Chapter 14
Roy’s heart skipped a beat as he whipped around, his pulse quickening with the hope that it might be Emma. But it wasn’t–it was Shelly.
“Shelly?” he blurted out, taken aback. “Weren’t you supposed to be on vacation abroad? What brings you back so suddenly?”
Shelly strode in, exuding confidence in her sleek business suit and heels. Her eyes were icy, brimming with clear disdain as they landed on Angela
“If I didn’t rush back, who knows what kind of sister–in–law I’d end up with,” Shelly shot back, her gaze locking onto Angela. “Angela, right?”
Angela shrank back under Shelly’s frosty stare, tears threatening to spill. “I… have I done something to upset you? Why do you seem to hate me?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.”
Shelly ignored Angela’s distress, pulling out a wad of photos and tossing them at her. “You’ve never hurt me, but I’ve heard all about your ‘exploits‘ while I was away.”
The photos scattered across the floor. Angela glanced down and went pale. They showed her partying hard at clubs, getting too close with different men, and even an incriminating shot of her in bed with multiple guys.”
Shelly’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “Did you really think you could keep this under wraps? My brother’s into you, so I stayed out of it, but you just had to trip into my path. I did some digging at your school–it was quite revealing. Life overseas was a real show, wasn’t it?”
Angela’s face fell, her voice shaky as she tried to explain. “It’s all a misunderstanding! Someone set me up!“}
“Misunderstanding?” Shelly scoffed. “Then explain these photos. And your ‘friends‘ at that school all say your personal life is a mess, with multiple guys in the mix. Now you’re back, hoping to play the innocent card?“}]
The room felt like it was holding its breath. Shelly’s words were like a bomb, and the crowd was buzzing with whispers, eyes darting between Angela and Roy.”
Angela looked stricken, tears streaming down her face. She clung to Roy’s arm, her voice trembling. “Roy, these are all fake! Someone’s trying to frame me! You promised you’d believe me, right?”
Roy didn’t answer immediately. He bent down, picking up the scattered photos, inspecting each one closely. Angela at clubs, cozying up to strangers–each photo painfully clear. His fingers trembled, a storm of emotions brewing inside.
Angela clung tighter, her voice breaking. “Roy, please, believe me… I didn’t do any of this! People were jealous and bullied me overseas. They set me up!“}]
Roy met her eyes, her tears tracing down her cheeks, full of pleading and desperation. Something inside him twisted painfully.
He took a deep breath and finally spoke. “I believe you.”}]