Chapter 3
Edward Quan ·
“I’m Lin Xiaoyue.”
The officer studied me.
“Do you own the car with registration ending in 4938?”
“Yes.”
“At nine thirty tonight, there was a serious collision on Donghuan Road. The driver fled, leaving this ID in the car. Were you driving?”
Everyone behind me seemed to stop breathing.
Mom’s fingers dug harder.
I slowly removed my sunglasses.
The officer paused.
“I’m Lin Xiaoyue. But I wasn’t the hit-and-run driver.”
Under the living-room lights, my eyelid creases were clearly visible.
He looked from the ID to me, confused.
“You’ve had cosmetic surgery?”
“Yes.”
I took the hospital records from my bag.
“I had double-eyelid surgery two weeks ago. Here’s the documentation.”
He took the papers and quickly read them.
“Do you have an alibi?”
“I’ve been home.” I turned toward the living room. “My parents can confirm that.”
Mom went white.
Her mouth opened, but no sound came.
“Can you confirm your daughter has been home all evening?” he asked her.
Her lips trembled. Tears fell.
“I…”
“She wasn’t here!” my brother-in-law suddenly shouted. “She went out tonight. She drove!”
“I saw her myself!”
The officer frowned and looked at me.
I remained calm.
“I didn’t go out. And…”
I pointed toward the shoe cabinet in the corner.
“The real driver is still in this house.”
A scream came from the bedroom.
My sister.
Hearing me, she had finally broken down.
The officers exchanged looks. One went toward the bedroom.
“Wait!”
My brother-in-law rushed to block him.
“That’s our bedroom. You can’t go in.”
“Please cooperate with the investigation.”
The officer pushed past and opened the door.
My sister cowered under the bed, covered in blood.
She froze at the sight of him.
“Who are you?”
She only cried.
They pulled her out and brought her into the living room.
When we stood side by side, everyone understood.
Identical faces.
Except one had double eyelid creases, and one didn’t.
“This is my older twin sister, Lin Xiaoxue,” I said. “She drove. She hit those people.”
“She left my ID in the car and ran.”
My sister jerked her head up, her eyes bloodshot.
“Lin Xiaoyue! Are you insane? I’m your sister!”
“I know. You don’t need to remind me.”
The police retrieved the camera footage and compared her face.
“As we thought.”
An officer took out handcuffs.
“You’re suspected of causing a road collision and fleeing the scene. You need to come with us.”
“No!” she screamed. “It wasn’t me! It was Lin Xiaoyue!”
“She framed me! She had surgery to frame me!”
Mom flung herself forward and clung to the officer’s legs.
“My daughter’s innocent! She really is!”
Dad rushed over too.
“You’ve got the wrong person. Xiaoyue caused the crash!”
The officers pushed them back.
“Please calm down. We will establish what happened.”
“For now, Lin Xiaoxue must come with us.”
My sister struggled wildly. They restrained her and led her away.
A deathly silence settled over the room.
My parents and brother-in-law stared at me as though I were a monster.
Without expression, I returned to my room and closed the door.
Leaning against it, I shut my eyes.
At last, it was over.
4
Early the next morning, I heard arguing in the living room.
My brother-in-law’s parents had arrived.
I stayed inside, listening at the door.
“What do you mean, Xiaoxue’s been arrested?” His mother’s shrill voice hurt my ears. “Isn’t she the best-behaved girl?”
“It’s all Lin Xiaoyue’s fault!” Mom sobbed. “She deliberately had surgery to frame her sister!”
“Surgery?” His father laughed coldly. “Not before, not later. She chose this exact moment. She planned it all, didn’t she?”
“Ungrateful little beast.”
I listened to the abuse without expression.
Then his mother raised her voice.
“I don’t care. Get my daughter-in-law out today.”
“Or I’m taking the children right now.”
The children burst into tears.
“No, Grandma, I don’t want to go. I want Mom…”
My mother panicked.
“Please, no. The children can’t leave.”
“Then what are you going to do?” his mother demanded. “Prison will ruin their futures.”
Silence.
Then Dad’s low, helpless voice:
“Let’s visit the station and see what’s happening.”
“What good will that do?” his father sneered. “They have witnesses and evidence. How will you overturn it?”
Another silence.
I knew what they were thinking.
How to force me to change my statement.
Sure enough, Mom suddenly said:
“What if Xiaoyue goes to the station and says she hit them?”
“She’s had surgery, hasn’t she?” his mother replied. “Tell them she did it to escape responsibility.”
“Yes!”
Mom sounded as though someone had thrown her a lifeline.
“We’ll say that!”