They took something that I used to identify my innocents with and turned it into evil, to which I was innocent, the rumor mill destroyed my reputation

How should I handle it? Should I stay calm and bite my tongue? Should I take someone aside and tell them the truth about why I used that example to prove my innocents and they turned even that into evil??? Should I suck it up and move on? Evil prevails when good people sit back and do nothing, or is it God who will bring everything to light in the end?