Chapter 87 - Rivalry

"And what about that woman in those pictures? Or are you still insisting that you were framed?" Margaret pressed, her voice strained with concern.

"I don't insist, I was framed," David replied, his voice cold and even.

Though he remained polite, the temperature in the room seemed to drop to freezing as his frustration simmered just beneath the surface.

John and Margaret exchanged worried glances. They wanted to believe their son, but the evidence against him had been overwhelming.

As the silence stretched between them, the weight of their doubt hung heavily in the air.

Finally, Margaret spoke up, her voice wavering slightly, "David, we want to believe you. We really do. It's just been so hard to understand everything that's been happening."

David's expression softened slightly. "I know it's hard, but you have to trust me. I would never do anything to hurt our family or my reputation."

As his parents hesitated, their faces clouded with worry and indecision, David could see them beginni