Sallie's POV
Todd's sharp words slammed into the Noah family like a freight train. They'd been so eager to pin this on me, yet they hadn't bothered checking a single fact.
The realization hit them hard—I could see it in their faces. The Noah family had clawed their way to the top in Stormhaven through careful calculation, not reckless accusations. This wasn't like them at all.
But Todd's words hit me even harder. Like a lightning bolt, I suddenly saw the pattern—ever since my eighteenth birthday, they'd been declaring me guilty without proof, again and again.
At first, I'd scrambled to defend myself. Then I'd just gone quiet, crushed by disappointment. Now? I didn't even want to waste my breath.
I'd become numb to their constant blame and manipulation. But I'd never done anything wrong. Why should I bend over backward proving my innocence just because they decided to point fingers?
Why should I shoulder the blame when I laid out all the evidence and they refused to listen?
