Alice's POV

It was supposed to be a simple holiday break. Yet the school’s campus queen batted her lashes at my boyfriend, asking him to help adjust her lab data.

He knew perfectly well that if she got caught, she’d fail the class. But still, he sat beside her and guided her hand as she handled delicate equipment.

I was quietly recording the numbers when she suddenly “slipped” and knocked over the solution.

The sample, worth two million and tied to a national-level research project, was ruined in seconds.

Panicked, she dove straight into my boyfriend’s arms, trembling as tears welled up in her eyes.

“Sir… I didn’t mean to, I swear!”

He gently wiped her tears and, without hesitation, turned his cold gaze on me.

“Rewrite your lab report. You’ll take the blame.”

Then, as if that wasn’t enough, he added, “She can’t have a mark on her record. You’ve already failed before anyway.”

For a moment, I froze. Then, to my own surprise, I laughed.

He really didn’t get it.

The precious sample she just destroyed was the core of his PhD project, which he spent five years of his life on.

The lab reeked of chemicals, sharp and bitter in the air. Smoke still curled up from the destroyed sample on the floor.

When I looked up, there she was, Chloe Savage, curled up in the arms of my boyfriend, Melvin Manning, sobbing like a child wronged by the whole world.

“Sir, I’m so sorry…” she whimpered, pouting her lips and blinking at him. “I really didn’t mean it… I was just so nervous… my hand slipped…”

Melvin rubbed her back, his voice dripping with sweetness. “It’s fine, it’s not your fault. I know it was an accident. Don’t be scared. I’m here.”

I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms.

Once upon a time, that gentle voice was meant for me.

I came from a wealthy family. My parents divorced early, but neither ever let me go without. When Melvin first pursued me, I knew his background wasn’t good, so I never made him spend a dime.

When he bought me milk tea, I topped up his meal card behind his back.

When he dreamed of grad school and studying abroad, I went straight to my father for funding and found him the best mentor.

He even once told me I was his “little sun,” the light in his dark world.

I thought I had found real love, so I didn’t care if he was drawn to my money or what.

Even his moments of insecurity, I protected them, afraid to hurt his pride.

So when did it all change?

Probably the moment Chloe appeared.

She was from the art department, with no business in our biochem lab, yet she always had excuses to stick around.

One day, it was, “I don’t understand this elective,” another time, “I’m curious about research.”

And Melvin?

At first, he kept her at arm’s length. Then, he started tutoring her patiently.

And now, they knew no boundaries at all!

I swallowed the lump in my throat and forced myself to speak. Pointing at the ruined sample, I said firmly, “Melvin, do you even understand what this is? That was the core sample for a state-funded project worth two million! You don’t just shrug this off as an ‘accident.’”

Finally, his eyes left her face. He looked at me, cold and impatient. “Alice, why are you yelling? Chloe’s already shaken enough. Can’t you show some compassion?”

Compassion?

I almost laughed.

“She’s scared? Then what about me? I’m the one responsible for this report! Did you think about what happened to me? The data’s ruined, the project’s gone, and now you want me to take the fall? Why?”

“Because you’ve already failed before!” he shot back, as if it were the most reasonable thing in the world. “You already have a blemish on your record. One more won’t matter. But Chloe? She’s up for grad school. She can’t afford this!”

The words stabbed into me, sharp and merciless.

And why had I failed before?

It was because when he landed in the hospital with acute appendicitis, I stayed by his side for two weeks straight, missing the exam that mattered most!

Back then, he had clutched my hand, eyes red, whispering, “Alice, I’ll never let you down in this life.”

So this was his idea of “never letting me down.”

Just then, Chloe lifted her head from his chest, her big, teary eyes glistening as she looked at me.

“Alice, please don’t blame him. It’s all my fault. I was clumsy and dragged you both into this. Maybe I should… I should just go confess to the professor myself.”

She then shuffled toward the door, but her steps were slow as if the floor weighed her down.

“Chloe! Don’t be stupid!” Melvin grabbed her hand, his voice softer, more protective than ever. “If you confess, your future will be ruined!”

Alice's POV

Melvin turned on me, his eyes filled with disgust. “Alice, can’t you be reasonable for once? I’m begging you, alright? Just help Chloe this one time. You being this petty really makes me hate you.”

“Hate me?”

I stared at him, at the man I once loved with all my heart, and my voice trembled. “Melvin, you want me to take the blame, ruin my own future, just to protect a manipulative girl who wrecked everything on purpose? That’s what you call being reasonable?”

Before I could react, he raised his hand and slapped me across the face. “You’re talking nonsense!”

The sting spread instantly, leaving half my face numb and my mouth tasting of blood.

I looked at him in shock.

He shouted, his voice rising, “How could Chloe have done it on purpose? Alice, how did I never see that you're jealous and vicious before?”

Jealous? Vicious?

I froze.

What exactly was I supposed to be jealous of?

Her fake tears? Her shameless flirting?

“I’m not jealous,” I said coldly, meeting his eyes. “I was blind. Blind enough to fall for a spineless fool who can’t even tell right from wrong.”

His expression darkened, and he spat his words without thinking.

“Yeah, I’m a fool! A fool for ever letting myself get tangled up with you, a spoiled rich girl with nothing to offer but money! Do you have any idea how much pressure I’ve been under? Everyone laughs at me, says I’m living off a woman!”

He then pointed at Chloe, clutching her hand tighter. “But Chloe isn’t like you! She’s pure, kind, and fragile, needing someone to protect her! With her, I finally feel like a real man!”

Then his voice turned sharp, striking where he knew it would hurt most.

“And don’t think I don’t know about your family. Your parents divorced ages ago. They don’t care about you! All you’ve got is an empty shell. Stop acting like you’re better than anyone else.”

My body went cold, like ice had replaced my blood.

My parents’ divorce was the one wound I’d kept hidden. I had only ever told him once, on a drunken night, crying in his arms.

I told him I felt like an unwanted ball, kicked back and forth between them.

And what did he say then?

He said, “Alice, you’re not a ball. You’re my treasure. My home will be your home. I’ll never abandon you.”

Turned out, he remembered every word not to protect me, but to use it against me.

Right on cue, Chloe chimed in, her voice soft and trembling, every word a dagger, “Sir, don’t say that to her. Even if her family situation is complicated, and she’s a little overbearing, and failed a course, and maybe doesn’t know how to be considerate… she still… she still likes you.”

I let out a sharp laugh.

What a perfect move, pretending to defend me while pointing out all my “flaws.”

And just like that, Melvin’s anger flared even higher.

He jabbed a finger in my face and shouted like he’d been waiting years to unleash it, “Likes me? That’s not love! That’s control! You’re possessive, obsessive! Alice, let me make this clear. This responsibility is yours, whether you like it or not. If you so much as drag Chloe down with you, we’re done. And don’t think your family’s money makes you untouchable! You ruined that sample, and even your father won’t be able to save you!”

I looked at his furious face, then at Chloe, hiding behind him, covering her smile with her hand.

And suddenly, I didn’t feel like crying anymore.

This must be what it felt like when your heart finally died.

Slowly, I pulled out my phone.

Melvin’s eyes narrowed. He barked, “What are you doing? Calling your dad? Don’t bother, he can’t help you with this!”

Yet I ignored him. With steady hands, I dialed the head of the lab and the lead professor in charge of the entire project and put it on speaker.

The call connected quickly.

“Alice?” Professor Daniel Schuman’s stern voice came through. “What is it? Have you recorded the data?”

Upon hearing the professor's voice, both Melvin and Chloe stiffened, their faces paling. They hadn’t expected me to go straight to the top.

I drew in a deep breath, forcing my voice to stay calm.

“Professor, I’m very sorry to disturb you. There’s been a serious incident in the lab. The core sample for the Dawn Project was knocked over during handling. It’s completely destroyed.”

Three seconds of silence, then his furious roar blasted through the phone:, “What? Destroyed? Who did it? Who was responsible?”

I could feel the panic ripple through the two standing in front of me.

Melvin’s face twisted, and he mouthed at me furiously, “Alice! Don’t you dare!”

I met their terrified stares, leaned closer to the phone, and spoke clearly, “It was Melvin Manning and Chloe Savage.”

Alice's POV

On the other end of the line, silence hung heavy.

I could hear Professor Schuman’s ragged breathing through the phone, and even from here, his fury was palpable.

Melvin’s face turned ghostly pale. In a panic, he lunged at me, trying to snatch the phone from my hand.

“Alice! Are you out of your damn mind? What nonsense are you spouting?”

Chloe was stunned, too. She clutched his arm, her voice shaking. “Sir, what do we do?”

I easily stepped out of his reach and kept speaking into the phone.

“Professor, it’d be best if you came here yourself.”

“I’ll be there immediately.”

The words hissed through his clenched teeth before he hung up.

Now, only the three of us remained in the lab.

The air grew suffocating, thick with tension.

Melvin’s eyes locked onto me, murderous in their intensity. He stormed forward, wrapped his hand around my neck, and roared, “What are you trying to pull, Alice? Do you want to ruin me and Chloe?”

“Ruin you?” I gasped, struggling under his grip, my face turning purple. Inside, I almost laughed at the absurdity. “You’re the ones who ruined the sample. I only told the truth.”

“Who saw us ruin it?” His voice rose, sharp and aggressive. “It was you! You were clumsy while recording data and knocked it over! Chloe and I tried to stop you!”

After that, he shoved me away with disgust. I stumbled and crashed to the floor, staring at him in disbelief.

I hadn’t realized people could be this shameless.

Suddenly, Chloe seized the opportunity. Like flipping a switch, she slipped into her act, tears streaming down as she whimpered, “Yes. Alice, how could you blame us like this? We were only trying to help you. Even if you don’t want to take responsibility, you shouldn’t push it onto us.”

She cowered behind Melvin, looking small and fragile, like she was terrified I might strike her.

Melvin immediately shielded her tighter, glaring down at me with contempt.

“I really misjudged you, Alice! To think you’d stoop this low, twisting the truth just to save yourself. Do you even have a conscience?”

Twist the truth? Stooping low?

Those words coming out of his mouth, what a bitter joke!

My chest felt like it was being ground through a meat grinder, pain turning numb.

“Melvin,” I said, locking eyes with him, “can you honestly tell me you believe your own words?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” he answered with self-righteous conviction. “This is the truth! And listen, when Professor Schuman gets here, you’d better own up to your mistake. Don’t expect me to go easy on you just because of our past.”

I let out a short, bitter laugh.

Our past? Was there even anything left of it?

When he forced me to take the blame for Chloe, when he used my deepest wound to tear me apart, whatever fragile bond we once had shattered long ago.

Just then, Chloe tugged gently at his sleeve, her voice soft and pitiful. “Sir, don’t be so harsh. Maybe Alice didn’t mean it. Maybe she’s just too scared. It’s okay if we take the blame as long as she’s alright.”

Her act worked perfectly. Melvin’s fury reignited, his face twisted as he jabbed a finger at me.

“Scared? What’s she got to be scared of? Her family’s loaded! At worst, they’ll just pay for it. Two million is nothing to her! But you, Chloe? What about your grad school recommendation? What about your future?”

His gaze toward Chloe was soft, full of pity and concern. But when he turned to me, it was nothing but ice and disdain.

“Alice,” he said, every word laced with finality, “you’re taking the fall for this. You owe me that much.”

My eyes widened in disbelief.

I owed him?

What exactly did I owe?

Money? Love? Time? In the past two years, who really owed whom?

Rage trembled through me, shaking every inch of my body. Just as I was about to lose control, the lab door burst open with a crash.