**Tiana's POV**
Fiona’s face twisted in exaggerated shock and indignation. “How can you say such a thing, Amara?"
"Because it's the truth,” Amara spat. When she saw the new expression on Fiona's face, she continued. "What? Do you think I'm like the other noble ladies you're used to? The foolish women who forget their worth and cower in your presence?"
"What makes you think this is my fault when Tiana is just weak and all of that?” Fiona asked, ignoring the sentence even though she was clearly taken aback by Amara's audacity. Something told me this had never happened before.
I really wanted to interject and stop the whole feud but my throat was too sore for that. Moreover, I was too sick to even move a limb. I glanced at the physician who seemed to be enjoying the drama— for the first time, her face did not have that seriousness in it.
“Aren’t you such a dear for trying to go down that lane,” Amara shot back, sarcasm dripping from every word. “You forced Tiana to do all that work yesterday.”
Theo’s eyes narrowed as he looked between the two women. “What work?”
Before Fiona or I could utter a word, Amara continued, “You made her work in the inventory and then gave all the maids a break and told her to do the work in the kitchen.”
Layla, who had been standing silently by the door, gasped. “What in the world?”
Fiona quickly composed her face into a look of surprise, turning to me with wide eyes. “What? Is that what you told Amara?”
"I-you—" I began to stutter. I really wished Amara had not confronted Fiona like this, especially out here with everyone. I was grateful she was trying to stand up for me, especially with Fiona coming here to make me feel bad about myself when I was not even in the right state of mind.
Theo’s gaze hardened. I could tell he was struggling to believe it because it was his best friend. “Fiona, I’m giving you a chance to explain yourself.”
Fiona’s expression morphed into one of confusion and hurt. “I’m so confused by all of this. Tiana mentioned to me that she felt indebted and uncomfortable with taking too much from the pack without giving back anything. I told her she shouldn’t worry about it, but she insisted. She even mentioned that the maids were ignoring the inventory and were mumbling about needing a break, so I asked if she wanted to help them out and she said yes. I told her it wasn't necessary but she insisted. I’m surprised she would twist the whole thing like this.”
I lay there, my body trembling with a mixture of exhaustion and disbelief. Fiona was plain and undiluted evil. Theo turned his gaze to me, his eyes searching my face for answers. “Is this true, Tiana?”
I felt a pang of hurt deep in my chest. Did Theo really think I would twist things like that? My throat was dry, and my voice came out as a croak. “No… I didn’t… I…”
Theo’s face softened slightly, but he still looked confused and concerned. From his expression, I could tell he did not really want to hear that his best friend was a villain. I could see that he really cared about her and that he badly wanted her not to be guilty. My chest squeezed painfully.
"Tiana just tell us what happened," Theo sighed.
I swallowed hard, trying to gather my thoughts despite the fog of fatigue clouding my mind. “I… I was in the inventory, organizing things. For fun..." I began to lie, hoping to turn the situation around so it all appeared to be a misunderstanding.
I locked eyes with Amara and she cocked her eyebrows. I realized then that lying was going to make Amara look like a fool and for someone as wonderful as her, I would not betray her like that.
"Fiona came in and told me I hadn’t done enough, that I needed to do more to return all I had benefited from the pack. She sent the maids away and made me do all the kitchen work too.”
Fiona’s eyes widened again, this time with genuine anger. “That’s not true, Tiana! You said you wanted to help. You said you felt guilty for not contributing.”
“Tiana right, Theo,” Amara interjected seeing that I did not want to push all the blame on Fiona, especially for the inventory job that was so intense.“Tiana was just trying to help when she found out about the inventory in a random conversation with Fiona, but Fiona took advantage of that.”
Theo’s face was a mask of conflicting emotions. He turned to Fiona. “Why would you do that?”
Fiona threw her hands up in exasperation. “I didn’t force her to do anything. She volunteered! Why is everyone so quick to blame me?”
Layla stepped forward, her face stern. “Whether she volunteered or not, you should have known she wasn’t up to such a task. She’s not a member of the pack. And since you're always so quick to mention that she doesn’t have a wolf to give her strength. You should have been more responsible.”
Fiona looked around the room, her eyes wide with desperation. “I never meant for her to get hurt. I thought she could handle it. She insisted she wanted to help!”
Theo’s expression darkened. “Fiona, this isn’t about what you thought. It’s about what you did. You should have looked out for her.”
Fiona’s face crumpled, and she looked down at the floor, her shoulders sagging. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t mean for this to happen. Theo believe me. This is all a misunderstanding."
I closed my eyes, feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over me. The tension in the room was almost too much to bear. My limbs felt like lead, and every breath was a struggle. My head pounded, and my vision blurred as I tried to focus on the conversation around me.
"I believe you, Fiona," Theo said. "It's okay."
Those words broke me.
I wanted to respond, to explain everything, but my body was too weak, and my mind was too foggy. I felt tears welling up in my eyes, not just from the physical pain but from the emotional toll this situation was taking on me. Did Theo really think I would lie about something like this? It hurt more than I could express.