Framed by My Best Friend

“My life was finally mending after the nightmare that shattered everything. I was rebuilding my academic career, my family was recovering, and my fiancé, David, and I were slowly piecing our lives back together. Then, a text message flashed across my phone, sending a shot of ice through my veins: a seemingly innocent invitation from my old friend, Kate, to a university exhibit preview. My stomach clenched, remembering the chilling déjà vu. Last time, that exact invitation led to a priceless historical artifact appearing in my bag, my academic dreams dissolving into dust. It cost my parents their retirement savings, tarnished David's promising career, and culminated with me bleeding out, left for dead in a desolate parking lot by a deranged fanatic. I knew this was the trap again, meticulously set. How could I possibly prove my innocence when the truth had failed me before? But I wasn't the naive victim I once was. This time, I had a plan, born from the bitter ashes of my past. I made a desperate, calculated choice: I got intentionally drunk and drove. The flashing blue and red lights in my rearview mirror were a grim confirmation of my sacrifice, my pre-planned alibi. They would arrest me, document my whereabouts, miles away and undeniably off-campus when the theft surely occurred. This time, the system couldn't use me. This time, I would fight back to expose the real mastermind, no matter the cost.”