Chapter 4

When Vanessa and I arrived at the library, it was during peak study hours.

The moment we stepped through the doors, the ambient noise died down. Countless eyes snapped toward me, sharp as poisoned needles.

"Look, it’s the BMW girl!"

"Man, she looks even worse in person."

"What's she doing here? Looking for Chase to cash in on that sports car?"

Hushed whispers and blatant snickers washed over me like a tide.

I kept my head down, shaking like a leaf in the wind.

Vanessa, however, walked like a queen, chin held high as if impervious to the hostility. She dragged me straight toward the front desk.

Chase was sitting behind the counter, organizing books.

Sunlight streamed through the window, haloing him in a soft golden glow. His profile was striking, sharp, and breathtakingly aloof.

Hearing the commotion, he looked up.

When his gaze landed on me, the calm in his eyes instantly froze into solid ice.

In my last life, that very look had destroyed me.

Back then, I had lunged forward like a madwoman, babbling incoherent explanations that I didn't write it, that the photo was fake, that it was all a misunderstanding.

My frantic hysterics had only earned his disgust and a cold, flat: "Please leave."

And then, Vanessa had stepped in seamlessly, pulling me back and bowing deeply to Chase with tearful eyes:

"Excuse me, we're here to clear Nora’s name. I know you might know the admin. Please, delete the post. She’s really not like that, she’s having a breakdown!"

What an actress. What a selfless friend.

This time, I wasn't giving her the stage.

Before Vanessa could open her mouth, I took a step forward, cutting right in front of the counter.

I didn't cry. I didn't scream. I just lifted my head and met Chase’s frigid stare. My voice wasn't loud, but it cut clearly through the dead-silent reading hall.

"Chase. Regarding that post on the Confession Wall, I have a few things to say."

Everyone froze.

Including Chase, and especially Vanessa behind me.

They probably expected me to burst into tears or run away in humiliation.

Chase’s brows knitted together slightly, a hint of suspicion flickering in his eyes.

I pulled my phone from my pocket, opened the screen recording, and turned the display directly toward him.

"This is a video from last night. It shows my roommate, Vanessa, 'helping' me edit my confession."

From the phone's speaker, Vanessa’s voice rang out crisp and clear:

"‘I’ve had my eye on you for a long time’ is way too boring. It needs to be scandalous... ‘Heard your family runs a big company’—we definitely have to keep that, makes you look ambitious!"

"As for the photo, let’s use this one from Orientation Week. It’s so real! Totally memorable!"

"Done! Let's post it! I swear, by tomorrow, you’ll be the most viral girl on campus!"

The video was barely a minute long.

Yet every single sentence landed like a deafening slap right across Vanessa’s face.

The library fell into tomb-like silence.

Everyone stared in utter shock, their smirks morphing into disbelief.

Vanessa’s face drained of every drop of color.

She lunged forward to snatch my phone, but I dodged her effortlessly.

"Nora! You... you recorded me?!" she shrieked, losing all composure. "Why are you trying to frame me?! I was just joking around with you!"

"Joking?" I scoffed, my cold gaze sweeping over the stunned crowd. "Using my reputation and my dignity as a stepping stone to bag the guy you want... you call that a joke?"

"I didn't!" Vanessa screeched defensively. "I don't even like Chase! I did everything for your own good!"

"Really?" I tapped the phone screen. "Too bad I have another audio file."

I hit play.

It was an audio recording from last night, captured while Vanessa thought I was sound asleep, talking on the phone with her long-distance boyfriend.