Chapter 156

With the day trip to the spa scheduled, I decided it was time to start packing, though my mind was weighed down by the heavy

tension that had enveloped our apartment. Aria had been avoiding me ever since our fight, and I couldn’t help but feel like i was

walking on eggshells.

I began folding clothes and carefully selecting toiletries to take with me when I heard a sharp knock at my bedroom door. Before I

could answer, Aria barged in, a sheet of paper clutched tightly in her hand. The look on her face was a mixture of concern and

anger, a storm brewing behind her eyes.

“What's this?” Aria demanded, thrusting the paper toward me. I took it from her and my heart sank as I realized what it was the

protective order Stella had filed against me.

“What are you doing with this?” I asked, my voice betraying my unease.

Aria’s voice was tight with frustration as she replied, “I found it on the kitchen counter, Evie. Why didn’t you tell me about this?”

I sighed, frustration bubbling up inside me. “It’s nothing. Aria. I didn’t want to bother you with my messy life anymore.”

Aria’s eyebrows furrowed as she studied me, clearly not buying my dismissive attitude. “It doesn’t look like ‘nothing. Evie. Stella

filed a protective order against you. You should have told me.”

I turned away from her, feeling a mix of embarrassment and guilt. “I didn’t want to burden you with my problems, Aria, Besides,

what could you have done about it?”

Aria’s voice grew exasperated. “What could I have done? Well, for starters, I could have been there for you, supported you.

We're supposed to be friends, Evie!”

I clenched my fists, my anger building. “Look, it’s my problem to deal with.”

Aria’s frustration boiled over, and she took a step closer to me, her voice rising. “I spoke to Lucas about the trip, and he told me

that Stella had threatened you. You got him involved, but not me?

I threw my hands up in exasperation. “I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. I thought I could handle it on my own.

Ill

Aria’s anger flared, and she practically shouted, “Well, you can’t handle it on your own! Stella is clearly dangerous!”

I was at my breaking point, exhausted from the constant turmoil that had my life. “Aria, I’m not in the mood to fight with you right

now.

consumed

Aria’s eyes bore into mine, but there was a hint of hurt in her voice when she spoke. again. “Is that how it’s going to be, Evie?

You're just not going to speak to me anymore?”

I didn’t have the energy for this argument. My shoulders slumped, and I admitted defeat. “I just need some space right now.”

With a frustrated huff, Aria stormed out of my room, leaving me alone with my thoughts and a heavy sense of guilt. I knew I

should have confided in her about the order, but I had been so wrapped up in my own fears and insecurities that I hadn’t

considered how it might affect her.

The hours passed, and I tried to push aside the nagging worry that gnawed at me. I finished packing, double—checking that I had

everything I needed for the spa trip. It was supposed to be a day of relaxation and rejuvenation, but it felt like an impossible task

with the weight of my problems hanging over me.

The streetlights flickered to life as I made my way through the dimly lit streets of downtown. After packing my suitcase for the spa

trip. I had arranged to meet Penny for a late-night breakfast at the nearby diner. The promise of comfort food and her company

offered a glimmer of solace.

The bell above the diner’s door tinkled as I stepped inside, and the scent of sizzling bacon and freshly brewed coffee enveloped

me. Penny sat in a corner booth. nursing a cup of coffee, her expression peaceful. As I slid into the booth across from her, I

could already sense that the conversation ahead wouldn’t be an easy

I picked up a menu, but my appetite had vanished beneath the weight of my worries. “You won't believe what happened today.” I

began, my voice quivering.

Penny looked at me intently, her bright eyes filled with curiosity. “Spill it, Evie. What's going on?”

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Chapter 156

I took a deep breath, my anger bubbling just beneath the surface. “Stella framed me for tearing up her wedding dress, Penny.

She made it look like I did it and then filed a protective order against me.”

Penny's face twisted into a scowl, her anger mirroring my own. “That conniving witch! Why would she do something like that?”

I lowered my head, feeling a heavy weight on my chest. “May have something to do with those photos...”

Penny tapped her fingers on the table, deep in thought. “You know, Evie, Stella has made a lot of enemies over the years. She’s

not exactly the most liked person in town. Maybe someone else had a vendetta against her.”

I frowned, considering Penny’s words. “But who would hate her enough to go to such lengths? Tear up her dress, have her frame

me, and then file a protective order? It’s all so calculated.”

Penny’s eyes narrowed in thought. “Her sister Scarlett hates her right? And she was at the Hayes mansion that day when the

dress was torn, and might have been there earlier to tear it.”

The mention of Scarlett made my heart race. Scarlett’s sudden appearance had always struck me as odd. She had shown up

and asked for my help specifically while also nursing an intense dislike of Stella.

I nodded slowly, a sinking feeling settling in my stomach. “I would hope it’s not her.”

Penny leaned in, her voice lowered to a conspiratorial whisper. “What if Scarlett had something to do with it? She might have a

vendetta against Stella, and this would be the perfect way to get back at her.”

The idea sent shivers down my spine. Accusing her of something so serious without concrete evidence seemed reckless.

“I don’t know, Penny,” I replied, my voice uncertain. “She seems classier than that.”

Penny sighed, frustration evident in her eyes. “Classy people are usually the messiest behind closed doors, but says it’s not her?

Maybe Linda?”

I blinked wildly. That wasn’t a name I'd heard in a while. “Linda...1 guess she would hate the woman marrying Timothy. She hated

me just for working with him.”

A

“Right!” Penny nodded rapidly, seeming more drawn to that conclusion.

I hunched over a table, the cheap Formica surface sticky with the residue of countless meals. I stabbed at my hash browns with

a fork, more out of habit than hunger, while Penny sipped her black coffee, her eyes darting around as if searching for something

that could never be found.

“Penny,” I began, breaking the silence, “I’ve got to tell Timothy.”

Penny glanced up from her coffee, her eyebrows furrowing in concern. “Tell him what?”

I hesitated for a moment, as if the very act of speaking the words aloud would make them all too real. “He needs to know about

Stella and Andy.”

Penny's coffee cup clattered against the saucer as she set it down, her eyes, widening in shock. “But you said...we agreed that-”

“It's wrong,” I cut her off, leaning toward her. “Keeping it to ourselves isn’t helping anyone, and looks so miserable. I can’t let him

go through with that knowing that that woman doesn’t value him.”

Penny’s eyes remained fixed on me, her expression a mixture of sympathy and concern. “Evie, are you sure you want to do this?

I mean, telling Timothy... it’s a big step. You could be tearing his world apart.”

I sighed. “I know, but Timothy deserves to know the truth. He’s planning to marry her, crying out loud. He’s about to commit his

life to someone who’s been betraying him with his own brother.”

Penny drummed her fingers on the table, deep in thought. “If you’re so sure about this, Evie, than I guess you should tell him.”

I shook my head vigorously, a shiver running down my spine at the mere thought of Timothy falling apart because of me. “No, no,

I can’t have him hate me for this. It needs to look like it’s from someone else.”

Penny leaned in closer, her voice a conspiratorial whisper. “You can send an anonymous email from a fake address, one that

can’t be traced back to you.”

Aglimmer of hope flickered in my heart as I considered Penny's suggestion. It seemed like the perfect solution, a way to expose

the truth without sacrificing my friendship with Timothy. “That might work, Penny.”

4/5

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Chapter 136

Penny's lips curled into a sly grin as she grabbed her bag and set it on the table between us. She slipped out her thin laptop and

opened it. “Did you want to do it now? It'll be quick and painless.”

I bit my lip as the nerves gripped my gut. It would be quick surely, but the painless part was debatable.

“We'll create an anonymous email address, send the evidence, and let the chips fall where they may,” she explained once more,

pushing the laptop in my direction.

After some hesitation, I agreed. With the plan in motion, we spent the next hour huddled over Penny’s laptop in the dimly lit

corner of the diner, creating a fake email address and compiling the incriminating evidence.

As we finished crafting the email, Penny looked at me, her eyes filled with determination. “Are you absolutely sure about this,

Evie? Once we hit send, there’s no turning back.”

I took a deep breath and nodded, my resolve unwavering. “Maybe schedule it for a certain day though, the day after tomorrow.”

Penny scheduled the send date and clicked the send button. After loading, the email disappeared into the digital abyss. We

watched in silence, the weight of our actions settling over us.

“This is going to change everything, Evie,” Penny said.

“It had to be done,” I told her, picking up my fork. My appetite still hadn’t

returned. “Timothy deserves the truth, no matter what it costs.”

And I was prepared to bear the brunt of that cost.