Chapter 101
Timothy stepped out of the car, his face a canvas of guilt and disbelief. His eyes met mine, and for a
Suddenly, he
moment, all the words we couldn’t say hung in the air between us.. came rushing toward me, wrapping me in a hug that felt all to comforting.
Trapped in his warm hold, I could barely comprehend where I was. At first, my trembling hands slid up the expanse of his leathered covered back and I allowed myself to breathe him in for the briefest of moments.
Evie,” he began, his voice laced with regret, “Are you okay?”
His voice broke the spell. Abruptly, I snatched myself away and smoothed down my shirt.
I swallowed deeply, but the lump remained in my throat. My breathing was still labored from the long run and my body was covered in a sheen of fresh sweat. “I’m fine.
“I can explain,” Timothy said, stepping closer.
But I couldn’t bear to hear it. The weight of his betrayal, his recklessness, bore down on me. He had put a stop to Bruce, who would seemingly spend a good. amount of time in the hospital, but that did little to elevate him. had trusted him, confided in him, and he had nearly caused more misery for me.
Guilt twisted in his expression. “I never wanted things to happen this way. I was trying to stop Bruce-” “Stop,” I interrupted, my voice cold. “I can’t… I can’t hear it right now.”
The memories rushed in–the video he had made of us for a foolish bet, the laughter that had been hollow all along. The realization that I had been a pawn in his game, my vulnerability exploited for his amusement–it was a wound that cut deep. It was Timothy’s video that Bruce got a hold of to begin with.
Footsteps echoed from behind me and I turned to see Lucas and Aria approaching, concern etched on their faces.
“Evie, are you okay?” Lucas asked, his voice gentle.
I wanted to respond, to reassure them that I was fine, that I could handle this. But
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Chapter 101
the truth was, I was shattered. The foundation of my trust had crumbled, and the fragments were too sharp to hold.
Timothy took a step closer, his expression wrought with sorrow. “Evie, I never meant to hurt you.”
My anger flared, a wildfire of emotions I couldn’t contain. “But you did, Timothy. You hurt me in ways you can’t even begin to understand.”
His shoulders sagged under the weight of my words, his own pain evident in his eyes. “I’m so sorry, Evie. I wish I could go back and change things.”
The truth was, I didn’t know what I wanted anymore. The pain of his betrayal was too fresh, too raw. My heart ached, torn between the friend I had thought he was and the person he had revealed himself to be.
“I do too,” I whispered.
As the tears came in full force, I turned away from him, my gaze fixed on the distance. “I need time,” I whispered, my voice barely audible even to myself.
Timothy nodded, his expression pained. “I understand. I’ll give you space.”
With that, he walked back to his car, the engine rumbling to life. As he drove away, the sound of his departure was like an echo of the trust that had been broken between us.
I was left standing there, the weight of the night bearing down on me. Aria pulled me into a hug and smoothed down my messy hair, whispering into my ear that things would be all right.
Lucas placed a hand on my shoulder, his touch a gentle anchor. “Evie, we’re here for you. Whatever you need.”
I turned to him, my bottom lip quivering. “Thank you.”
Aria gave me a pat on the head. “We’ll get through this, Evie. Together.”
I nodded, grateful for their presence even as I grappled with the storm of emotions swirling within me. The end of Bruce’s torment was a welcome one. However, it seemed like it had come at a cost.
I wanted to dismiss Timothy from my life after all this, but why did that feel so
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wrong?
The interrogation room was stark and cold, the harsh fluorescent lights casting an unforgiving glare on everything. I sat there, the weight of the events that had unfolded hanging heavy around me.
The officers‘ questions were relentless, probing every corner of my involvement with Bruce, dissecting the web of deceit he had woven around me.
I answered their questions truthfully, each word a painful admission of my vulnerability, my mistakes. The air in the room felt stifling, and my heart raced as I recounted the way Bruce had tried to blackmail me, to manipulate me into giving up not just my money, but my body as well. The words felt like a confession, a bitter acknowledgment of the darkness that had seeped into my life.
When the interrogation finally ended, I walked out of that room with a sense of emptiness, like a piece of me had been left behind. Aria and Lucas were waiting for me in the hall, both looking more disheveled than before.
“Are you okay?” Aria asked, her voice soft.
I nodded, though the truth was that I didn’t know how to define “okay” anymore. The events of the past few days had left me mentally and physically taxed.
As we left the police station, the exhaustion seemed to take over then. My limbs had jellified and I had to lean against Lucas and Aria for support. They carried me to the car and let me settle in the passenger seat before shutting the door.
Through the glass, I heard their muffled conversation, hardly discrete as they” would occasionally glance in my direction and frown. I turned my head away and looked out the other window, taking in the
flickering city lights and dangling power lines. Eventually, my eyelids grew heavy and sleep finally claimed me.
The truth was out now, but the scars remained. I had thought that revealing the truth would bring closure, but instead, it had opened up a new chapter of pain.
The next couple of days passed in a blur. The weight of my confession, the sense.
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D
of being vulnerable and exposed, hung over me like a cloud. The world felt muted, colors dulled and emotions flattened.
I tried to carry on with my daily routines, but it was as if I was moving through a haze, detached from everything around me.
And then, as if to add salt to the wound, I saw it–the online buzz surrounding Timothy.
Articles hailed him as a hero, his actions painted as those of a valiant savior. Pictures of him standing tall, a figure of strength, were splashed across social media. And then there was me, his damsel in distress and “lover“.
The irritation that surged within me was intense, a fire that blazed against the numbness I had been feeling. I wasn’t a damsel, and I certainly wasn’t his lover. I had faced Bruce head–on, I had played my part in taking him down.
it It was also Timothy’s actions that allowed Bruce to threaten me. Of course, benefited his image to cast me as the helpless victim, a role that I refused to accept. I knew Penny had a hand in them, and while I couldn’t fault her for doing her job, it didn’t ease my nerves.
I scrolled through the articles, my frustration growing with each word. The truth was far more complex than the stories being spun, and I was tired of being reduced to a one–dimensional character in this.
twisted drama.
Aria approached me over it, her voice gentle. “Evie, I know it’s hard to see this, but people are reacting to what they know. They don’t know the whole story.”
I sighed, my fingers gripping the phone tightly. “It’s just… it feels like everything I’ve done, everything I’ve been through, is being twisted around.”
She placed a hand on my shoulder, her eyes filled with empathy. “You’re strong, Evie. Don’t let their perceptions define you.”
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