you wouldn't do something like this, but the footage makes it clear. We're at our wits' end.
"To save our daughter, we've drained all our savings and borrowed from every friend we have. The surgery's this afternoon. If we miss it, we don't even want to live anymore."
Their cries were gut-wrenching, and my heart twisted in sympathy.
But no matter how badly I felt, I could never confess to something I hadn't done.
I scanned the room and sighed deeply. "I swear, I never left the hospital yesterday. The person in the footage may look like me, but it's truly not me."
When I refused to admit guilt, Madison screamed, "You're still denying it even with the evidence? How do you have the nerve?
"Caitlin, you're the most malicious, cold-hearted person I've ever met. This poor couple is about to pass out from grief, and you still won't admit it?"
I pressed my lips together, then suddenly shifted my gaze to Madison's wrist.
"Look, everyone. The person in the video is wearing a charm bracelet. But in my memory, that bracelet is Madison's prized possession. She wears it all the time."
