I couldn't help but wonder if this whole incident was a frame-up from the very beginning. It wasn't a matter of Diana being bought off to testify against me; the "assault" was a staged event from the very first moment.

However, I refused to play my part in this life, causing her performance to fall apart and her to rush over to force me into the scheme.

I was filled with dread as I thought it through. I couldn't help but wonder who was really behind this. I recalled Diana mentioning that I had offended someone I shouldn't have—who could it be?

I forced myself to stay calm. I made a point of ordering a dessert combo at the cafe and slipped the receipt into my pocket, making sure that I had a solid alibi in case the police ever questioned me.

I took a sip of my coffee while meticulously going over the differences between the two timelines in my mind again.

In my past life, a few of my close friends would call me out to hang out, insisting we hit a bar for some fun. I made an excuse about Mom being unwell and left ahead of them.

I was taken to a bar in a dark alley across from the commercial street. I had just stepped out when I heard someone screaming for help from a hidden corner. I used my phone's flashlight to see what was happening. I distinctly saw the two men had tied Diana's hands and were about to assault her.

I rushed in to help, but they seemed prepared for my intervention—when I got near, they picked up the steel rods behind the dumpster and instantly broke my legs.

In this life, Diana had acted differently. She had managed to free herself from the ropes and run out to grab me, shouting for help—all without me helping her. I didn't hear any screaming behind me once I left as well. I only saw her walking away with the two thugs.

It was clear that I was being set up in the whole incident.

It wasn't Diana they were after; it was me. I had never had a serious grudge with anyone that would justify such an elaborate plot against me, though.

It was an unsettling feeling, knowing my enemy was hiding in the shadows while I was out in the open.

I glanced at my phone and noticed that it was already 9:30 pm. I knew that this was usually the time Mom took her medication and went to bed, so I knew I couldn't stay out much longer without disrupting her sleep.

I had just taken out my keys to open the front door when two figures rushed out from the shadows and held me down with a tight grip. "You'd better hold still—we're the police! You've been reported for a crime and are under arrest!"

I panicked and fought to break free. "How could that be? I haven't done anything wrong! How can you justify arresting me?"

It was then that one of the police snapped the cuffs onto my wrists, pointed at the scratch marks on my skin, and said, "I'm sure these scratches say otherwise. We'll know exactly whether you're telling the truth once the lab results come back."

I thought back to Diana's rhinestone-encrusted manicure and broke out into goosebumps.

I finally understood why Diana had been so determined to leave those bloody scratches on me and why they had retreated so quickly once I reached the cafe. It turned out that they already had a contingency plan in place. Diana was doing everything in her power to ensure my destruction.

Mom suddenly woke up due to the commotion. She opened the door and saw the handcuffs on my wrists right away, nearly fainting from the shock.

She still moved to stand in front of me to protect me, saying, "You must have made a mistake, officers! Levi has always been an honors student and even has a commendation for bravery! He's incapable of committing a crime!"

Mom reached out to me with trembling hands, tears streaming down her face.

Those police officers remained completely indifferent. "We'll determine whether your son has committed a crime after a full investigation. You can rest assured that we won't wrong the innocent or let the guilty escape."

Having said that, they pushed me along and began leading me toward the stairs.

Mom rushed after us, weeping as she clung to my hand. "You can't take him away! He just finished his exams and is supposed to start training as a pilot in September! He's going to attend Aeronautical Command University and fly planes! Please don't take him away!"

I could feel my eyes welling up with tears the moment I saw Mom drop to her knees and plead before the police officers. I helped her to her feet and said, "You shouldn't do this, Mom. I need you to listen to me—I'm completely innocent.

"I need you to go find Officer Johnson and Mr. Wagner this instant. I know they'll help me out. I also need you to use my scholarship money to hire a lawyer. I'll get through this, Mom."

Mom nodded frantically, her hand stroking my cheek repeatedly as if she couldn't bear to pull away.

I looked at Mom's graying hair and was struck by the agonizing memory of learning about her death while I was behind bars in my past life.

I reached out and pulled her into a hug, saying, "You have to take care of yourself and remember to take your medicine on time. You have to be there to watch me fly one of those planes, Mom."

Mom kept nodding with tears streaming down her face. "I know, Levi. I know you're innocent in all of this. It wasn't you who did it, so don't confess to anything, Levi."

It was then that one of the police officers ordered, "It's time to go!"

I reluctantly parted from Mom, thinking that in this life I had to save both her and me.

I spotted Diana sitting in a chair once I was brought into the police station. I yelled at her, "Why are you framing me? I didn't do anything to you! Get the police to run a kit. There won't be any evidence because I never touched you.

"How can you say I assaulted you? You were the one who ran up and scratched me! What do you want from me? Who's behind this? You'd better tell me this instant!"

I struggled against my restraints, wanting to charge at Diana to see how heartless she really was, only to have the police officer pull me back and snap, "You're at the station right now! You'd better behave yourself!"

Diana threw a fit on the ground and pulled up her sleeves, revealing frightening bruises all over her arms.

I had never laid a hand on her, though!

Diana sprawled on the ground, yelling, "You have to help me, officers! He's lying through his teeth! Do you see my bruises? You have to know that just because there are no bodily fluids doesn't mean there wasn't an attempt—he clearly didn't succeed at it!

"You have to check him out, officers! He recently invited me to a hotel, which I promptly refused! You can check his booking history if you don't believe me! He even got accepted to become one of our nation's pilots! How can someone like him represent the country? Have him arrested!"

I was shaking all over with rage when I heard it. "You're clearly lying! I never asked you to go to a hotel! You caused those injuries yourself. How is any of that my fault?"

I charged at her, trying to pull up her sleeves to check if the injuries were real, only for the police officers to tackle me to the floor since they thought I was trying to attack her. "You'd better settle down this instant! You've got a lot of nerve trying to get violent here! You're truly lawless!"

"I didn't do it!"

"Get him out of here—bring him to the interrogation room and question him separately!"

In the interrogation room, the lights hit my face as they presented a forensic report. It indicated that the residue from Diana's fingernails was consistent with my DNA, which prompted them to conclude that I had a violent struggle with her and that it was attempted assault.

I was mentally overwhelmed at that point. I gave myself a pinch to regain my composure. In my past life, I had broken down after my leg injury and false charges. I signed a confession while in a state of distress, which left me with no way to appeal. Mom later had a fatal heart attack when she found out about it.

I pushed the report aside and said, "It only proves that Diana scratched me—nothing more. She bruised herself on purpose to set me up. I also have a receipt from a cafe showing that I was there at 8:00 pm. I left the bar around 7:45 pm and put on my earphones as soon as I came out.

"Diana suddenly appeared out of nowhere with two men and scratched me. I felt something was off, so I went straight to the cafe. I had no motive or opportunity, officers."

I handed over my receipt from the cafe and showed them my playback logs on my phone. "You can review the surveillance footage from the commercial street and at the bar to verify whether I'm telling the truth if you still don't believe me."

It was then that another police officer walked in and whispered something to the interrogating officer, causing the latter to suddenly fly into a rage and slam his fist on the table. "You still refuse to confess until the evidence is right in front of you, huh?

"You ought to know that we've found the hotel booking records and restored your phone data, which indicated that you clearly arranged a meeting with Diana at the hotel. What do you have to say for yourself, Levi?"

I stared at the printouts of the hotel bookings and the message logs while my head throbbed—none of this occurred in my past life. I couldn't help but wonder who could have orchestrated it all.