Page 128 of Ranger's Wildflower

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My heart pounds.

But I stand.

I don’t hesitate.

“Did you confess to driving the vehicle?”

“Yes,” I say.

“Was that confession true?”

I swallow once.

Then—

“No.”

The word lands.

Clear.

Strong.

Final.

“Why did you confess?”

The room goes still.

Waiting.

“Because Cathy asked me to,” I say. “She was dying. She didn’t want her parents to know she had been drinking.”

My voice doesn’t shake.

Not anymore.

“I told the truth after,” I continue. “To the police. To the lawyer. To my family.”

I glance toward the back.

Just for a second.

And there—

My mother.

Tears in her eyes.

Watching.

“They didn’t believe me,” I finish.

Silence.

Heavy.

Real.

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