My Good Deed Turned Me Into a Villain

At a company party, I catch our manager drugging a female coworker's drink and call the police to save her. But the next day, she shows up with the police and accuses me of drugging her and trying to rape her. She even claims our manager was the one who saved her. The police take me in for questioning, and before long, I'm being branded a rapist all over the internet. My company fires me to distance itself from the scandal. Even after I'm cleared of all charges, my life is a mess. I've lost my job, and the online harassment gets so bad that my mother ends up in intensive care. When I confront my coworker, Katherine Miller, about what she's done to me, she doesn't feel the least bit guilty. "I never asked you to save me. You're the one who decided to stick your nose where it didn't belong. Whatever happened to you is your own problem. "I worked hard to land this job. I'm not going to risk getting fired just because you decided to piss off my manager." Then our manager comes out shirtless, puts his arm around her, and gives me a smug look. "You were too stupid to know your place. Of course you got fired. Getting rid of someone like you would be as easy as squashing a bug." I'm so furious that I pass out. But when I open my eyes, I'm back on the day of the company party. Chapter 1 At the company party, I stared at the packet of powder in William Bennett's hand, my heart clenching. Humiliation and anger washed over me as memories of my previous life came flooding back. Back then, I'd felt sorry for Katherine Miller and stepped in when William was giving her a hard time. But William wasn't willing to let her go. He slipped something into her drink, planning to take her away once the drugs kicked in. Fortunately, I'd called the police in time to save her. But the very next morning, Katherine showed up at the office with the police and accused me of drugging her and trying to rape her. I was arrested and branded a rapist before I even had a chance to defend myself. The company fired me while the investigation was still ongoing. Although I was eventually released due to insufficient evidence, the relentless online harassment had already taken its toll on my mother. The stress caused her to have a heart attack, and she ended up in the ICU. Even when I was at the hospital taking care of her, people wouldn't stop gossiping about the accusations. Some particularly vicious trolls even tracked me down at the hospital and caused a scene. The doctors and nurses believed the rumors, too, and gradually started treating us coldly. Between the constant online harassment and the judgmental looks and whispers everywhere we went, our lives had become unbearable. The day Mom died, I was completely devastated. I confronted Katherine and demanded to know why she'd turned on me after everything I'd done to help her. But she just rolled her eyes, looking completely unbothered. "I never asked you to save me. You're the one who decided to stick your nose where it didn't belong. Whatever happened to you is your own problem. "I worked hard to land this job. I'm not going to risk getting fired just because you decided to piss off my manager." Just then, William came strolling out of the bedroom without a shirt on. He wrapped an arm around Katherine and smirked at me. "You were too stupid to know your place. Of course you got fired. Getting rid of someone like you would be as easy as squashing a bug." I saw red. I lunged at him, tackled him to the floor, and started punching him over and over. But a moment later, Katherine screamed behind me. Something struck the back of my head, and everything went black. When I woke up, I was back here. The thought of William's smug face made my blood boil, but I forced myself to stay calm. I'd been given a second chance at life, and I wasn't about to make the same mistake twice. When William glanced suspiciously in my direction, I quickly looked away. I picked up my wineglass, turned, and walked to the other side of the room, keeping my expression neutral as if I hadn't noticed anything. Meanwhile, Katherine had just come back from the restroom, completely unaware of what William was planning. She was still smiling and going along with him as he encouraged her to drink more. The next morning, I'd barely sat down at my desk when I heard someone hurrying toward me. I looked up and saw Katherine. Chapter 2 Katherine had dark circles under her eyes, which were red and puffy, and her hair was a mess. Clearly, she hadn't slept much. She marched straight up to my desk, sounding both angry and hurt. "Daniel, why didn't you help me yesterday?" The coworkers who'd been chatting quietly nearby fell silent and looked over to see what was going on. I leaned back in my chair and looked at her calmly. "Help you with what?" "Don't play dumb!" Katherine's voice rose, and her eyes grew even redder, as if she were the victim of some terrible injustice. "You saw what was happening at the party yesterday! Why didn't you stop him?" I gave her a mocking look. "What did I see, exactly?" Katherine went pale. She opened her mouth, but with everyone watching, she couldn't seem to get a single word out. She looked away, unable to meet my eyes. Then she lowered her head and spoke again, her voice breaking. "This is all your fault... If you'd helped me, none of this would've happened... My whole life is ruined..." I scoffed. "You know exactly who ruined your life. You're too scared to confront him, so you're taking it out on me instead? How is that fair?" I'd hit a nerve. Katherine's face twisted with rage, and she completely lost control. With a shriek, she lunged at me, clawing wildly at my face and arms. Her sharp nails raked across my cheek and neck. I fought the urge to hit back and took the blows, even as she left several bloody scratches on my arms. There were security cameras all over the office. If I fought back, it would be harder to prove who'd started the fight. I waited until she'd worn herself out before slowly pulling out my phone and getting ready to call the police. The moment Katherine saw what I was doing, she panicked and lunged for my phone. "Daniel, are you insane? You're calling the cops over something so trivial? What kind of man are you? You're so petty!" I stepped aside before she could grab it and held my phone out of her reach, scoffing. "Weren't you just crying about how your whole life was ruined? I'm calling the police to help you get justice. Isn't that what you want?" But she wouldn't give up. She lunged for my phone again, even more aggressively this time. I'd finally had enough. I shoved her away. Katherine lost her balance and stumbled backward, slamming into a nearby desk. "Ouch!" she cried, then threw herself onto the floor. Clutching her lower back, she grimaced and kept wailing in pain. "Daniel hit me! Everyone, look! Daniel just attacked me!" Our coworkers stared in disbelief, and the whispers around us grew louder. Just then, our department manager, Frank Wilson, walked through the door. He took one look at the commotion and frowned. "What's all this noise? You're supposed to be working! What do you think you're doing?" Katherine immediately scrambled to her feet, as though she'd finally found someone to back her up. She rushed over to Frank, sobbing. "Mr. Wilson, Daniel's gone too far! He attacked me right here in the office! You have to do something!" I straightened my clothes, which Katherine had messed up during the attack, and looked at Frank nervously. I remembered how, in my previous life, he'd been the first to accuse me of damaging the company's reputation when Katherine falsely accused me of rape. He'd probably had a hand in getting me fired, too. I glanced around at my coworkers and raised my voice. "Mr. Wilson, everyone here saw what happened. Katherine says someone took advantage of her, but instead of confronting the guy responsible or calling the police, she's taking it out on me when I had nothing to do with it. "All I wanted was to call the police and find out what really happened, but she started scratching and hitting me. Now she's trying to turn the tables and blame me. How is that fair?" Chapter 3 Katherine was furious. "That's a lie! You're the one who pushed me first! You did it on purpose!" "Then let's check the security footage." I calmly pointed at the camera above us. "There are cameras all over the office, Katherine. You can't just go around making accusations without proof." Katherine looked momentarily flustered but quickly shot back, "That doesn't change the fact that you pushed me!" "Because you tried to grab my phone. It's my personal property, and I only pushed you away in self-defense. I had every right to do that." Frank's expression darkened. "Enough! Both of you, stop arguing. Since neither of you can agree on what happened, we'll call the police and let them sort it out." The moment Katherine heard the mention of police, her expression changed. She quickly waved her hands. "Forget it! I'll just chalk it up to bad luck. It's like getting bitten by a dog. I'll let it go." I immediately cut in. "Well, I got bitten by a dog, too, and I'm not letting it slide. I'm calling the police. That dog needs to be dealt with." Katherine knew exactly what I meant. Trembling with anger, she pointed a finger in my face. "Who are you calling a dog?" "Whoever attacked me." I stared right back at her, refusing to back down. Before another argument could break out, Frank stepped in and called the police himself. Katherine stood off to the side, her face pale and her hands clenched tightly together. She looked increasingly anxious. Not long after, two police officers arrived at the office. They questioned Katherine and me separately before reviewing the security footage. The cameras had captured everything. The footage clearly showed Katherine attacking me and scratching me, while I'd only given her a light shove to stop her from grabbing my phone. After watching the footage, the officers took us both to the police station. In the interview room, one of the officers turned to Katherine, his expression serious. "The footage clearly shows that you attacked him first. He was acting in self-defense." But Katherine wasn't satisfied. "So he gets away with pushing me? And what about the fact that he saw someone drug my drink and did nothing? Doesn't he have some responsibility for that?" I spoke up immediately. "Officer, I only pushed her because she was trying to take my phone. I was about to call the police over her claim that someone had drugged her, but she did everything she could to stop me. "It's almost like she doesn't trust you to find out what really happened." Both officers frowned and gave Katherine a disapproving look. "Even if he did see what happened, you're just coworkers. He has no legal obligation to intervene, so he can't be held responsible for not helping you. "As for your claim that someone drugged and sexually assaulted you, we'll investigate that. Now, tell us exactly what happened after you were drugged." Katherine avoided meeting their eyes, stumbling over her words. "N-Nothing really happened... I was just angry that he saw what was happening and didn't help me." The officer frowned, his tone growing firmer. "Miss, this is a serious matter. If someone assaulted you, you need to tell us the truth so we can investigate and take the necessary action. Think carefully. What exactly happened?" Katherine hesitated for a long time before finally shaking her head. When she spoke again, she sounded dismissive. "Nothing happened, really. I just think he's a terrible person for standing by and doing nothing. I got upset and lost my temper, and that's why we started arguing." Chapter 4 Seeing that Katherine wasn't going to say anything more, the officers stopped questioning her and suggested we settle the matter through mediation. "Now that we know what happened, we suggest settling this between yourselves. Katherine can apologize and pay for Daniel's medical expenses." "I'm not accepting an apology." I refused without hesitation, looking the officer straight in the eye. "She attacked me, then lied to make me look like the one at fault. I'm not letting this go. I want her held accountable for what she did." "What is that supposed to mean?" I met Katherine's panicked gaze, my expression unchanged. "It means I want to do this by the book. I'll have my injuries assessed. "Even if they're not serious enough to qualify as minor injuries, you can still face charges for disorderly conduct. And if they are, you could end up in jail." Katherine went pale. Her lips trembled, and all her earlier arrogance disappeared. "Are you serious? They're just a few scratches! Do you really have to take it this far?" One of the older officers pulled me aside and tried to talk me out of it. "Look, son, sometimes it's better to let things go. She knows she was wrong. "If she apologizes and covers your medical bills, we can put this whole thing behind us. There's no need to send her to jail over it. That wouldn't do either of you any good." I knew he was just doing his job, so I didn't argue. Still, I shook my head. "Officer, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I'm not interested in settling. "She attacked me and then lied to make me look like the bad guy. She needs to face the consequences. I just want this handled according to the law." In my previous life, Katherine had branded me a rapist with a single lie. I would never forget the rumors, the cold treatment, and the harassment my mother and I had endured because of her. If I let her off so easily this time, there was no telling what other lies she would come up with. Just thinking about it made my blood boil. This time, I was determined to see things through and get the justice I deserved. Realizing that I wouldn't change my mind, the police officers finally stopped trying to persuade me. They followed procedure and took Katherine to a holding cell. After leaving the police station, I went straight to the hospital to have my injuries assessed. I knew the scratches were superficial and probably wouldn't be serious enough to qualify as minor injuries. But I wanted Katherine to understand that she couldn't just bully people and make false accusations whenever she pleased. As expected, the assessment confirmed that my injuries weren't serious enough to meet the legal threshold. Even so, the police charged Katherine with disorderly conduct under the Public Order Act and sentenced her to seven days in administrative detention. When the company found out what had happened, the HR department issued a formal notice announcing Katherine's dismissal. She was fired for disorderly conduct and seriously disrupting the workplace. I also took the opportunity to report William for slipping something into Katherine's drink at the company party. The police and the company's senior management took the allegation seriously and immediately launched a joint investigation into William. With everything finally being dealt with, I felt a little more at ease. This time, I could finally put the nightmare of my previous life behind me. I wasn't going to let Katherine and William ruin my life again. But I'd been too naive. I'd barely had a week of peace when Katherine was released from detention. As soon as she got out, she headed straight to the office with two police officers. The moment she walked through the door, she pointed at me and began shouting. Chapter 5 Katherine yelled, "Officers, that's him! He drugged me at the party and raped me! Arrest him!" My coworkers were stunned, and the office erupted into whispers. "Wait, is that why Katherine went after Daniel last time?" "But wasn't Katherine the one who got locked up for seven days? Daniel didn't get into any trouble." "Didn't Daniel say something about a manager last time? Maybe there's been some kind of misunderstanding." "Still, Katherine wouldn't risk her reputation just to frame Daniel, would she? What would she gain from that?" Katherine's latest false accusation caught me off guard. I took a deep breath, forced down my anger, and turned to the police officers. "Officers, she's lying. I've already reported this to the police. She's deliberately trying to frame me." When Frank heard about the commotion, he came over. After asking a few coworkers what had happened, he approached the officers and shook their hands. "Officers, could there be some mistake? She was detained for disorderly conduct just last week. As far as I know, someone else was suspected of assaulting her." Katherine immediately snapped back. "That's a completely different matter! I'm talking about what happened at the party! Daniel Hayes is the one who drugged me! And now you're defending him? Are you trying to protect a rapist?" The party had been a business networking event with one of our partner companies. I was the main contact for the project, William was the manager in charge, and Katherine had only attended because William had specifically asked her to come. At first, Katherine had been thrilled, thinking she'd finally earned the manager's trust. She hadn't expected things to turn out this way. The event had been held at a private club with no security cameras. Everyone who attended had business ties to our company, so they were unlikely to testify against William. That made it easier for Katherine to pin everything on me instead. I knew that arguing with her in front of everyone would only make things worse, so I turned to the officers. "Officers, I'm willing to come down to the station and cooperate with your investigation. "I've done nothing wrong, and I'm confident you'll find out what really happened and clear my name." The officers nodded and told me to come with them. Before leaving, I glanced at Frank and was surprised to see that he actually looked a little worried. At the police station, I told the officers everything I'd seen at the party, leaving nothing out. One of them frowned and asked, "If you saw him drug her drink, why didn't you say something or try to stop him?" I smiled bitterly. "Officer, you've seen what happened. I stayed out of it, and she's already dragged me into this mess and accused me of something I didn't do. If I'd actually stepped in, things could've been even worse for me. "Besides, Katherine and I are just coworkers. Whatever happens to her is none of my business. Why should I risk ruining my own life to save someone who might turn around and stab me in the back?" The officers fell silent. After what I'd been through in my previous life, I doubted anyone in my position would be willing to help so readily again. For the rest of the interview, I answered every question truthfully without making anything up. My story remained consistent throughout. Katherine, on the other hand, had told the officers at the other station that I'd stood by and refused to help her. Now she was insisting that I'd drugged and sexually assaulted her. Her stories were full of contradictions. After repeatedly checking with officers at the other station and comparing our statements, the police eventually released me pending further investigation. I'd barely stepped out of the interview room when I ran into Katherine, who had also just finished giving her statement. The moment she saw me walking out without a scratch, she flew into a rage and rushed toward the officers. Chapter 6 Katherine snapped, "Why aren't you arresting him? He's the one who sexually assaulted me! If you let him go, he'll just do it again! You're practically letting him get away with it!" The police officer who'd questioned us frowned, his voice stern. "We don't have any evidence to back up your accusations right now, so we have to let him go. We'll keep investigating and let you know when we have an update." Katherine grew even more agitated and started shouting. "I saw it with my own eyes! Daniel Hayes is the one who did it! You're not doing your jobs!" I stood off to the side and spoke up coldly. "Officers, you heard that, right? She's already making false accusations against me, and now she's accusing you of not doing your jobs. She'll say anything to get her way." The officer's expression darkened, and he cut her off sharply. "We'll investigate this properly and make sure you get an answer. But if you keep making baseless accusations, we'll have to take action against you!" Katherine fell silent, intimidated by his warning. But she quickly lifted her chin and glared at me. "You did it! I'm not letting you get away with this!" I walked slowly toward her. "You can twist the story all you want, but it won't change what really happened. We both know whether I assaulted you or not. "Do you seriously think you can fool the police? Once the truth comes out, I'll make sure you face the consequences for filing a false report and trying to frame me. I'm not letting this slide." Katherine looked away for a moment, and a flicker of uncertainty crossed her face. But she quickly regained her composure, gritting her teeth as she stood her ground. "I'm just trying to get justice for what happened to me! You can't scare me!" I shrugged, unfazed. "Say whatever you want. The truth will come out eventually." With that, I turned my back on her and walked straight out of the police station. A few days later, a post titled "Coworker Drugged Me at a Company Party, Then I Got Detained for Seeking Justice" went viral online. In the post, Katherine portrayed herself as the victim, tearfully accusing a former coworker of drugging her at a company party and sexually assaulting her while she was unconscious. She claimed she'd been detained for seven days simply because she'd gotten carried away while trying to get justice. She even filmed herself crying, making herself look as helpless and pitiful as possible. She also posted my employee ID photo and personal information online. She'd barely bothered to blur the screenshots, deliberately leaving my face and personal details clearly visible. My phone immediately blew up with abusive texts and calls. The messages kept coming, and my phone barely stopped ringing. Some of the self-proclaimed vigilantes she'd riled up even managed to track down Mom's home address. Dad had died when I was young, leaving Mom to raise me on her own. She'd worked herself to the bone to give me a decent life. Now that I finally had a stable job, I'd hoped she could enjoy a peaceful retirement. Instead, because of me, she was being dragged into this nightmare all over again. That evening, as I was returning home from work, I spotted Mom outside our apartment building. Several people wearing black face masks had surrounded her and were shoving her around. My heart sank, and I immediately rushed over.