Chapter 1 Framed to Take the Blame

• "What's the meaning of this, Joshua? Wasn't it you who tore Mom's dress? Are you seriously trying to deny it?"
• "Mom! I saw it myself. Joshua was the one who ruined your dress!"
• Two loud, accusing voices echoed in Joshua Fraser's ears, pulling him out of a daze. Slowly, he blinked his eyes open, taking in the sight of a few familiar faces staring back at him.
• "Joshua, tell me." His mother's voice cut through the confusion, her tone laced with a hint of anxiety. "It was really you who tore the dress, wasn't it?"
• Standing before him was a middle-aged woman dressed in luxurious clothes and adorned with sparkling jewelry. She wore perfect makeup, and her expression was a mix of worry and disappointment as she kept her eyes trained on him.
• What's going on? Joshua's thoughts were muddled as he glanced around, taking in his surroundings. Everything felt strangely familiar as if he had been here before.
• Reborn?
• His heart skipped a beat. This scene was one that he had already lived through.
• "Joshua, why aren't you saying anything? Are you really not going to admit what you did?"
• "You're becoming more and more impossible to deal with!" The sharp voice belonged to the young woman standing nearby. She continued her tirade, her words laced with disdain. "First, you steal money and jewelry, then you start hanging out with the worst kind of people, and now you've even dared to ruin Mom's dress! Honestly, what's the point of you staying in this family?"
• His gaze flicked over to the speaker. It was his third sister, Maddy Fraser, a low-tier actress who also owned a few coffee shops. She loved nothing more than to stand in front of him and lecture him with that smug, condescending tone.
• Standing next to her, dressed in an elegant white dress, was his second sister, Shirley Fraser. She was a university music teacher, passionate about her craft but cold and aloof when it came to him.
• And then there was the woman who had asked the question, his biological mother, Maggie Jensen. She was a pampered, wealthy lady, elegant and intellectual, who liked etiquette and cleanliness.
• Why am I back here? he muttered in his heart, quickly piecing together the situation.
• He must have been reborn.
• This scene, he had lived through it before. His younger brother, Frankie Fraser, had accidentally ruined Maggie's dress, causing her to be humiliated at a banquet in front of everyone.
• Panicked, Frankie turned to Maddy, and together, they conspired to frame Joshua, forcing him to take the blame for what had happened.
• In the original course of events, Joshua had refused to confess at first. He had gone directly to Maggie, explaining that it was Frankie's fault. But instead of believing him, Shirley and Maddy had sided with Maggie and unleashed harsh scolding on him. They insisted that Frankie was obedient and clever, incapable of such carelessness, and that Joshua was just trying to shift the blame. As a result, he was punished. Maggie struck him twenty times with a ruler, made him stand for two hours, and denied him lunch.
• Afterward, Maddy came to him privately, promising that if he confessed to their mother, she would take him out for the day in her sports car. Being naive, he agreed. But when he did confess, Maggie lashed out at him once again, calling him clumsy and ill-mannered. She then locked him in his room, forbidding him from leaving the house for three days to "reflect on his mistakes."
• Now, as he relived this moment, a wry smile tugged at his lips. The whole situation seemed almost comical in a bitter sort of way.
• How exhausting this life is! he thought. Why should I feel so worn out, living in my own home?
• "Joshua! How dare you falsely accuse Frankie! He's such a well-behaved, sensible child. How could he possibly do something like this? It was obviously you, with your careless, clumsy hands!"
• Before he could respond, Maddy chimed in, her tone dripping with disdain. "Mom, I keep telling you, Joshua needs to be strictly disciplined! He picked up all these bad habits when he was in the orphanage. Not only are his hands never clean, but he hangs out with all sorts of shady people! If you don't put a stop to it, he's going to turn into a complete failure!"
• Her voice was relentless, her cold smile twisted with malicious satisfaction as she stared at him, her eyes gleaming with contempt.
• Maggie frowned deeply, turning her stern gaze on Joshua. "Joshua, stop accusing others! Just be honest with me. Did you do it? Don't worry, if you admit to it, I won't be mad."
• "It was me!" Joshua nodded firmly.
• Maggie froze for a moment. "It really was you? You ruined my dress?"
• "That's right! The two holes on it were from me smoking. I accidentally burned it!" He nodded again, admitting it without hesitation.
• "You... You are completely undisciplined and have no manners! Give me your hand!" Her gentle demeanor evaporated, replaced by a sudden surge of fury.
• Without a moment's pause, he obediently stretched out his hand.
• "If I don’t teach you a lesson today, you’ll never learn!" She raged, her voice trembling with a mixture of disappointment and frustration. "Joshua, you’ve become more and more reckless, acting without care or respect! Raise your hand higher!"
• In an instant, she pulled out a ruler, and without another word, she struck his hand with swift, unyielding force.
• Smack! Smack! Smack!
• "One, two, three, four..." She continued counting with each strike. "Fifteen, sixteen..."
• This whole situation was almost laughable.
• He had never found it amusing before until he lived through this moment again.