At some point, Margaret barged into my room. The moment she saw something in my hand, she rushed over to snatch it.
“What are you doing?!” I gasped in panic.
But Margaret didn’t stop. Instead, she screamed, “You bitch! How dare you secretly keep something that belongs to Jeremiah?! Someone as filthy and lowly as you have no right to even touch his things!”
In the heat of the struggle, I shoved her hard.
Margaret fell to the floor just as Jeremiah walked in.
“What the hell is going on?!”
Tears welled up in Margaret’s eyes as she whimpered, “Brother Jeremiah, I know she’s always hated me, but I didn’t think she’d actually push me over a diamond pendant…”
“I just thought it looked like the one you gave me back then I asked her to let me see it, but she wouldn’t, and then she pushed me.”
Jeremiah’s face turned cold as he glared at me. “Lainey, apologize to Margaret!”
I held the pendant tighter. “She tried to steal something that’s mine.”
Margaret whispered pitifully, “Sister’s always right, isn’t she? I’m just the worthless trash she says I am. I should’ve known better… I’m sorry, Sister…”
Jeremiah growled, “Lainey, apologize to Margaret now, or I won’t forgive you.”
When I stayed silent, his eyes dropped to my hands, where I clutched it like a lifeline.
Without warning, he stepped forward, forced open my fingers, and yanked hard, the string snapped.
A red mark bloomed around my neck from the force.
“Give it back! That’s mine!” I lunged to retrieve it, but my legs gave out and I collapsed to the floor.
Jeremiah frowned and said coldly, “You pushed Margaret earlier. Consider this your apology.”
“Based on what—”
Before I could finish, Margaret picked up the pendant and smirked at me.
“This really is lovely. I’ll respectfully accept your gift then, thanks for your generosity, Sis.”
Jeremiah’s expression eased slightly. His eyes swept over me with thinly veiled disgust.
“You should learn from Margaret. Look how gracious and calm she is.”
“Stop making trouble. You’ve got no one left to shield you. Think about that.”
I was silent. What I had to do this week was to find the evidence they had framed me with, and then leave. In addition, during this time in prison, I kept thinking about it, and I always felt that the car accident that happened to me and my parents was unusual.