Chapter 1

38 years ago, my dad's student, Lena Lambert, accuses him of sexually assaulting her. In the end, he ends his life by jumping off a building.

The day he dies, Lena is crying in front of the cameras while holding up her medical report.

Later, she becomes an overnight sensation, known as the girl who stands up for her rights, joins the entertainment industry, and becomes an inspirational star with millions of fans.

Unable to accept Lena's success, my mom, Lucy Murphy, passes away six months later.

I'm only seven years old when this happens, and I spend the next 38 years gathering evidence, waiting for the chance to get my revenge.

Today, Lena's daughter, Winona Lambert, sits across from me, her eyes red as she says, "Some perverted teacher ruined my mom's life, so I swore I'd become a good teacher who protects her students."

The vice principal, Dave Kingston, wipes the tears from his eyes. "Mr. Fuller, this girl has a good heart. We have to keep her."

I tap my finger on her résumé, then look up.

She looks at me, nervous yet smug, and I smile. "Congratulations, you've passed the interview."

Chapter 1

Winona Lambert looked at me, tears still in her eyes. Her lips trembled. "Mr. Fuller, you're really going to hire me?"

Dave Kingston, the vice principal, was even more excited than she was. He put his pen down as he spoke in a hoarse voice, "Of course! You're someone who has endured so much pain and still wants to come back to school to protect students. Someone with a heart like yours is so rare these days."

Caden Wagner nodded. "That's right. Her mother went through so much back then, and she still chooses to become a teacher. If that's not true compassion, then what is?"

My stomach turned when I heard the word "compassion".

38 years ago, they said the same thing about Lena Lambert. She cried that her life had been ruined. They all believed her.

My father, Brendan Fuller, said he was innocent. They said he was lying. My mother, Lucy Murphy, begged them to wait for the investigation. They said she was covering for him.

I was so young back then that all I remember was Dad standing in the middle of the crowd, his face white as he kept saying he was innocent.

But everyone ignored him.

I glanced at Winona's résumé. Lena's name was listed under family members.

I'd spent the last 38 years seeing that name. It was in old newspapers, in the court records, and even on the newspaper clipping Mom had crumpled in her hand before she died.

I thought I'd go crazy if I ever saw that name again. But now, I simply closed the résumé and slid it back to her. "Report in at the Language Arts Department next Monday. I hope you remember what you said today. Be a good teacher."

Winona immediately stood and thanked me. Her voice trembled, and her eyes were sincere. "Thank you, Mr. Fuller! I won't let you down."

If I hadn't seen that slight smile when she lowered her head, I might have believed her.

Winona didn't leave right away. Standing outside the gates of Westbrook High, she found a good angle and opened her phone. Her eyes were red on camera, the school's name in gold letters behind her.

"Guys, I did it. I finally walked into the place where my mom was hurt all these years ago. I don't want revenge. I just want to make this place better for my mom and for more kids." Winona's voice broke at the end.

I watched the comments roll in.

"You're so brave."

"The victim's daughter becomes a teacher. This is the best revenge."

"Now that's what we call a true heroine."

Winona was good at crying on camera too, and she looked so much like Lena sitting in front of the cameras back then.

I went to the desk and opened the bottom drawer. There were only three things inside.

An old teacher ID card, a yellowed newspaper, and an old envelope with a worn-out cover, containing the evidence I'd collected over 38 years. Evidence that Lena had faked the whole thing back then.

Dad was wearing a white shirt, smiling innocently in the teacher ID photo, but the brutal headline read, "Monster Teacher Exposed by Poor Girl."

Chapter 2

I placed Winona's employment paperwork over the newspaper, covering the article. My phone buzzed with a notification.

Winona's new video was trending. Everyone in the comments was praising her. They called her kind, strong, and forgiving.

I scrolled through it for a bit, then put my phone away. Then, I touched Dad's photo on the ID card and laughed quietly. "Lena, your daughter walked right into it."

…

Winona had been at Westbrook High for less than a month, yet there was hardly anyone who didn't know her.

It wasn't because she was a good teacher, but because she knew how to work a camera.

Every morning, she was the first one in the classroom. She'd set up her phone and ring light on the podium, and then it was showtime.

"Hey, everyone, I got some warm milk for the kids today. My mom never had a good teacher, so I know how much a little kindness from a teacher can mean to a kid," Winona said as she slowly handed out the milk.

The kids held up their milk and called out, "Thank you, Ms. Lambert!"

Their voices were all over the place, and Winona's eyes quickly turned red.

Once the video was over, she shoved the rest of the milk back into the box.

A boy quietly asked her, "Ms. Lambert, are we still reciting our lessons today?"

Winona glanced at the stats on her phone. Her post had gained over 100,000 likes. She smiled. "Just study on your own for now."

I sat in my office, watching the class on the security feed. Some students lowered their heads and covered their faces, and a few stuffed the milk into their desks. One girl kept looking out the window, probably worried someone at home would see her in the video.

Winona barely looked at them, her eyes still on her phone.

Her followers kept growing, and more comments rolled in. As far as she was concerned, the class was a success.

Winona's account soon hit a million followers. She started taking sponsorships for thermos cups, desk lamps, and kids' milk.

Lena came up in every video she made. "My mom was hurt by a teacher back then, so I won't let my students be treated unfairly by the world."

Just one line to pull people's heartstrings and sell her products.

She'd turned Dad's tragedy into views for her account.

Winona also dragged her students in front of the camera.

It wasn't like the school didn't want to do anything. The department heads had brought it up, and some parents had complained too.

But Winona's live stream was getting a lot of attention. Plenty of social media accounts reposted her videos just to get in on the traffic, giving the school a nice publicity boost.

At a meeting, Dave closed the file in front of him. "It's a good time to get some publicity. Don't be so rigid about it."

After that, no one stopped Winona.

Sue Brooke did, though. Her dad had been the only longtime teacher brave enough to speak up for Dad back then.

Like me, Sue had spent almost ten years at Westbrook High. She couldn't stand Winona using her students to get views.

That morning, Winona was live-streaming again during study hall in tenth grade, Class 3.

Sue happened to walk past the door with a stack of test papers in her arms. She stopped and looked inside.

The students were standing, but their books weren't even open. There was a phone set up on the podium.

Sue walked in and put her hand over the camera. "Ms. Lambert, it's a study hall."

The smile on Winona's face froze, and she quickly ended the live stream. "Ms. Brooke, I just want people to pay more attention to the kids' mental health."

Sue set the test papers down by the podium and said, "Paying attention to the kids doesn't mean making them help film your videos. They're students, not props for your videos."

The classroom went quiet as Winona's face turned red. She didn't argue. She just lowered her head and bit her lip, as if she'd been hurt.

But when Sue turned and walked away, Winona looked up at her. There was no hurt in her eyes. Just hate.

I watched it all on the security feed and put down my coffee cup.

The Teacher of the Year notice came that same day. Only one teacher would win.

When it came to results, Sue's class had been at the top of the grade all year. When it came to experience, she'd been named an Outstanding Homeroom Teacher three years in a row. As for her reputation, parents had nothing but good things to say about her.

Chapter 3

There had never been much doubt about who would get the Teacher of the Year award.

Winona, though, had never cared about the rules. She only cared about views. She asked around among some of the senior teachers and found out that the final decision on Teacher of the Year was up to me.

That night, I came across Winona's video. She was sitting in an empty classroom, the lights dim, with a pile of half-graded papers on the desk. She didn't mention the award at all.

"Sometimes, I wonder if being good to my students really even matters. Do people who don't know how to flatter their bosses ever get recognized?"

People at school started gossiping the next day.

Winona was in the teachers' pantry, coffee in hand, chatting with the others. "Sue gets good results because the school gives her all the good students. And she's always going to Mr. Fuller's office. Who knows what's going on between them?"

She wasn't exactly whispering. Everyone nearby could hear her.

One of the younger teachers said, "Winona, don't say that. Ms. Brooke is a really good teacher."

"Of course she is. She knows how to play by the rules," Winona replied with a smile.

No one said anything after that, but the looks on their faces had changed.

I overheard the whole thing through the door, but I didn't go in or speak up for Sue.

The security camera in the corner caught her expression clearly. The mic picked up everything she said too.

I sent the clip to a few of the key parent representatives. Even though they didn't say anything out loud, they quietly started asking to move their kids to other classes.

I went back to my office, uploaded the clip to Google Drive, named it, and saved a backup.

Dad couldn't do anything back then because he had no proof.

When I got back to Westbrook High, I started by upgrading the security system. Every public area, from the hallways to the teachers' pantry to office doors, and my office, was recorded.

That evening, I passed the Teacher of the Year display. Winona was staring at Sue's photo, a Teacher of the Year application clenched in her hand. On her phone were the numbers behind her account.

She said quietly, "If she can get ahead by going to Mr. Fuller, why can't I?"

…

It was Friday evening, and most of the lights in the office building were already off. I'd just finished going through the Teacher of the Year materials when someone knocked.

I looked up and said, "Come in."

The door opened. The smell of perfume came in first. Winona stood in the doorway, already changed out of her work clothes. Two buttons on her blouse were undone, and her skirt was shorter than usual.

Winona closed the door behind her. She smiled as she approached me, her heels clicking against the tile. "Mr. Fuller, you're still working at this hour?"

I watched her and reached under the desk to turn on the recorder. The red light on the security camera in the corner was still on.

"What is it?" I asked. I didn't tell Winona to sit down.

But she sat down anyway, and her eyes quickly turned red. "Mr. Fuller, I've been under a lot of pressure lately. Ms. Brooke keeps picking on me. I'm trying to do what's best for my student, but she accuses me of putting on a show."

Tears rolled down Winona's face, and she pulled out a handkerchief.

She reminded me so much of Lena.

Back then, Lena had come into Dad's office just like this, telling him her family was poor, that she wanted to stay in school, and that she'd never forget his kindness.

But in the end, she pushed Dad to his death by weaponizing those tearful eyes.

I closed the papers in front of me. "Ms. Lambert, the award is about more than just your teaching results. I consider character too. Your class has ranked last in language arts three times in a row. Parents have complained about your live streams too. You're not fit for the award."

Winona stopped crying for a second and looked at me. Her eyes were still wet, but the hurt was gone. "I can raise their grades."

She stood up and walked around the desk. Then, she stopped beside me and bent down, lowering her voice. "I only get one chance. Mr. Fuller, please just help me this once."

Chapter 4

"I'll remember your kindness," Winona said.

I stood up and put some distance between us. "Ms. Lambert, please watch yourself."

Winona's hand froze, her smile fading. "Mr. Fuller, you're really not going to help me out?"

I didn't reply.

A smile crept across her face. "Sue only got the spot because she knows how to behave, right? If she can come into your office, why can't I?"

"Get out." I stared straight at her.

Winona's expression dropped. She looked at the door, then at me. "You're really not worried? It's just us in here, and the door is locked. If I walk out crying and say you did something to me, who do you think people are going to believe?"

She smiled again.

That smug look I knew so well had returned.

Lena had done this before. And now, Winona was doing it again. They'd make themselves look like the victim, and people would take their side and deal with the rest.

I didn't bother explaining or arguing. I pointed at the door again. "Get out."

Winona stared at me for a few seconds before undoing the button on her blouse. It hit the floor and rolled under the desk. Then, she dug her nails into her wrist, leaving red marks on her skin. She smiled at me. "Jeremy Fuller, you'll regret this."

It was the first time she hadn't called me "Mr. Fuller".

She stormed out and slammed the door behind her. Her hurried footsteps faded down the hall.

The office was quiet again. Winona's perfume still lingered in the air, and the button she'd dropped was still on the floor.

I plugged the recorder into my computer and exported the audio and video. Then, I copied the files to a black USB drive and backed them up to two Google Drive accounts.

Finally, I opened the safe. Dad's teacher ID card was lying next to the old newspaper. I put the USB drive inside and locked it up.

At 3:17 am, a trending story popped up on my phone. The headline said, "High School Principal Used Award as Leverage."

I clicked into it and saw that Winona had posted a long statement. She claimed I'd locked the door and threatened her. She said I'd used the award to pressure her and that she'd had to fight her way out of my office.

Winona also posted three photos of her torn collar, red wrist, and tear-streaked face.

The comments went crazy.

"Investigate Jeremy Fuller now!"

"I remember his dad was the teacher who harassed Lena back then. What kind of family is this?"

"How can a monster like this be a principal?"

"Like father, like son. Both of them should rot in hell!"

I paused.

The knife from 38 years ago had been sharpened again, and this time, it was pointed at both me and my late father.

I locked my phone and looked over at the safe. "Dad, not this time. I'm not letting them get away with it."

…

The entrance to the school was packed the next day. Reporters were out with their cameras, influencers had selfie sticks in the air, and some were already live-streaming and shouting my name.

"Jeremy, get out here!"

"Justice for Ms. Lambert!"

"You and your dad shouldn't be teachers!"

The security guards couldn't hold them back as the crowd kept pushing the barricades farther into the school grounds.

I entered through the underground parking garage. Two young teachers were waiting outside when the elevator doors opened. They saw me, their faces changed, and they quickly looked down and stepped aside.

A male teacher carrying a stack of lesson plans was halfway down the hall when he spotted me. He turned around and slipped into the stairwell.

The door to the teachers' office was partly open. I could hear Winona crying inside.

"I don't want to live anymore. I just wanted to teach. Why did he do this to me?"

Caden sounded furious. "How are we supposed to work with someone like him here?"

Dave let out a sigh. "I've already got the petition ready. We're asking the school district to step in right away. Want to sign? Here."

Chapter 5

I could hear paper rustling and pens scratching across the pages. I just stood outside the door and listened to the whole thing.

At 10:00 am, Lena made her move. She posted a video from her account with 30 million followers. The woman wore no makeup and an old coat, clutching the newspaper from back then in her hand. Tears fell the moment she started talking.

"I thought I could finally let go after 38 years. I never thought that kind of evil could be passed down. Brendan ruined me 38 years ago, and now his son is coming after my daughter."

Lena dropped to her knees in front of the camera. "Everyone, please help us. I don't want compensation. I just want justice."

The video blew up within ten minutes of going up. My photo was all over the front page, and people dug up Dad's name and what happened back then all over again.

One line took over the Internet. It read, "The Fuller father and son are predators."

I stared at those words for a long time, not because I was afraid, but because I was hurting.

Dad had been dead for so many years, but Lena still dragged his name through the mud.

That afternoon, the school district and police showed up to calm the backlash and get to the truth. They held a public briefing that was streamed online.

The main conference room was packed. A row of cameras filled the front, while independent media crowded in the back, recording on their phones.

Winona sat in the front row, her face white and her shoulders shaking. Lena held her close, wiping her tears now and then. Whenever a camera came near, Winona buried her face in Lena's arms. The two of them held each other close.

Years ago, it was Lena who was "victimized". Now, her daughter was the one everyone felt sorry for.

It all looked so convincing that everyone forgot one thing. The man who was driven to his death back then was named Brendan Fuller.

Dave spoke first, saying, "We will never cover for anyone's crime."

Then, Caden followed, saying the school had zero tolerance for misconduct.

When it was Winona's turn, she braced against the table and looked at me with tears on her face. "Jeremy, I just want you to apologize to me today. Admit what you did to me, and admit what your dad did to my mom. Then, quit teaching for good."

Everyone in the room gasped.

Lena stood up too. Her hand shook as she pointed at me. "You and your dad have ruined both our lives! Today, you have to make things right!"

Every camera turned toward me. Comments filled the screen. Everyone was waiting for me to panic, to start defending myself, to get backed into a corner.

I slowly got to my feet as the room went quiet. I picked up the brown envelope by my feet, untied the string, and took out the black USB drive.

Winona stopped crying, and Lena froze.

I handed the USB drive to a staff member. "Hook it up to the screen."

The staff member didn't take it. He looked at the police first. The officer in charge paused for a few seconds before giving him a nod. The staff member plugged in the USB drive, and the files started loading.

That was when Winona shot to her feet, her voice breaking as she yelled, "Don't play it!"

Everyone, including me, turned to look at her.

I smiled. "Ms. Lambert, what are you afraid of?"

The screen went black, and the video started loading.

Winona gripped the edge of the table, her knuckles turning white.

I looked at Lena and Winona. "Don't rush. The people who really need to apologize will be on that screen in a moment."

I turned toward Lena, her face already pale. "Including you, the one who drove my dad to his death 38 years ago."

A moment later, the big screen lit up.