Chapter 76 Under The Pillow
ANNA'S POV
The guard cleared his throat, the sound low and uneasy, like someone who had just stumbled upon something they weren’t supposed to see. That single action alone dragged everyone’s attention straight to him.
“What’s the matter?” Isabel asked, already stepping deeper into my room, her eyes sharp with interest.
The guard hesitated, then slowly bent and picked something up from beneath my pillow. His movements were careful, almost reluctant, as if he was afraid of what would happen once he revealed it. When he straightened and raised his hand, my breath caught painfully in my chest.
The necklace.
For a moment, the room felt unreal, like time had frozen around us. The gold chain dangled from his fingers, the pendant catching the light from the chandelier above, gleaming in a way that made my stomach twist.
A small gasp escaped my mom’s lips as she covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes filling instantly with shock. My brows pulled together tightly, my mouth falling open as disbelief washed over me. I stood there stiffly, staring at the necklace, my mind refusing to process how it ended up under my pillow.
That necklace had never been in my possession. I had never touched it. Yet there it was, lying in my room like undeniable proof against me.
My dad moved quickly, stepping forward and taking the necklace from the guard’s hand. For a split second, I saw relief flicker across his face — the relief of finding what had been lost. But that relief didn’t last long. His expression hardened as his gaze slowly lifted to me.
The air shifted.
Every single person in the room turned to look at me, their expressions filled with disbelief, confusion, and something else I didn’t want to name. My heart began to race as realization dawned on me.
They thought I did this.
They honestly believed that I was the one who stole the necklace.
“Would you look at that,” Isabel said calmly, crossing her arms as she leaned against the doorframe. “The least expected person is the one behind it.”
My head snapped toward her. “What?” My voice came out shaky despite my effort to sound steady. “I don’t know how that got under there, but it’s not what it looks like.”
“Well, what else does it look like?” Isabel replied smoothly. “Everything seems pretty clear to me.”
“Anna,” my dad said, his voice firm but strained. “Explain this.”
Before I could even gather myself, my mom spoke next, her voice trembling. “How did this get into your room, Anna?”
I opened my mouth to answer, but Isabel didn’t give me the chance.
“There’s nothing to explain, Mom,” Isabel said quickly. “The necklace was found in her room. That means she stole it. She has never truly been a full part of this family to care about our traditions or what’s been passed down through generations. I’m sure all she wanted was to keep that necklace for herself.”
“What?” I shot back, my shock turning into anger. “How can you even say something like that when I barely knew about the necklace in the first place?”
“Exactly,” Isabel said, taking slow steps toward me. “That makes it even more suspicious. You didn’t know its value, so you thought you could take it.”
“That’s enough,” Dan cut in, stepping forward. “Let’s all calm down and sort this out like a family.”
But Isabel wasn’t done.
Dan turned toward her, his expression serious. “You’re claiming Anna stole the necklace, but let’s not forget something important. It was only you and I in the house this morning. Anna had already gone to work before Mom and Dad got the notification that the safe had been opened.”
Ryan nodded immediately. "He's right. Anna was with me from the moment she left the house. She didn’t come back here at any point.”
“They’re both right,” I added, my voice firmer now. “How could I steal something when I wasn’t even in the house?”
For the first time since all this started, I noticed Isabel hesitate. She cleared her throat and scratched the back of her neck, her confident composure slipping just slightly. It was brief, but it was enough for me to notice.
My dad looked away, his gaze dropping to the floor as if he was replaying everything in his head. The anger in his posture softened into uncertainty.
“They’re right,” my mom finally said, realization creeping into her voice. “She wasn’t home when the notification came in.”
“Which means,” my dad added slowly, “someone must have planted it in her room.”
Relief flooded through me, so intense my knees almost gave out. Finally. They were seeing sense.
“That could be true,” Isabel said suddenly, pointing at me, “but another thing that could also be true is that she’s fooling all of us.”
The room went quiet again.
I felt a cold unease settle deep in my chest. Something about the way Isabel spoke — too eager, too focused on making me look guilty made my skin crawl.
“Fooling us?” my dad asked. “What do you mean by that?”
“Well,” Isabel said smoothly, “Anna isn’t stupid. She knows that if she got caught stealing the necklace while she was around, it wouldn’t end well for her. So she had someone else do the dirty work while she stayed safely away. The real question is which maid or guard did she bribe to steal it for her.”
My hands curled into fists at my sides. “Is this supposed to be some kind of joke?” I snapped. “Dad, are you hearing the ridiculous things she’s saying?”
Before anyone could respond, Dan stepped forward again, his eyes fixed firmly on Isabel. “With the way you’ve been acting and the things you’ve been suggesting, I’m starting to think you’re the one who planted that necklace in Anna’s room.”
The words landed hard.
“What?” Isabel exclaimed, her eyes widening. “Why would you even think something like that? I thought you always had my back, Dan.”
“I do,” he replied calmly, “but I don’t support evil. And something about this whole situation doesn’t add up. From the moment Anna walked in, you’ve been more focused on accusing her than finding out the truth.”
“That’s not fair,” Isabel said quickly.
“It is,” Dan said firmly. “And whether or not we’ve found the person who stole the necklace yet, I promise you this — I’ll get to the bottom of it.”
Silence fell over the room again, heavy and suffocating.