1 I was fitting my wedding dress when my fiancé called, voice shaking. "Scarlett, the new house… it’s burned down!" At the scene, my seven-year-old nephew Ethan sobbed in a reporter’s arms, covered in soot. "It was Auntie! She tried to burn me alive for our family’s money!" Under flashing cameras, he revealed bruises on his neck. "She beats me, drugs my water, even puts thumbtacks on my bed!" The internet erupted: "Her sister’s barely buried, and she’s stealing from a child!" "Monsters like her deserve execution!" My fiancé’s family’s pity turned to horror. What Ethan didn’t know? For him, I’d torn up a deal—his father’s house in exchange for a lighter sentence—and sent the man to death row myself. I’d spent my savings raising him… only for him to paint me a murderer. Nausea hit me. This nephew? I was done. … "Scarlett Evans, you piece of trash!" "How dare you get married after trying to kill your own nephew! Your sister must be turning in her grave!" My phone buzzed relentlessly, the messages on the screen making my scalp tingle. I stood outside the police tape, my wedding dress stained with ash. The phone rang again. It was my fiancé Leo’s mother, her voice like ice. "Scarlett, you've dragged the Chen family's name through the mud! The wedding is off! Off, do you hear me?!" She hung up before I could explain. Through the crowd, I saw Leo. He tried to rush over, but his mother held him back, her grip like a vise. His eyes were filled with pain, but also with a wavering doubt. The way he looked at me, as if I were a monster, froze the last bit of warmth in my heart. Memories from the past few months flooded my mind, each one a knife twisting in my gut. It started with him stealing money from my wallet. Five thousand dollars, gone in less than a day on game skins, virtual items, and tips for streamers. When I confronted him, he ran to school, crying, telling his teachers I had forced him to steal because I wouldn't feed him. They believed him. At the parent-teacher conference, the other parents looked at me like I was a child-abusing demon. I explained, I begged, I showed them receipts for everything I bought him. It was useless. Then, he deliberately pushed a classmate at school. The little girl broke her leg. When her parents came to our door, he hid behind me, his eyes wide with tears, and whimpered, "My aunt wants me to get expelled so she can send me to an orphanage." I emptied my savings to pay for the girl's medical bills. I enrolled him in the most expensive after-school programs, bought him every toy he wanted. In return, his schemes only grew more elaborate. A month ago, in the principal's office, Ethan sobbed his heart out, pointing a small finger at me. "Teacher, my aunt made me steal it! She said our family was starving and we had to steal something valuable!" The limited-edition fountain pen was worth three hundred dollars. I paid for it on the spot. Worse, I had to apologize in front of all the other parents, admitting to my "improper parenting." The looks they gave me were the same as the reporters' now—filled with disgust and contempt. And then, ten days ago, the neighbor's cat fell from the sixth floor and died instantly. Ethan stood there, his eyes red and puffy, looking aggrieved. "It scratched me. I just gave it a little push. I didn't think it would fall." But I had seen the cat's body. I saw the raw, pink flesh where patches of fur were missing, oozing blood. I saw the small, still-bleeding puncture wounds on its hind leg, clearly made by a small knife. I remember the look in that cat's eyes before it died—pure terror. And Ethan, once he was back inside, didn't shed a single tear. Thinking back now, it wasn't an accident. He did it on purpose. I looked past the police tape to where Ethan was surrounded by reporters. His tears came on command, his trembling voice pitched with just the right amount of fear. "My aunt said I'm a murderer's son and I don't deserve to live! She said I'm a burden and she's wanted to kill me for a long time!" Every word was a bullet, hitting its mark with deadly precision. Watching Ethan's masterful performance for the cameras, the last shred of hope I had cherished was extinguished. I had naively believed that at seven, he was still just a child who didn't know any better. That even if he did wrong, with enough guidance and love, I could set him on the right path. But now, watching him expertly manipulate public opinion, calculating every last detail, I finally understood—I could never teach him. 2 A police officer approached, his expression grim. "Ms. Evans, we need you to come with us for questioning. Your nephew, Ethan Thorne, has accused you of arson and attempted murder." I looked at him and said, word for word, "I did not do it." I was escorted by two female officers toward the charred remains of my bridal home. Strangers and neighbors pointed and whispered. "That's the black-hearted woman! Lost all her conscience for money!" "Yeah, that's her. She always seemed so quiet and gentle, who knew she was so vicious." "Right, even tried to burn her own nephew to death, what a beast!" I tried to explain that I hadn't killed anyone. That I had given all my love to care for my nephew. But no one around me believed a word. My legs started to feel weak, a buzzing filled my head. Just then, a familiar voice called out, "Scarlett! Scarlett Evans!" I turned to see my best friend, Kendra. She was desperately pushing through the crowd, trying to reach me. "Let me through! I need to see Scarlett!" Kendra finally broke through to me, her eyes filled with tears. "Scarlett, what on earth happened?!" "Ethan is not just your enemy's child, he's also your sister's only son!" My heart sank to the pit of my stomach. Even Kendra doubted me. "I didn't do it!" I screamed, my voice raw. Kendra took a step back, a flicker of fear in her eyes. "Scarlett, you need to calm down..." The female officer pulled me forward, and my mind started replaying the past. After my sister's funeral, my brother-in-law's parents knelt before me, a property deed and a bank card placed beside them. "Scarlett, sign this leniency plea, let your brother-in-law live, and all of this will be yours!" His mother wailed, heartbroken. "Your brother-in-law just made a mistake. If your sister knew, she wouldn't want Ethan to lose his father and become an orphan!" I looked at the plea, my hands trembling. A house worth two million dollars, a bank card with half a million. Enough for Ethan to live comfortably for the rest of his life. But my sister, she was only 26, in the prime of her life. She never got to see Ethan grow up. In front of all our relatives, I tore the plea to shreds. "My sister's life is not something a house can buy!" The relatives gasped. Someone started to reason with me, "Scarlett, you're being too impulsive." "Exactly, the dead can't be brought back. What's the point of doing this?" "You're a single woman, raising a child is hard. With the money, at least your life would be secure." I looked at them, my heart twisting in agony. My brother-in-law's parents scrambled up from the floor, their eyes filled with venom. "Fine, Scarlett Evans. You want him dead? We'll make you pay for the rest of your life!" At the time, I thought they were just angry words. I never imagined it was a declaration of their revenge. Even when my sister was alive, her husband had instilled in Ethan the idea that "money can solve everything." Whatever Ethan wanted, his father bought. The most expensive toys, the finest clothes, the latest gadgets. My sister once worried, "If you keep spoiling him like this, he'll be ruined." Her husband was dismissive. "My son deserves the best." Once, Ethan lied at school, claiming a teacher had hit him. When my sister found out the truth, she spanked him in anger. When her husband found out, he immediately held Ethan and yelled at my sister, "You dare touch my son!" My sister cried in frustration. "I was trying to teach him a lesson, he can't get into the habit of lying." "Teach him?" Her husband sneered. "You're a Thorne. What right do you have to discipline a Chen family child?" That night, my sister cried in my arms for a long time. "Scarlett, am I really not a good mother?" I comforted her. "Sis, you did the right thing. Children need discipline." Thinking back now, the seeds of Ethan's evil were planted long ago. 3 I was taken to the scene, the air thick with the acrid smell of smoke. The bridal home was burned to a black skeleton, and my heart felt like it had been ripped apart. "Scarlett Evans, you venomous woman!" Ethan's grandmother had arrived at some point, and the moment she saw me, she lunged, trying to claw at me, only to be held back by the police. She pointed at me, wailing to the onlookers and reporters, "First she killed my son, now she won't even spare my only grandson!" Her eyes were vicious, as if she wanted to tear me to pieces. The crowd began to murmur, some taking pictures, others recording videos. "You really can't judge a book by its cover." Leo's mother stood to the side, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Our family almost married a murderer." Her words were a knife, plunging straight into my heart. This woman, who had once held my hand and said, "Scarlett, from now on, you're my daughter," now wished I would just disappear. My eyes started to burn, and I fought back tears. "Scarlett." Leo finally walked over to me, his voice hoarse. "Tell me, why did you lock the door from the outside?" He used the word "why," not "I believe you." My heart plummeted. Even my fiancé didn't believe me! "I didn't lock the door!" I screamed. "Auntie said she had a surprise for me." Ethan, hiding in his grandmother's arms, pointed a small finger at me, his voice trembling. "After I went in, I heard a 'click' from outside. She locked me in!" His performance was flawless. The trembling voice, the perfectly pitched fear, even the "click" sound was mimicked with eerie accuracy. The crowd grew agitated. "The kid's details are so specific, it must be true." "Worse than an animal! People like her should get the death penalty." My breathing quickened, and the world began to spin. "The investigation at the scene confirms the door was indeed locked from the outside." A firefighter's words shattered my last line of defense. Leo took a step back, a flicker of fear in his eyes. His mother immediately rushed forward, grabbing his arm. "Son, let's go. Don't get involved with a murderer." "Wait!" I lunged, trying to grab Leo's hand. But he stepped back, avoiding my touch. The man who once said, "Scarlett, I'll protect you for the rest of my life," was now looking at me like I was a monster. Tears streamed down my face. "Leo, you don't believe me either?" "Scarlett, I..." Leo's voice was full of pain and conflict. "Forget it." I wiped away my tears, my voice strangely calm. "You don't have to say anything. I understand."
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