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Eva sat on the cold stone bench, the chilly evening wind whipping through her hair, biting at her skin. Emily’s words still echoed in her ears, but they felt distant, as though they belonged to someone else’s life. She had enough on her plate already without getting tangled in a web of manipulations, but the sight of Vivian’s bloodied face, the accusations thrown at her—those things couldn’t be ignored.
“Emily, it doesn’t add up,” Eva muttered to herself, the unease still gnawing at her. Vivian’s fall, her injury—it all felt so staged. Yet, she couldn’t deny the guilt that crept into her mind, like a slow poison. Did she really push her? She hadn’t meant to. But then how had Vivian fallen? She couldn’t wrap her mind around it. The memory of the incident played over and over, her eyes drifting between the crowd, the expressions of surprise and anger, and Vivian’s eyes, full of accusation.
She adjusted her earphones, pushing away the doubt as best as she could. Emily’s voice continued on, unaware of Eva’s internal turmoil. “Look, I’m just telling you how it is. You need to get ahead of this before she uses Adrian against you. You know she will, right?”
Eva let out a sigh, staring at the ground. She didn’t need anyone to tell her what Vivian would do. Adrian’s reactions made it clear enough. The way he had immediately assumed she was the cause of Vivian’s fall… it stung. Deep down, Eva had always known that Vivian held his attention, but today… today it felt like something had shifted, and the more she thought about it, the worse it felt.
She wasn’t naïve enough to think this would blow over quickly, especially with Vivian playing the victim so convincingly. The blood on her face had been a perfect distraction, and Adrian, ever the protector, had rushed to her side without a second thought.
“I’ll take care of it,” Emily insisted on the phone, her voice rising with indignation. “But you need to stand firm. Don’t let them twist this into something it’s not.”
Eva pulled the earphones out, gazing at the city lights beyond the hotel, her thoughts spiraling. Vivian had always been strategic, but this… this felt different. What if she wasn’t just playing a game? What if it really was an accident? Could she have fallen that way on her own?
Her gaze turned toward the entrance of the hotel, where Adrian and Michael had likely gone by now. The confusion and frustration had begun to settle into something deeper—a sinking feeling that no matter how hard she tried to explain herself, she would always be seen as the villain. Vivian, with her carefully crafted image, would always win. And Adrian… well, he would always be there to pick up the pieces.
“Eva, stop thinking about him,” she muttered under her breath, rubbing her forehead. She had to stop expecting things to change, stop wondering what Adrian saw in Vivian. What did it matter? Was she really willing to keep playing this game?
The night air grew colder as she stood up, pulling her coat tighter around her. Maybe it was time to focus on herself, on what came next. As much as it hurt to admit, it was clear that Adrian was never going to be her knight in shining armor. And Vivian—well, she had already made it clear where her loyalty lay.
She walked toward the exit of the hotel, her steps steady, though her mind was anything but. As she passed the corner, she spotted John once again, standing there, waiting. Their eyes met, and for a brief moment, it felt like the weight of the entire evening had lifted off her shoulders.
But she couldn’t bring herself to stop, to explain. The words were caught in her throat, tangled with everything she was still processing. She gave him a faint smile, her voice soft as she said, “I’ll go first, we can meet again next time.”
John’s expression softened, but he didn’t press. “Alright. Take care,” he said quietly, watching her leave, his eyes lingering longer than she expected.
Eva felt a pang of something she couldn’t name, but she pushed it aside. She had too much to handle already.
As she stepped out into the night, the cool air a welcome distraction, she couldn’t shake the feeling that her life was unraveling, bit by bit, in ways she never could have predicted. And now, with everything at stake—her relationship with Adrian, her reputation, even her own sense of control—it was hard to know who to trust, or what the next move should be.
