Chapter 4: Truth on Trial, Evidence Underfoot

All because I wouldn’t deliver her phone—she wanted to ruin my life?

The police moved quickly to calm everyone down, stepping between me and the crowd.

A young officer in glasses stepped forward, voice firm. "Everyone, please step back. Let us do our job."

Thank God, they were fair and let me speak for myself.

I explained everything, nerves jangling, my words tumbling out fast.

I laid out the timeline, described every call, every word exchanged. At the end, I added, "And your mom really is in the ICU. I wasn’t lying. I have no reason to make up something like that just to mess with you."

As soon as I finished, Sydney snorted, rolling her eyes in contempt.

"Yeah, yeah, my mom’s in the ICU, my mom’s dead—happy now?" she spat.

She rolled her eyes, arms crossed. "If I was really so unreasonable, would someone like you still bother to tell me this?"

The crowd started booing and jeering, voices overlapping.

"I can’t take this anymore. Even now, she’s still twisting the truth," someone grumbled.

"I bet he was super rude to her earlier!" another person chimed in.

"Look at him, grinding his teeth. People like this are dangerous. Maybe he’ll stalk her after this. Girl, you better watch out," someone else muttered.

The noise got louder, and Sydney started crying again, her wails rising above the din.

She clung to the nearest officer, voice trembling. "Officer, you have to protect me! He’s a creep. If he follows me, I’m done for. Arrest him, please!"

I glared at the crowd, amazed at how easily people could be manipulated. No wonder so many folks get scammed online. Unreal.

"You people..." I started, barely able to get the words out.

I was about to say more when an idea hit me.

My mind sparked. "You’re so arrogant, flipping right and wrong—because you think I have no evidence, right?"

Sydney’s bravado slipped—she definitely looked a little nervous now.

"You all want evidence, right?" I said, raising my voice.

I pulled out my phone, holding it up for everyone to see.

"I have a full recording of my conversation with her. If you don’t believe me, listen for yourselves," I said, meeting Sydney’s gaze.

I didn’t expect Sydney to be bold enough to lunge for my phone right then and there.

She dove for it, hand clawing at the device. In the scramble, my phone slipped from my grip and hit the ground.

Her high heel came down hard, right on the screen, cracking it with a sickening crunch.

The sharp pop of glass breaking echoed through the station. "What are you doing!" I yelled, unable to hold back.

But Sydney switched gears instantly, playing the victim without missing a beat.

She turned to the officers, voice shaking. "Officer, you saw that, right? He’s guilty!"

She sniffed, holding up her hands. "I was just trying to hand the phone over to you, but look what he did! He refused—he’s hiding something."

Now I was really pissed.

"That’s ridiculous! I was worried you’d grab the phone and delete the evidence. Who knows what you’d do if you got your hands on it?"

I pointed at the shattered screen. "Besides, I already took the phone out—why wouldn’t I give it to the police? Do I need your help?"

Some people in the crowd looked uncertain, but Sydney jumped right back in, determined not to lose ground.

"I’m just a weak woman. You think I’d dare destroy evidence in front of the police? Have you watched too many cop shows? Are you crazy?"

She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I say, you dropped the phone on purpose. If I hadn’t stepped on it, you would’ve found a way to destroy it yourself."

"You just want to make sure there’s no evidence so you can keep arguing," she added, voice sharp.

She jabbed a finger at me. "What, angry now? Furious? If I’m wrong, why are you so triggered? You’re mad because I hit the nail on the head, right?"

I was stunned into silence. I couldn’t believe anyone could be so shameless.

"Speaking of the phone, officer, I just remembered—I have evidence!" she announced suddenly.

She whipped out her own phone and scrolled fast. "Actually, I gave in later and sent him money on PayPal. Look, here’s my PayPal transfer record!"

Her smug smile said it all—she thought she had me right where she wanted. But as the officers leaned in, I knew the truth was finally about to come out.