Before I could finish speaking, Shirley cut me off coldly. "You just happened to get a hemorrhoid surgery now? What are the odds? Who's going to believe that?"

The onlookers stared at me, shaking their heads and sighing.

"Young lady. When you were messing around with men, why didn't you think about the possible consequences?"

"If you choose to give birth, then raise the child properly. That's your responsibility as a mother!"

I was being cursed out for no reason at all.

I had never felt more wronged in my life.

"Shirley, what did I ever do to you that you're so determined to make me admit this kid is mine? You say I'm the baby's mother. Do you have any proof?"

"Of course I do. Do you think I'd slander you for no reason?" Shirley pulled out her phone and brought up a photo.

She even held it up so everyone around us could see the screen.

"There's a man and a woman in this photo. The woman is her. The man is Aaron Goodman, and he's my boyfriend. I saw them with my own eyes, sneaking out of the men's restroom together, acting all intimate. This photo is solid proof!

"And my boyfriend already confessed! He said he was cheating on me with you. You're this baby's parents!"

The crowd exploded in shock.

My pupils widened as well, stunned all over again.

Wait, who was that guy? I didn't even know him!

And I never imagined that just going to the bathroom could somehow get me a boyfriend I could supposedly have a baby with!

Even my best friend, Theo Jensen, was completely dumbfounded.

"Shirley, your boyfriend is lying. Taylor can't possibly have a child with him!"

"Stop covering for her," Shirley snapped. "She slept with my boyfriend, so today, I'm telling the world that she's a third wheel!"

Fuming, Shirley swiped through her phone and showed another set of photos.

"This woman didn't just hook up with my boyfriend. She has plenty of rich sugar daddies. Everyone, take a look! These are all photos I took of her getting into luxury sports cars. She only looks innocent. In reality, she's a total social climber with a messy private life!"

I stared at the photos of several familiar limited edition sports cars, my face turning pale and then green.

Those cars all belonged to my father, the richest man in the city.

"My dad has a collecting habit, and he's really into trends, so he owns a lot of supercars…"

I tried to explain, but my voice was completely drowned out by the crowd's uproar.

"She looks decent on the outside, but in reality, she's wild. No wonder she could abandon a baby!"

"Officer, the evidence is clear now, right? Hurry up and lock her up. I'm scared to even go to the same school as her. Who knows what diseases she has!"

The officer frowned deeply, his gaze growing harsher by the second.

"Miss, I strongly suggest you tell the truth. Hiding it won't do you any good."

My vision went dark. "You've really got it wrong. I'm a man. I can't get pregnant, and I definitely can't give birth!"

Theo was hopping in panic. "Yeah! He's a dude, through and through. I can vouch for him!"

"Even now, you're still lying for her!"

Shirley jabbed a finger at my chest, speaking with absolute certainty.

"Look at her chest. It's bigger than mine. And you say she's a man? Don't you find that ridiculous?"

I lowered my head and glanced at my chest. Years of working out had given me clearly defined pecs, and under a tight T-shirt, they did look pretty full.

They were definitely bigger than Shirley's flat chest.

I kept quiet, having no comeback.

Theo's face turned red. "What, men aren't allowed to have big chest muscles now?"

"Stop trying to twist things. I have more evidence!" Shirley sneered.

She pulled up another photo.

It was a photo of me in cosplay at a convention.

I was dressed in women's clothing, wearing a long pink wig and a cute, ornate dress.

"Would a man dress like this? So how are you planning to explain it this time?"

Everyone's eyes instantly stabbed toward me.

My scalp prickled with panic.

"I'm an anime nerd. I like cosplay. Wearing women's outfits is normal in that circle. What does that prove?"

Evidence kept piling up, one piece after another.

Shirley, whom I'd only met once, had clearly come prepared.

She was setting me up.

But why?

Shirley scoffed.

"Cosplay? Yeah, right! With this many coincidences, who do you think people will believe? That you're a man, or that she's a woman?"

Before the crowd could even question me further, a group of reporters and influencers suddenly pushed their way in.

They carried cameras and held phones high, shoving forward as their lenses locked onto me.

"Your schoolmate is accusing you of abandoning a newborn and trying to dodge responsibility by confusing your gender. What do you have to say about that?"

"Who's the child's father? A sugar daddy, or your schoolmate's boyfriend? Did you really steal her man?"

"Your private life is a mess, and you abandoned a baby. Is that how a student is supposed to act? We need to call your parents. I fully support expelling you. Go home and take care of your kid instead of playing the social climber!"

The situation quickly spiraled out of control.

More and more filthy accusations flew at me like blades.

I had done absolutely nothing wrong, yet in an instant, I became everyone's target.

Theo tried to help me, but the crowd hunting me down shoved him straight out.

At that moment, Shirley, who had been relentlessly aggressive, suddenly softened her tone.

"Everyone, please go easy on her. No matter what happened, she's still a student. Her abandoned baby was found, and everything about her private life is out there now. Of course, she's scared and losing it. If she's willing to admit her mistakes, take responsibility as a mother, and raise the child properly, I hope everyone can give her a little grace."

As soon as she finished, praise erupted all around.

"See? That's what real class looks like. Even after the other woman had her boyfriend's baby, she still showed kindness. She's amazing!"

"Everyone, take a good look at this woman. Don't ever marry someone like her. You'll regret it for the rest of your life."

"Hey, Shirley's handing you a second chance. Why aren't you thanking her?"

Thank her?

If she hadn't been making things up on the fly, how would I have suddenly ended up with a baby and the reputation of some promiscuous homewrecker?

The accusation hit me like filth poured over my head.

But when enough people repeat a lie, it starts to sound like the truth.

Everyone believed only what they wanted to believe.

At this point, words were useless. I needed proof.

I turned to the police officer.

"Officer, I didn't abandon a baby. Please look at the evidence."

I took out my phone and pulled up my hospital records and payment receipts.

They showed that yesterday afternoon, I had undergone hemorrhoid removal surgery at a local medical center.

"I can barely move today. The blood on my pants is from my stitches splitting after the surgery. I didn't give birth. I couldn't have given birth."

Before the officer could say anything, Shirley let out a scornful laugh.

"Fake evidence, right? How much did you pay someone online for that? I could whip up a hundred records like this in a single day."

I swallowed my anger and met her gaze head-on.

"You say my evidence is fake. Then what proof do you have that this baby is mine?"

"From the very beginning, this has all been your version of events," I said. "If I accused you of being the baby's biological mother, or pointed at some random woman and said she was the mother, wouldn't that make everyone a suspect? If you've got the nerve, then let's do a DNA test."

Theo immediately spoke up in my defense.

"That's right! Do the DNA test! One test will clear everything up."

Shirley's face drained of color. She bit down hard on her lip.

"It's already obvious," she said stiffly. "What's the point of a DNA test?"

I held the baby in my arms. He was fast asleep, his fingers tucked into his mouth. I looked at her coldly.

"Shirley, you've been pushing me nonstop, desperate for me to admit I'm the baby's mother. Now that I'm asking for a scientific test, why are you suddenly so nervous?"

The crowd turned to her, confused.

Shirley's expression shifted instantly.

"Fine. Let's go," she said sharply. "You're the baby's biological mother. There's no doubt about it. I just hope that when the results come out, you'll finally act like a real mother and stop abandoning your own child. That's a crime."

The crowd followed us to a forensic testing center near campus.

While samples were being collected, influencers livestreamed the entire process, filling the air with exaggerated commentary.

They condemned me nonstop, calling me a heartless homewrecker and an unfit mother.

Some people were already looking up how many years I could get in prison.

After all, abandoning a baby was a serious crime. Public disgrace was inevitable. My education would be over, and my future would be completely destroyed.

I was so wronged that I couldn't even speak.

All I could do was wait for the DNA results.

I believed the truth would come out.

After hours of torture, a staff member finally announced flatly, "According to our analysis, the tested infant and Taylor Stevens have a confirmed biological mother and child relationship."

What?

Mother and child?

It felt like a lightning strike straight to my head. My mind went completely blank.

"The evidence is solid. This is conclusive proof! What else do you have to say for yourself?"

Shirley was the first to react, jumping to her feet, her voice trembling with excitement.

"Officer, you all heard that, didn't you? She's the baby's biological mother!"

The crowd erupted instantly. Insults and accusations flew at me, mixed with looks of pure disgust.

"You're disgusting! If you didn't want a child, you shouldn't have given birth!"

"Expel her! The school has to expel someone this immoral!"

"Throw her in jail! Make an example of her!"

The police officer looked at me sternly, his tone heavy.

"The facts are now clear. You must take responsibility for abandoning your baby and accept legal consequences. If you acknowledge your mistake and actively take responsibility for raising the child, a judge may go easy on you."

Theo snatched the report out of their hands, flipping through it in disbelief before shouting at the crowd.

"This report is fake! Taylor just has long hair. He didn't change his gender! How could he possibly be in a mother and child relationship with a baby? The testing center is wrong. You can't trust this!"

The moment he finished speaking, the crowd turned on him.

"This guy's been defending that social climber the whole time. He's obviously involved."

"Expose him! Dox him! Don't let him get away!"

Theo was on the verge of losing control. I grabbed his arm and shook my head.

By now, it was obvious.

I had been turned into someone else's scapegoat.

As for who benefited from all of this…

I looked at Shirley, who was practically glowing with smug satisfaction.