My parents' adopted daughter took minors mountain climbing, which got three people killed, and then they made me take the blame.

My dad forced me to get on my knees before the victims' families.

"She used these legs to lead your kids into danger. I'll make sure she never climbs a mountain again!"

My mom erased my name from the family registry.

"Rhea Stevens is destined to break mountaineering records. She can't have a disgraceful sister like you! She's given up so much because of you. It's time you paid her back."

Even my childhood sweetheart stood by their side.

"Rhea has nothing. She wouldn't survive this. But you still have me. No matter what happens, I'll wait for you.

"They just want someone to blame. You won't go to jail. Once they've calmed down, you can come home."

To protect the adopted daughter's reputation, he turned around and helped my parents forge evidence to send me to prison.

They lied, saying it was to keep me safe from retaliation.

But they had no idea that I'd already given up on all of them.

***

Harsh lights hit my face as I stared at the empty doorway, then calmly walked toward the house that no longer felt like home.

On a giant screen outside the mall, a video played of Rhea breaking a mountaineering record—my parents and Henry Cadwell beamed in the crowd, cheering for her.

It seemed like they forgot it was the day I got released.

I walked for over three hours before Henry finally showed up in a rush.

Noticing something off with my leg, he hurried over and grabbed my arm to steady me.

"Jessica, what happened to your leg? Did someone hurt you in there?"

His concerned gaze only felt like a joke to me.

"Weren't you and my parents the ones who threw me in prison before my leg had even healed, just so Rhea's reputation wouldn't take a hit?"

Because of that untreated injury, I'd never be able to climb a mountain again.

Henry looked away awkwardly, his voice dry as he tried to explain.

"We were just worried the victims' families might come after you; that's why we did it. And even if there's something wrong with your leg, I'd never turn my back on you. I'll take care of you from now on."

I didn't bother arguing. But as I opened the car door to get in, I saw Rhea sitting inside.

"Why is she here?"

Henry quickly shut the door. "Some friends are throwing a party to celebrate Rhea's win. It wouldn't be appropriate for you to come."

"Not appropriate? A killer gets to go, but I, someone who was falsely wronged, don't?"

At my words, Henry glanced nervously at Rhea in the car. When he saw she hadn't heard, he let out a sigh of relief.

Then he turned to me, unhappy. "Rhea's already traumatized from what happened. Are you trying to push her over the edge with comments like that?

"You can find your own way home. I've already wasted enough time looking for you. I still need to get Rhea to her party."

Henry left in a hurry after saying that like he'd forgotten I just got out and didn't have a single cent on me.

After another hour of walking, I finally made it home. My leg was burning with pain.

Just as I reached the door, I heard loud, cheerful voices coming from inside.

"Yeah, Rhea's amazing. Good thing we adopted her back then. Who knows where we'd be without her now?

"Don't mention Jessica. Ever since that incident, we haven't had a single good night's sleep. Rhea was heartbroken, and kept saying she should've taken the blame for her sister."

That's when I knocked on the door.

The moment my mom saw me, her smile vanished.

"What are you doing here now? Go wait outside. We have guests. Don't embarrass us."

She shut the door without hesitation. Just before it closed, I heard her tell the relatives inside, "Don't worry, just some trash collector from downstairs."

That night, I was finally allowed back into the house, only for my dad to slap me to the ground.

"You knew today was important for Rhea, but you just had to come back and ruin it. Would it have killed you to stay one more day? If it weren't for you, we wouldn't be a joke!"

My mom looked at me with disgust, then hurried to put Rhea's trophy away, like she was afraid I might taint it just by being near.

"She clearly came back today on purpose. Rhea's life has already been hard enough, and she still has to deal with her bullying. Why didn't they lock her up a few more years?"

Since Rhea was adopted by my parents, I had lost count of how many times I had heard that kind of thing. I was used to it by now.

I looked at my parents coldly. "Are you trying to deceive yourselves? Don't forget. It was Rhea who killed them!"

As soon as the words left my mouth, I heard a heavy object hit the floor behind me.

My parents rushed to Rhea's side, immediately comforting her. "Don't listen to her nonsense, Rhea. That incident was just an accident. It has nothing to do with you.

"And if Jessica had warned you how dangerous mountaineering was, would you have taken those three kids? I think Jessica just wanted to see you get hurt. She's done it before, hasn't she?

"Why don't you hurry up and apologize to Rhea?"

Henry shot me an annoyed look and said coldly, "Jessica, what you just said was completely out of line."

When Henry started walking toward me, Rhea quickly grabbed his hand, giving him a hurt look.

"Mom, Dad, Henry, don't blame her. She's probably just upset after getting out of there and seeing me win. But I really earned this award on my own, not because of the things you left behind.

"If it'll make you feel better, I'll throw this trophy away! I can leave this house, so you don't have to be bothered by me."

With that, Rhea snatched the trophy from Mom's hands and slammed it onto the floor before rushing out of the house.

"Rhea!"

Henry shoved me aside in a panic and rushed out after Rhea. I fell onto the shattered pieces of the trophy, the broken glass cutting into my skin, making me gasp in pain.

The floor quickly turned red with blood, but my parents acted like they didn't even see it. Instead of showing any concern, they tossed me some glue.

"When you're done gluing that trophy back together, you can get up. Otherwise, just pretend we never had a daughter like you."

Hearing those words didn't stir anything in my heart, because ever since Rhea entered this house, their whole world had tilted toward her.

After Rhea's biological parents were arrested for their crimes, she was sent to an orphanage. With her good grades and sweet talk, my parents, who had always funded the orphanage, decided to bring her into our home the moment they saw her.

At first, I felt sorry for her, who had a tough past.

But the night after she came home, she purposely cut my hand with a knife and then poured glue on the wound.

When my parents arrived, she immediately cried and threw herself into their arms.

"I'm sorry, Mom, Dad. I just wanted to help fix my sister's hand. It's all my fault. She was right to be angry and hit me. Please don't blame her."

The wound on my hand stung painfully as I raised it to explain what had happened to my parents, but they didn't believe me. They were convinced I'd tried to hurt Rhea and accidentally injured myself.

From that day on, whenever something happened between Rhea and me, they always blamed me.

Even when they almost got into a car accident because of brake failure while taking Rhea out, they still thought I had sabotaged the car.

I struggled to get up from the floor, planning to tend to my wound, but as I passed by my parents' room, I overheard their conversation.

"The trophy's broken beyond repair. Letting her glue it back together won't help. It's too easy for her!"

"Gluing the trophy is just an excuse. I'm worried she'll interfere with Rhea and Henry. Do you really want to see Henry marry Jessica?"

"Of course not. I wish she'd stay locked up forever. It'd only make Rhea sad if she came out anyway."

The last bit of hope inside me seemed to shatter instantly. I returned to the room Rhea had taken over and started gathering my old things.

As I finished organizing, I saw a familiar video on my phone, one from years ago, a recording of a mountain climbing trip. But now, Rhea had posted it on her account.

In the video, I was bundled up so much that no one could recognize me.

Once the video was posted, the comments section was filled with praise for Rhea.

"Turns out Rhea climbed such a dangerous mountain so early. She's truly my favorite influencer!"

"It's a shame someone as amazing as Rhea has a sister like that. Out of jealousy for Rhea's success, she secretly took three minors to climb and ended up getting them killed!"

"How can someone so selfish live with themselves after causing three deaths?"

Soon, my personal information was dug up, and the online insults were relentless.

But amidst the hate, there were a few rational voices.

"Could there be some misunderstanding? I remember a mountaineer saying they saw someone who took three minors up the mountain that day, and it was Rhea."

"I know Jessica. She's an expert at climbing and never takes anyone with her, especially not minors."

As those two comments gained traction, I saw two familiar accounts post long responses below.

"I'm Rhea and Jessica's father, and I can confirm that it was Jessica who took the three kids climbing that day. She did it to frame Rhea, never expecting such a tragic outcome. As her father, I feel deeply guilty. Had I known she'd turn out this way, I never should've brought her into the world!"

"I'm Rhea's mom. The only reason Jessica went climbing was because she secretly looked at Rhea's plans and guides. She's always been like this—whenever Rhea wants something, Jessica has to take it!"

As I watched my parents throw one accusation after another at me, twisting the truth to clear Rhea's name, I couldn't even put into words how I felt.

But what stung even more was Henry.

Ever since my parents hurt me again and again, Henry became the one person I trusted most, the one I cared about the most. I didn't hide anything from him, not even the video Rhea posted.

Years ago, Henry, an amateur climber, went climbing alone and got caught in a sudden downpour, putting himself in danger. If I hadn't happened to pass by and risked my life to save him, he probably would've died there.

After Henry was discharged from the hospital, he wouldn't leave me alone. He followed me everywhere, his eyes shining as he looked at me, begging me to be with him.

"Jessica, if you don't accept my feelings, I'll follow you for the rest of my life!

"I can tell you have a lot on your mind and are struggling. From now on, I'll face it all with you."

With Henry's relentless efforts, I finally agreed to be with him and told him everything about my family.

At first, he would comfort me, promising that we would build a real home together.

But at some point, I didn't even notice when it started; he became closer to Rhea. By the time I realized what was happening, Rhea was in trouble, and before I could confront Henry, he and my parents teamed up to pin the blame on me.

After seeing the video, my heart for him completely died.

Henry came back that evening, and when he saw the injury on my hand, he rushed to my side, anxiously asking what happened.

"How did this happen? Let me take you to the hospital!"

I pulled my hand away from him, glaring at him. "What's going on with the video?"

Realizing what I was referring to, Henry's face turned pale.

"Rhea wasn't in a good mood earlier. You have no idea what that trophy means to her. I only showed her the video to stop her from doing something reckless. Besides, you won't be able to climb anymore, so those things don't mean anything to you."

"How would you know if those things mean anything to me? You're not me!"

At my question, Henry's eyes finally showed a hint of guilt. He stepped closer and took my arm again, speaking softly.

"The situation was urgent, and I didn't have time to think. From now on, I'll go with you to any mountain you want and help you film new videos."

Seeing the seriousness in Henry's eyes, my emotions were all over the place. My mind was a whirlwind, and just as I was trying to process everything, my parents burst into the room.

"Henry! Rhea's in trouble!"

Henry released my hand and rushed out the door. As my parents ran halfway, they noticed I wasn't moving and glared at me.

"You don't even care that your sister's in trouble! This is probably all your fault!"

After scolding me, they hurried off.

Just as I was about to rest, I suddenly received a call from Henry.

He was silent for a long time before speaking in a serious tone.

"Jessica, you need to get here as soon as possible. There's new evidence in the climbing accident case, and the injustice you've suffered will soon be cleared up."

Though I was skeptical of Henry's words, the desire to clear my name from the murder accusation pushed me to go to the address he provided.

When Henry saw me arrive, he bit his lip and lowered his head.

I was just about to ask what was going on when Dad brought his hiking stick down on my other good leg. I crumpled to the ground, the sound of my shinbone snapping echoing, and the pain instantly drenched me in a cold sweat.

Familiar faces blurred in front of me, and I heard my mom's voice.

"We hid the truth out of selfishness. It was Jessica who wanted to outshine Rhea, so she purposely took your children to climb the mountain."

Hearing this, a chill ran down my spine, and the scene from that time seemed to replay in front of me.

Henry crouched down in front of me, gently holding me up, his voice low.

"Back then, they thought the accident was an accident, so after you went in, they didn't investigate further. But now, with everything online, they realize it was deliberate. That's why they're angry and came looking for you.

"They couldn't find you, so they went to Rhea. I was worried something would happen to her, so..."

My vision blurred with tears, and I smiled weakly at Henry.

"So you tricked me into coming here, hoping I'd take the blame for Jessica again?"

"You idiot, what are you talking about?! You killed someone, not Rhea!"

Before I could finish my words, my dad struck my back with the hiking stick again.

My mom held Rhea protectively, coldly staring down at me.

"You should take responsibility for your own mistakes. Do you want to drag Rhea into this? Because of you, Rhea's been triggered, thinking about what happened back then. If her condition worsens, I will never forgive you!"

Henry gently wiped the sweat off my face, holding my hand tightly.

"As long as we calm them down, we can start a new life. No matter what happens, I won't leave you. This time, I'll face it with you."

My dad angrily slammed the hiking stick in front of me. "If you didn't get involved in all these messy things, none of this trouble would have happened!"

My mom tightly protected Rhea, crying as she shouted at me, "Jessica, do you have any idea how much Rhea has suffered because of you? Now that she's finally on the path to a hopeful future, do you want to ruin it?"

A hopeful future?

What about me? Was I supposed to live my whole life covered in dirt, unable to wash it off?

When I met their guilty eyes, my parents looked a bit uneasy, and Henry's eyes reddened as well.

"Jessica, once this is all over, we'll get married."

Hearing this, Rhea shot me a resentful glance, then closed her eyes and collapsed into my mom's arms.

"Rhea!"

Henry immediately turned around. Seeing Rhea unconscious, a flicker of struggle and hesitation crossed his eyes.

"Henry, you're the only one who can stop Rhea from doing something stupid. Please, come with us to the hospital."

"But..." Henry instinctively glanced at me. After a moment of hesitation, he squeezed my hand tightly.

"They just want to know the truth about what happened back then. They won't hurt you. I'll be back to find you soon. Rhea needs me now; I can't just stand by while something happens to her."

As I watched Henry and my parents quickly disappear, I closed my eyes in despair.

When I opened them again, all that remained in my gaze was coldness.

Looking at the family members of the victims, I smiled. "Want to know the truth about what happened back then?"