Chapter 134

EMILY

“There are a thousand and one reasons I could hate Cecelia Thompson,” I said slowly while staring directly at my grandmother, “but whatever nonsense you just spewed is definitely not one of them.”

Then I laughed.

Not because anything about this situation was funny, but because the entire thing sounded completely insane.

The sound echoed awkwardly inside the restroom while my grandmother stood there watching me with an expression that looked dangerously close to disappointment.

“Oh, this is rich,” I muttered while shaking my head. “What next? Are you going to tell me Ryan planned this too? Is this another one of your games to make me hate him and his family again?”

My grandmother rolled her eyes immediately.

“You really are not the smartest one of the twins,” she said coldly. “I actually had high hopes for you.”

I stared at her in disbelief.

“What the hell are you even talking about?”

Her expression hardened slightly as she folded her arms across her chest.

“Cecelia Thompson took you from your mother and paid that dead nurse to raise you. It’s either you believe me or you don’t, Emily, but the earlier you realize that both mother and son are not good for you, the better.”

The restroom suddenly felt too quiet after that.

I stopped laughing completely.

Because as insane as the accusation sounded, my grandmother didn’t look like she was joking.

She looked serious.

Dead serious.

Still, I shook my head quickly.

“That’s not possible,” I said almost immediately. “That makes absolutely no sense because Cecelia didn’t even know me until Ryan and I started dating in high school.”

My grandmother scoffed softly before looking me up and down like she pitied me.

“You think people like Cecelia leave things to chance?” she asked calmly. “You really think that woman suddenly discovered you because her son fell in love with you?”

I opened my mouth slightly, but nothing came out.

Because suddenly memories started flashing through my head too quickly.

The strange tension Cecelia always carried around me.

The way she watched me sometimes.

The way she reacted whenever Ryan defended me.

The weird hostility that never fully made sense.

No.

No, this was ridiculous. She actually loved me before my cheating scandal.

I rubbed both hands over my face and stepped back slowly.

“This is crazy.”

My grandmother remained calm.

“When you’re done spiraling,” she said smoothly, “join us in the changing room.”

Then her eyes narrowed slightly.

“And don’t bother trying to go to the airport either because your daughter is still at home.”

That made me look at her immediately.

A faint smirk appeared on her lips.

“You really take me for a fool, Emily.”

And with that, she turned around and walked away calmly like she hadn’t just dropped a bomb directly into my life.

The second she disappeared down the hallway, Hazel rushed toward me quickly.

“Emily,” she whispered urgently. “What happened? What did she say to you?”

I looked at Hazel for a long second before forcing a strange smile onto my face.

“Nothing.”

Hazel frowned immediately. “Nothing?”

I nodded slowly.

Because how exactly was I supposed to repeat any of that out loud without sounding completely insane?

Hazel glanced toward the hallway where Vivian had disappeared before lowering her voice carefully.

“Was that really Ryan in those pictures?”

That question hurt far more than I expected.

Still, I answered immediately.

“Yes.”

Hazel blinked once like she hadn’t expected such certainty from me after everything we had just seen.

I leaned back against the sink slowly before speaking again.

“I trust Ryan too much to believe he would willingly do something like that.”

Hazel looked confused. “Emily…”

“I know him,” I interrupted quietly. “Something is wrong.”

The words sounded firmer the more I said them out loud.

Because deep down, despite how painful those pictures were, something still felt off.

Ryan disappearing suddenly.

Ryan blocking my calls.

Miranda conveniently showing up around the same time.

None of it felt right.

Hazel studied my face carefully before speaking again.

“So what are you going to do now?”

I exhaled slowly and looked toward the restroom door.

“For now?” I muttered. “Nothing.”

Hazel frowned deeper immediately. “What do you mean nothing?”

“I mean I can’t leave yet.”

“Emily—”

“She’s watching me too closely,” I interrupted while lowering my voice. “Vivian already figured out something was wrong before we even got here. If I try to run now, she’ll lock this place down completely.”

Hazel looked nervous now.

“But we already made a plan.”

“And the plan failed,” I said quietly. “At least for now.”

Hazel opened her mouth slightly before closing it again.

I could tell she hated hearing that.

Honestly, so did I.

Because I had been so close to leaving.

So close to finally getting Zara and going home.

Now everything felt complicated again.

Ryan.

Cecelia.

The pictures.

That insane accusation Vivian just made.

None of it made sense anymore.

Hazel stepped closer carefully. “So what now?”

I stayed silent for a few seconds before finally answering.

“Very soon,” I said quietly, “I’ll leave this place with my daughter.”

Hazel nodded slowly.

“But before that,” I continued while straightening slightly, “I’m going to get to the root of everything first.”

Hazel searched my face carefully. “Including Ryan?”

“Yes.”

“And your grandmother?”

I gave a small nod.

Hazel hesitated briefly before finally asking the question she clearly didn’t want to ask.

“Are you still going to marry Mateo?”

That question actually made me laugh softly.

Not because it was funny.

But because somehow the answer suddenly felt obvious.

I looked directly at Hazel before shrugging lightly.

“What’s the harm in getting married?”

Hazel’s eyes widened instantly.

“What?”

I pushed away from the sink and adjusted my dress calmly.

“I mean,” I continued casually, “if my grandmother thinks she’s winning right now, maybe I should let her.”

Hazel stared at me like she had completely lost track of where my mind was going.

“Emily, what are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about playing along.”

Her brows pulled together immediately.

“You can’t be serious.”

“Oh, I’m very serious.”

Then I smiled slightly.

Not a happy smile.

The kind that even made Hazel look uncomfortable.

Because for the first time since this whole nightmare started, something inside me had finally settled.

I didn’t know who was lying anymore.

I didn’t know whether Vivian was manipulating me or telling the truth.

I didn’t know what really happened with Ryan.

But I knew one thing very clearly now.

Everybody around me had secrets.

And the only way to uncover those secrets was to stop fighting openly and start letting people believe they had control.

Hazel still looked completely stunned.

“You’re actually going through with this?”

“For now,” I answered calmly.

Then I walked toward the restroom door before pausing briefly beside her.

“I have no idea what I’m doing anymore,” I admitted quietly. “But I know one thing for sure.”

Hazel looked at me carefully.

I opened the door slowly before speaking again.

“I’m going to find out the truth even if I have to destroy every single person around me to get it.”

And with that, I walked back toward the changing room to start trying on wedding dresses.