At the dinner table, the atmosphere turned icy in an instant due to my firm refusal.

I didn’t want to get caught in their web of manipulation any longer, so I planned to stand up and head to my room.

Gianna panicked and shouted at me, “You’re still a minor! You won’t get the death penalty; you’ll be out in a few years!”

“You’re only losing a few years of freedom, but if I’m convicted, I’ll lose my life!”

She acted as if my refusal to take the fall for her was a sin deserving of death.

At that moment, my stepfather chimed in, trying to persuade me, “Amy, we’re...