Chapter 16:Prove Me Wrong

I looked from Clara to Ethan, unable to believe what I was seeing.

The technician's hands were still on the keyboard as I stared at the proof on the screen. The recording had been edited.

The waveform showed the recording clearly, and the analysis beneath it confirmed that the voice came from an existing video. It wasn't me. It had never been me.

My eyes burned. For weeks I had carried the shame of something I hadn't done, and now the truth was right in front of me, in black and white.

"Rui is such a brat," Clara said, folding her arms. "He built the whole thing from nothing. He has been looking for a reason to get rid of you, and he made one."

I couldn't speak. My mind was still catching up with my heart. I was innocent, and I finally had the proof.

"Emilia," Ethan said gently, "we should face him. He needs to know you aren't weak, and he needs to pay for what he did."

I hesitated. I had given Rui everything he asked for in the divorce, and all I wanted was peace. But I could see how it would look if I refused: like I was afraid of him, or worse, like I still had feelings for him.

"Okay," I said at last. "Let's go."

We stopped in front of Rui's house. It hadn't taken long to get there, since he now lived so close that I could have walked. The sight of it made my stomach turn.

Clara was already marching up the path. She had always been ready to fight for the people she loved, and she was never afraid of anyone.

"Clara, I know you care," I said, catching up to her, "but the divorce is finished, and I've given him what he wanted. There's no need for this."

She rolled her eyes. "I know you want peace, but you have to show him you aren't a fool."

Before I could argue, she banged on the door.

It opened, and the same maid from before stood there, startled. So they really did live here.

"Please, you can't come in right now," she said nervously. "Let me tell my boss first."

But neither Clara nor Ethan listened. They walked straight past her, and I followed.

"Go and call Rui," I said, my anger rising. I didn't care how it sounded.

We waited, and it wasn't long. Rui came slowly down the stairs, one hand on the railing, moving as though we were servants who had been waiting for his arrival.

"What are you all doing here?"

"You're going to be charged for false evidence," Ethan said coldly.

A door opened behind him, and Nora stepped out. "Excuse me? What do you mean?"

I looked at both of them, and every ounce of pain I had swallowed rose to my throat.

"You wanted the divorce, and I agreed to give it to you," I said. My voice shook, but I didn't look away. "You still weren't satisfied. You went ahead and made a fake record, an edited recording to destroy me."

Rui cleared his throat. "I didn't edit anything. Someone gave it to me."

"Who?" Clara demanded. I held my breath, desperate to know.

"You have nothing to do with it," Rui snapped.

"Oh, really?" Clara pulled out her phone. "Then wait until my lawyer hears about this."

"Wait, wait." Rui held up his hands, and I saw fear in his eyes. "It was my wife. Nora gave it to me."

The words struck me like a blow.

Rui took a small step backward, away from her, as though he had suddenly realized how deep he was standing.

"Where did you get it?" I asked Nora.

She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She looked around the room as though the answer might be written on the walls.

"It isn't fake," she said finally. "Someone sent it to me."

"Who?"

She couldn't say. Her lips pressed together, and her fingers twisted the hem of her sleeve. I watched her and felt certain that this had been her plan from the start. Had she done all this simply to take Rui for herself? Was that how far she was willing to go?

"I have a very good lawyer," Clara said, her thumb hovering over the screen. "You can't buy this one."

I saw the fear flicker in Nora's eyes, even as she tried to hide it.

"Rui," she said sharply, "are you just going to stand there?"

He had already moved back, putting more distance between them. "I... I don't know what to say. But..." He tried to defend himself, but the words wouldn't come.

"Oh, stop it!" Nora pressed her hands against her head, then pointed at the door. "Get out. All of you. Get out of my house!"

We decided to leave with our dignity intact, and I convinced Clara and Ethan. 'They should be ashamed of themselves. We aren't going to bark like dogs at a door,' I told them.

Outside, the evening air felt cool against my skin. I took a long breath and realized I wasn't shaking. I had been afraid of that house, and yet it had been Rui who looked small in the end.

I turned to my two friends, who were grinning like children who had just won a game. They had put on quite a show for me.

"Thank you, Ethan. Thank you, Clara." My voice cracked, and the rest of my words caught in my throat.

"There's nothing we wouldn't do for you, Emilia," Ethan said, smiling. "We love you."

I smiled and meant it. They had done everything they could to make me feel better, and I knew I could never thank them enough.