The Bride Who Said No: Escaping the Shadows of Yesterday

The next day at Summit University, the campus buzzed with anticipation. It was the day when the last of the graduation exam results would be made public.

The leaderboard at the school's noticeboard clearly showed Eloise at the top of the class, with scores nearly perfect, a stark contrast to Freya, whose results mirrored the zero she had gotten the day before. As Eloise made her way through the campus, Freya intercepted her.

Eloise, visibly annoyed, said, "What do you want, Ms. Dawson? I'm in a bit of a rush. If this isn't important, I need to be on my way."

"Ms. Harwood, do you think cheating and wrecking someone else's work is fun or something?"

Freya didn't beat around the bush, causing a flicker of panic in Eloise's eyes.

"What are you babbling about? I have no idea what you mean."

"Oh, you'll understand soon enough," Freya retorted, her words laced with ambiguity.

This prompted Eloise to pursue the matter further. "Hold on! What do you mean by that?"

"It means nothing, just that whether you cheated or not, you know best, Ms. Harwood. You can't hide the truth forever. You should have known that getting involved in such deeds would come to light someday."

Freya's words struck a nerve. She recalled the severe repercussions for cheating at Summit University, including expulsion and a tarnished academic record that would follow her everywhere.

"Freya, I know you have a grudge against me, but you can't just throw around accusations without proof."

Eloise's facade started to crumble when she figured out Freya might actually be onto something. The idea that someone from the student council, her partners in crime for messing with exam papers, could have turned on her was unthinkable.

They were all in this together; who would risk exposing themselves?

"This is nonsense! If you have evidence, take it to the Dean. If not, stop slandering me in public. I bet you wouldn't be wasting your breath here if you had any proof. You're just upset because you think I got in through the back door, but let's not forget who's been consistently at the top of their class here. And let's also not forget your recent exam scores - all zeros. Jealousy is an ugly thing, but it shouldn't ruin one's reputation," Eloise countered, her words carrying the weight of her academic reputation and the trust she had built with her professors over the years.

—novelbin

Indeed, no one had suspected Eloise of cheating, given her track record. The rumor mill, fueled by a forum post accusing Eloise of cheating, had quickly pointed fingers at F as the source, assuming hero jealousy was the motive.

"Of course, I have evidence. Why else would I confront you about this, Ms. Harwood?" Freya's statement left Eloise speechless. Could Freya actually have proof? Impossible!

Yet, there it was a challenge laid bare, shaking the foundation of Eloise's carefully constructed facade of perfection.