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Ellie gasped, pointing a finger at him. "See?! Jeremy is nicer to me! He’d never say something this mean to me.”
“I didn’t say anything mean to you!” Sawyer snapped.
“I don’t care.” Ellie turned her head away, closing her eyes like a spoiled child throwing a tantrum. “I’m not marrying you. Jeremy is nice, good-looking, and rich, too.”
Sawyer stepped right in front of her and, without a second thought, pulled out his wallet, credit cards, and phone, shoving them into her hands.
“I have more money!” he declared. “Here. All of this. Everything I have is yours.”
Ellie’s fingers instinctively tightened around the items. A smile twitched at her lips, but she bit it back, pretending to be unimpressed.
It was tempting. Too tempting.
She looked up at him, meeting his intense gaze. Then, clearing her throat, she tried to look hesitant.
"Alright then…" She paused for effect, tapping her fingers thoughtfully against the cards. “I’ll think about it.”
***
Olivia sat on the couch, her fingers twisting together in her lap. Jessica paced back and forth, tension radiating off her in waves. Jack sat across from Olivia, his face rigid with disapproval.
"I don't get it," Jessica seethed, stopping abruptly. "When did you learn to lie like this? What was even the point?" She turned, marching toward Olivia, her voice rising. "What did Ellie ever do to you? Why would you frame that girl for attacking you?"
"I didn’t frame her!" Olivia protested pitifully. "She attacked me first—I swear! She just lunged at me! I was just defending myself."
Jessica pressed her fingers to her forehead, her patience wearing thin. "Even now, when everything has come to light, you’re still lying?"
"I'm not lying!" Olivia cried, turning to Jack. She grabbed his hand desperately. "Dad, you believe me, right? I’m telling the truth!"
Jack’s face hardened as he pried Olivia’s hand off his. "We’ve already seen the footage, Olivia," he said calmly. "We know you attacked her first. And when we walked in, you pretended she was the one who came after you."
Olivia froze. The fake tears dried up instantly as she looked between them, her eyes cautious. "You never believed me?" she whispered, betrayal in her voice.
Jessica let out a bitter laugh. "We believed you blindly, Olivia!" Her voice shook with anger. "We’re your parents! We were so worried about your safety that we were ready to use that footage as evidence, to get a restraining order against Ellie, to make sure she never came near you again! But you—" she exhaled sharply, her hands shaking with fury. "You crossed every line! For what? Just because she was with Sawyer all these years?"
"She stole him from me!" Olivia burst out, her voice trembling with anger. "I was just making sure she never comes back or tries taking anything else away from me!"
Jessica inhaled sharply, taking a step back as realization dawned. "Is that what this is about?" she whispered, more to herself. Tears welled in her eyes again as she played her final card. "Mom, Dad, I love Sawyer so much, but he won’t even see me anymore! I was just confused for a minute—that’s why I did it." Her cries grew louder, as if she could drown out their disappointment with her own misery.
Jack took a deep breath, shaking his head. Silence settled in the room like a heavy fog before he finally spoke.
"Olivia, don’t forget that it was you who insisted on leaving and going overseas. We warned you. We told you over and over to think it through before you left. You knew Sawyer was at his lowest point, but you still left." His voice was steely. "And now you expect him to take you back like nothing happened? Can you really be this naïve?"
"So what?!" Olivia snapped, her tears vanishing in an instant. "It was just a little vacation! Sawyer and I are childhood sweethearts. I’m the one he’s supposed to be with, not Ellie! She stole my place. It’smehe loves madly, not that bitch!"
Jessica’s stomach twisted at the delusion in Olivia’s eyes. It was like Olivia wasn’t even there anymore. The girl in front of her had lost all sense of reality.
It was like she was looking at a stranger.
Jessica’s lips parted, but for a moment, no words came out. Then, slowly, she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, "Tell me one thing honestly." She stepped closer. "Do you have anything to do with Ellie’s accident that day after she left our house?"
The color drained from Olivia’s face. Her body tensed, her eyes flickering with alarm.
When she didn’t answer, Jessica stepped closer. Her voice was restrained, but the warning in her tone was clear.
"Olivia, the police are already investigating. Sawyer has put the best people on the case. Everything is moving fast. So, for the love of God, tell me—" her voice dropped into something almost pleading, "—do you have anything to do with it?"
The room fell into a suffocating silence.