Chapter 6: Web of Guilt

He didn’t even take the SATs—how could he be involved in cheating?

“Looks like you refuse to talk, so let me piece the story together...”

He leaned forward, eyes glinting. I braced myself.

Miles’ grades have always been on par with yours, sometimes even better.

He was my only real rival. We pushed each other, silently competing for years.

Harvard has always been your dream, but you know there are very few spots for our state, even fewer for our small town.

Everyone said only one of us would make it out. The rest would be left behind.

So Miles became your biggest threat.

That was the rumor, anyway. I never saw it that way.

To drag him down, you lied that you couldn’t memorize all the answers alone and had Brandon pull Miles in.

The story was getting wilder by the minute. I wanted to laugh, but I couldn’t.

But upright Miles refused to cheat and planned to report you.

He always did the right thing, no matter the cost.

So, at your instigation, Brandon got angry and had someone injure Miles.

The idea made me sick. Miles was a good guy. He didn’t deserve any of this.

This caused Miles to miss that year’s SATs.

He’d worked so hard, only to be sidelined by someone else’s mess.

With your biggest rival gone, you could realize your Harvard dream!

The logic was twisted, but I could see how someone might believe it.

“You’re really good at making up stories.”

I tried to keep my tone steady, but my hands were shaking.

“Brandon had already been caught once. Even if he chose to cheat again, he wouldn’t involve others. I think you contacted the cheating ring and then incited Brandon to join!”

He was relentless, hammering away at every weak spot.

“Why would I organize cheating? For a family like mine, that would be self-destruction!”

I was barely holding it together.

“Because you hate Brandon. You wanted him dead.”

The words hung in the air, heavy and ugly.

“You’re getting more and more ridiculous...”

But deep down, I couldn’t deny the anger I’d felt. Years of humiliation, bottled up inside.

“Really? I heard that at school, you were often bullied by Brandon. Don’t you want revenge?”

I flinched. The memories came flooding back—cold water, ripped books, bruises that never quite healed.

These words brought back memories I’d buried.

I tried to push them away, but they clawed their way to the surface.

Ice water dumped on me in winter, textbooks ripped up, ignored, shoved around…

Every day was a battle. I learned to keep my head down, to survive.

I had completely forgotten those memories. Why bring them up now?

I thought I’d moved on. But the scars were still there.

“Do you have any evidence for what you’re saying? If it’s just your guess, I hope you stop slandering me.”

I tried to sound calm, but my voice shook.

Seeing me calm down so quickly, a trace of surprise flashed across Detective Harper’s face.

He watched me closely, like he was waiting for me to crack.

But he also noticed my change, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

He seemed almost amused. That made me angry.

He lit another cigarette and took a slow puff.

The smoke curled between us, thick and suffocating.

“Let’s talk about your family, or more precisely, your dad.”

I tensed. My dad was the only thing I had left.

That made my heart skip a beat, my face instantly pale.

I could feel the blood drain from my cheeks. My hands clenched in my lap.

“Everything you’ve confessed has one important premise—family!”

He leaned in, voice low. I could feel his eyes boring into me.

“Divorced parents, dad drinks heavily, nobody cares for you...”

He made it sound so simple. But nothing about my life was simple.

“You were forced onto the wrong path, bit by bit participating in cheating.”

I stared at the table, unable to meet his eyes.

“But what I found out is that before your mom died, your dad had already quit drinking, and never let you fend for yourself!”

His words hit me like a slap. I felt dizzy.

Those words made my heart pound wildly.

He’d done his homework. He knew more about me than I realized.

“If that premise is false, your whole story isn’t true. So what is the truth?”

He waited, letting the silence do its work.