Chapter 10: The Secret From Last Year
Jenna stood in our living room, holding the flash drive like it weighed a hundred pounds.
Nobody spoke.
Not Dad.
Not Mia.
Not me.
Because the person I trusted most had just admitted she helped the person who hurt me.
I stared at her.
“Why?””
It was the only word I could say.
Jenna looked down.
“I was scared.””
“Scared enough to help destroy my graduation?””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“No. I never wanted that.””
“But you gave Mia the pictures.””
She nodded.
“Yes.””
My chest tightened.
The worst part wasn’t that she made a mistake.
It was that she knew exactly how much that dress meant to me.
She had watched me sew every piece.
She had heard me talk about graduation.
She knew how many hours I spent saving money.
And she still handed over the one thing that could hurt me.
Dad stepped forward.
“Start from the beginning.””
Jenna wiped her face.
“Last year, something happened at school.””
I crossed my arms.
“What happened?””
She looked at me.
“Do you remember the night of the charity event?””
I frowned.
The memory came back slowly.
The event where several students volunteered.
The night when rumors started spreading about a missing donation envelope.
The night everyone suddenly became suspicious of Jenna.
My eyes widened.
“That?””
Jenna nodded.
“Everyone thought I took it.””
“I didn’t.””
“I know.””
Her voice broke.
“But everyone else did.””
She explained that after the money disappeared, someone anonymously reported seeing her near the storage room.
The school investigated.
The cameras were unclear.
The rumors grew.
Jenna became the person everyone whispered about.
“But you said you were innocent,” I said.
“I was.””
She looked at Mia.
“And Mia knew that.””
Everyone turned.
Mia’s face changed.
“You knew?””
Jenna nodded.
“You were there.””
Mia looked away.
I felt a knot forming in my stomach.
“Mia, what is she talking about?””
Mia stayed silent.
Dad’s voice became firm.
“Mia.””
She finally sighed.
“I saw someone.””
“Who?””
Mia looked uncomfortable.
“I didn’t know what to do.””
My heart started beating faster.
“Who did you see?””
Mia looked at Jenna.
Then at me.
“It wasn’t Jenna.””
The room went silent.
“Then who?””
Mia swallowed.
“It was Claire.””
My entire body froze.
“No.””
Jenna looked down.
“I found out later.””
Dad stared at Mia.
“What are you saying?””
Mia’s voice became quiet.
“Mom was the one who moved the envelope.””
Claire’s name hung in the air.
A person who wasn’t even there.
A person who had already broken my trust.
I felt sick.
“Why?””
Mia looked ashamed.
“She was trying to help me.””
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“Help you?””
Mia nodded slowly.
“The money wasn’t for stealing. She used it to pay off a debt.””
Dad looked stunned.
“She involved you?””
“She told me if I said anything, everyone would blame me.””
I sat down.
Everything felt impossible.
The lies.
The secrets.
The people I trusted.
Jenna stepped closer.
“I should have told you.””
“Yes,” I said quietly.
She nodded.
“I know.””
“Why didn’t you?””
“Because Mia threatened to reveal the messages between me and her.””
I looked at Mia.
“What messages?””
Mia closed her eyes.
“I was angry at you. I said horrible things about you.””
“That’s all?””
She hesitated.
“No.””
The hesitation scared me.
“What else?””
Mia looked at the floor.
“I told Jenna I wished something would happen that would finally make people stop choosing you.””
My heart hurt.
Not because she admitted jealousy.
Because she had been carrying that jealousy for so long.
Dad rubbed his face.
“This family has been built on secrets.””
Nobody argued.
Because it was true.
Then Jenna handed me the flash drive.
“Everything is on here.””
I looked at it.
“What is this?””
“Messages. Screenshots. The truth.””
I plugged it into Dad’s laptop.
The first file opened.
And within seconds, we saw something that made everyone freeze.
A conversation between Claire and Mia.
The date was three weeks before my dress was destroyed.
The message from Claire said:
*“If the dress disappears, the showcase disappears. Then Mia won’t be exposed.””*
My hands went cold.
Dad stared at the screen.
May you like
And for the first time…
He looked completely broken.
