Chapter 3: The Confrontation

"Victoria," Elias's voice cracks as he speaks my name. "I—I don’t know how to begin this."

I don’t know how to respond, either. Standing here, in the middle of a room so familiar, yet so distant, the weight of years spent apart hangs between us. His eyes are filled with regret, and yet, there’s something more—a determination that I've never seen before. It should be comforting, but it's not. It just stirs the anger I’ve kept buried for so long.

"You want to explain yourself now?" I ask, the bitterness in my voice unmistakable. "After everything, you think a letter, a phone call, and a few words can fix this?"

He flinches. "I never meant for it to end this way. I thought—I believed you betrayed me. And that’s something I have to live with."

"And how exactly did you live with it?" I snap. "Did you sleep at night? Was it easy for you to throw me out like I was nothing, accuse me of stealing from you, and then just—move on?"

Elias’s face hardens, and I see the sharp edge of his jawline as he grits his teeth. He’s angry now, but not at me, at himself. "It wasn’t easy," he mutters, "You have no idea what it did to me. I thought I had everything—until you were gone."

I scoff. "You thought you had everything? Maybe you did. But you lost me. And now, what? You expect me to forgive you because you’ve finally realized the truth?"

I cross my arms tightly, my heart pounding in my chest. I can’t let him see how deeply his words affect me. I can’t let myself be vulnerable again.

"I didn’t come here for forgiveness," he says, stepping closer, his voice low and urgent. "I came here because I need you to understand what happened. You were framed. And I—"

I cut him off, shaking my head. "I don’t care what you’ve uncovered. I don’t care how much you’ve researched. The truth is, you believed I was guilty. That’s all that matters. You never once questioned it. You never once trusted me."

I turn my back to him, unable to face the person who once meant everything to me. I feel a sharp sting in my chest, but I won’t let him see it.

"Victoria, please," Elias’s voice softens. "I want to explain. I need you to hear me out, at least."

I hesitate, my breath coming in ragged waves. Part of me wants to hear him, to let him explain, but the other part, the hurt part, tells me it’s not worth it. Not anymore.

"Why now, Elias?" I ask my voice barely a whisper. "Why after everything? After years of silence, years of pain, why are you here now?"

"I couldn’t let it go," he admits. "I couldn’t live with myself knowing I had wronged you, not after everything that’s happened. I know it doesn’t change anything, but I need you to know that I never stopped loving you."

I choke back the tears that threaten to spill. His words—I never stopped loving you—hit me like a wave, crashing against the walls I’ve spent years building around my heart.

But I can’t let myself crumble. Not now. Not when everything is still so broken.

"I don’t know if I can believe you," I whisper, my voice thick with emotion. "I don’t know if I can ever forgive you for what you did."

Elias’s eyes flash with pain, but he doesn’t back down. "You don’t have to forgive me right now. But I need you to know that I’m going to do whatever it takes to make this right. To make us right."

I shake my head, feeling a surge of anger. "I don’t need you to fix anything, Elias. I built my life without you. I don’t need your redemption or your guilt. What I need is for you to leave me alone."

His face falls, but I see the fire behind his eyes—the fire of a man who isn’t ready to give up. "I’m not leaving," he says firmly. "I’m not going anywhere until you hear the truth."

I take a step back, my pulse quickening. I can’t keep doing this. I can’t keep going in circles with him. Not when I’m so vulnerable. Not when I’ve spent so long rebuilding everything from the ground up.

Just as I open my mouth to tell him to leave, my phone buzzes. The sudden vibration startles me, and I glance down at the screen.

Unknown number.

I hesitate for a moment before I unlock the screen and read the message that flashes across it:

Elias is lying. Don’t trust him.

My stomach drops, and the room seems to spin. The blood drains from my face as I stare at the words. The familiar weight of betrayal settles over me again, but this time, it feels different. It’s not from Elias. It’s from someone else—someone who knows something I don’t.

I look up at Elias, my hands trembling. "Who sent this?" I ask my voice barely a whisper. "Who—?"

But Elias isn’t looking at me anymore. His eyes are fixed on my phone, a storm of emotions crossing his face. The color drains from his expression as he takes a slow step forward, his breath shallow.

"I don’t know," he says, his voice hoarse. "But I have a feeling I do."

I feel a cold chill spread through me. The tension between us is thick, but now, something far more sinister looms over us. The message, the unknown sender—it can’t just be a coincidence.

"I need you to answer me," I demand, my heart racing. "What is going on, Elias? What is this about?"

But before he can respond, a sharp knock at the door interrupts us, the sound jarring in the tense silence.

"Who is it?" I ask, my voice trembling.

Elias looks toward the door, his jaw tightening. "I don’t know."

I take a step back, the fear gnawing at my insides. The last thing I need right now is more uncertainty and more drama.

But as the door creaks open, my breath catches in my throat.

Standing in the doorway is none other than Selene.

"Victoria," she says, her voice silky and cold. "We need to talk."

And with that, the door slams shut behind her, leaving me with a growing sense of dread that I can’t shake.

"Selene, what are you doing here?" Elias asks, his voice full of disbelief.

She steps into the room, a smug smile playing on her lips as she glances at me, then back at Elias.

"I think it’s time we had a little chat, don’t you?" she says, her tone dripping with something dangerous.

I feel the air grow heavier, the tension in the room suffocating. What is she playing at? What does she know?

Before I can ask another question, my phone buzzes again.

This time, I don’t even have to look at the screen to know. The same message.

Elias is lying. Don’t trust him.

My heart skips a beat.

"Tell me the truth, Elias," I whisper, the weight of everything crashing down on me.

But before he can answer, Selene steps forward, her eyes narrowing. "You might not like the truth, Victoria. But it’s time you learned it."

And just like that, the world around me feels like it’s falling apart.

"Tell her, Elias," she whispers, her smile widening. "Tell her everything.”