Betrayed Then Rejected

As part of the "Exchange Program," Emmett Young moved into my rundown home. The night before he was supposed to head back to the city, he told me how he felt about me and asked if I wanted to join him for studies in the city. Overwhelmed with happiness, I missed the patronizing tone in his voice entirely.

Later on, Ruthie Simmons's family heirloom necklace went missing. Right in front of everyone, Emmett looked at me in disgust and said, "You refuse the money I give you because you prefer stealing, don't you?"

I stayed silent, choosing not to defend myself. I quietly gathered my things and left the Youngs' mansion that night. Five years passed, and while working as a teaching assistant greeting new students, I unexpectedly came across Emmett Young, now a freshman. With red eyes and a face full of hurt, he said, "Did you know, I took a five-year break from school just to find you?"

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At Emmett Young's birthday party, his childhood friend Ruthie's family heirloom necklace went missing. Ruthie casually mentioned seeing me sneak back into the house, prompting Emmett to lead a search through my room. Amid the turmoil, he stepped on the Victorian-style dress my grandfather had given me and impatiently said, "Arya Young, return the necklace to Ruthie, and I'll pretend this never happened."

He didn't give me a chance to explain myself before claiming I was guilty. The party guests erupted into chaos.

"Of course, she's a thief, just a country girl from the sticks. What else would you expect?" They looked at me with disdain, their eyes full of contempt.

"What's surprising? She got close to Emmett for his money. She's probably already stolen from the Youngs!"

"No, I didn't take anything..."

I tried to defend myself, but my words were swallowed by their loud jeers.

"This is disgusting. Shouldn't we call the police?"

With a pale face, I desperately looked to Emmett for help, but his expression was full of thinly-veiled disgust. He looked at me mockingly from afar, saying, "Arya Young, you refuse the money I give you because you prefer stealing, don't you?"

Time seemed to stand still at that moment. I couldn't believe what he thought of me. Laughter erupted from the crowd:

"What a hypocrite! How did her parents raise her, to end up a thief?"

"Stealing and getting caught, this is a joke! She's like a clown!"

I shook my head frantically. "I'm not a thief! There are cameras at the party; you can check them. I was in the kitchen the whole time, and Martha can confirm..."

"Enough!"

Emmett's voice cut me off. He wasn't known for his patience, and now, his anger had hushed the crowd. With a dark expression, he shouted at me, "I'll give you one more chance. Return the necklace and apologize to Ruthie."

"Arya, please, just give it back," Ruthie sobbed, leaning against Emmett's shoulder, tears of desperation in her eyes. "I'm begging you. I won't hold anything against you if you just give it back."

The crowd buzzed again: "Give it back, Arya! How can you be so cheap? Don't you see how upset Ruthie is?"

"Ruthie isn't even holding a grudge, so why are you still pretending?"

They were furious, practically ready to tear me apart.

But why should I apologize? I hadn't stolen anything. How could I return something I never took? And why should I have to apologize for something I didn't do?