Chapter 3

Time seemed to freeze right then.

Lance's jaw dropped.

Vera's eyes went wide.

The wild, smug look on Sophie's face vanished in an instant, replaced by total blankness and confusion.

And Jason's face went from ghostly pale to sickly gray, then to completely lifeless.

Jason stared at the pregnancy report in my hand like it was the end of the world, looking like he might collapse, all the strength drained from him.

"T-Ten weeks?" Jason whispered, his voice barely more than a murmur, like he was sleep-talking.

Grace heard everything from outside. She was stunned for a second, then suddenly let out a wild, ecstatic scream. "Whoa, Em, you're a total badass. This is a legendary twist."

Noah and his team were surprised for a moment, but their professionalism took over and they got right back to business.

One of the lawyers immediately came forward, took the crucial pregnancy report from my hand, and photographed it for the record.

Noah turned to me, a hint of admiration in his voice. "Miss Lane, why didn't you bring this out sooner?"

I gave Sophie a dismissive glance, watching her look completely defeated. "If I had brought it out earlier, how could we have enjoyed such a dramatic show?

"How could someone have the chance to slap themselves in the face so hard?"

My voice wasn't loud, but it landed like a series of slaps, stinging Sophie, Jason, and Lance right across the face.

Sophie finally snapped out of it and lunged at me like she'd lost her mind, desperate to snatch the report from my hands. "This has to be fake! Emily, you scheming witch. You'd make up anything to clear your name."

The bodyguard at the door stepped in and stopped her cold. She was left flailing and shrieking in place, unable to get past him.

"Whether it's real or not, we can check the hospital records," Noah said coolly. "Miss Quinn, you might want to save your energy for the slander case you're about to face."

The words "slander case" hit Sophie hard. She collapsed to the floor, completely defeated.

She knew deep down that she was finished. In front of Lane Enterprises' legal team, no amount of excuses or lies could save her now.

"No, that's not how it is," Sophie muttered, slumped on the floor, her gaze hollow as she kept shaking her head. "No way."

Jason finally moved. He walked over to Sophie, step by step, towering above her. All the warmth and care in his eyes had vanished, replaced by nothing but icy contempt.

"Sophie," Jason said, his voice rough and hoarse. "Whose baby are you really carrying?"

Sophie trembled, her head snapping up to look at him, eyes wide with terror. "It's yours, Jason. That night after the welcome party, you got drunk and I took you back to your place."

"Cut it out," Jason barked, cutting her off. "I never went back to my apartment that night. Someone drugged me, and when I came to, I was in some random hotel room."

That was another bombshell.

I narrowed my eyes. Looked like things were messier than I thought.

Jason's gaze shifted to me, his eyes, once so clear, now filled with pain, regret, and a desperate plea. "Emily, that night, was it really you with me?"

Before I could answer, Sophie suddenly shot up from the floor like she'd been revived for a moment, pointing at me and cackling hysterically. "So that's how it is.

"Emily, you hypocrite. You're the real sicko here.

"You took advantage of Jason when he was completely out of it, and you—"

Before she could finish, Jason slapped her hard across the face.

He hit her with so much force that Sophie's face instantly swelled up, and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.

"Shut up." Jason was breathing hard, his eyes blazing red with fury. "You don't deserve to say her name."

After slapping Sophie, Jason suddenly turned to me and cried, "Emily, I'm sorry.

"I was a fool. I was blind and stupid, and I wronged you.

"Please, forgive me.

The golden boy, the student council president, begged the girl he'd personally pushed into the abyss now.

The whole scene was dripping with irony and drama.

Lance was practically pretending to be invisible, wishing he could crawl under the table and disappear.

Vera was trembling like crazy, her face pale as a ghost.

I looked down at Jason, who was begging me, but I felt nothing.

Forgive him? Where was he when everyone was pointing fingers at me, when I was all alone, and when they threatened to kick me out of school?

He stood on the other side, throwing the most hurtful words at me. He was the last straw that pushed me over the edge.

Now that the truth was out, did he really think a simple sorry could erase everything?

"Jason," I said, my voice cold. "I don't accept your apology."

I waved my phone, flashing the file Mark had just sent over. "And there's something else you got wrong. The person who drugged you wasn't Sophie."

Jason's head snapped up, eyes wide with shock.

Sophie froze, too.

I looked at them and said slowly, "It was Vera."