Chapter 19
I'd been biting down hard to control my emotions. Now my mouth was filled with the taste of blood.
I pulled the printed video analysis report from my bag and handed it to Leopold. "Sophia's injury truly has nothing to do with me. See for yourself if you don't believe me."
Leopold's gaze shifted to the report. After a moment, he reached out and took it, flipping through page by page.
"Leo, is what Cindy saying true?" Sophia propped herself up, looking at him with fragile vulnerability.
After finishing, Leopold's face remained emotionless. "The video was indeed fabricated."
Sophia looked surprised, then said softly, "The video may be fake, but my injury is real. This must have been done by someone within the company. I can't imagine who in our ballet company would hurt me and then give Lillian this fake video to confuse everyone..."
I caught the insinuation in her words and angrily demanded, "Sophia, what are you implying? Are you still suspecting me?"
Everyone in the company knew about the tension between me and Sophia and Lillian. And I was the one who benefited most from her injury. With her subtle suggestion, anyone would think I was trying to deflect blame!
"Not at all. Cindy, I was just thinking out loud, not suspecting you." After denying it, Sophia turned to Leopold with a panicked expression. "Leo, you know me. I'm not that kind of person. Please explain to Cindy for me."
Leopold set down the report, his eyes revealing nothing. "You don't need to be so sensitive. Sophia has a point. Just because the video is fake doesn't mean you weren't involved. Unless you have other evidence proving you were never in their dressing room."
His words pierced my heart. "Why should I have to provide evidence of my innocence? Isn't the burden of proof on the accuser? Besides, the ballet company has security cameras. If you suspect me, you should check those to prove my guilt, not demand that I prove my innocence!"
"Cindy, don't get upset. Yes, there are cameras, but the one that could have recorded me and Lillian's dressing room was broken..." Sophia started to say, then sighed resignedly. "Never mind. I'll stop talking, or you'll accuse me of deliberately framing you again."
I'd never met someone who could twist facts so completely. Seeing that Leopold didn't interrupt, apparently determined to back Sophia completely, I finally understood.
"Leopold, you never intended to help me at all, did you?"
Leopold frowned, about to speak.
Just then, Ben the butler rushed in. "Mr. Leopold Percy, Mr. Donovan Percy has had another angina attack. He's unconscious!"
I turned in shock, but before I could ask anything more, a dark figure shot past me. A solid shoulder slammed into mine. Caught off guard, I lost my balance and fell to the ground. A throbbing pain shot through my right wrist.
By the time I looked up, Leopold had vanished through the doorway. Thinking of Donovan, I quickly got to my feet and headed for the door.
"Lucinda."
After just a few steps, Sophia called out to me. I turned back, cradling my right wrist, and saw Sophia—who was supposedly confined to bed rest—standing steadily on her feet.
She smiled as she walked toward me, step by step. "Why are you so stubborn? You think getting evidence clears your name? Don't be naive. As long as Leo believes me and takes my side, no one will believe you're innocent, even if you are."
I stared at her bandaged foot. "Why are you pretending to be injured?"
"I'm not pretending. It's just not as serious as it seems."
Confused, I asked, "But wasn't there glass powder in your ballet shoes?"
After a full dance performance, those sharp particles should have been embedded deep in her flesh. The injury couldn't possibly be this minor.
Sophia saw my confusion and laughed. "That's because I created a false compartment at the top of the shoe. It only broke during the final movement. How else do you think I managed to finish the entire video before being taken to the hospital?"
Hearing this, I shuddered involuntarily, goosebumps spreading across my skin. She had calculated even this.
"Sophia, your scheming is terrifying."
"You're just outmatched." Sophia shrugged. "For Leopold, I'll use every resource I have. You will never be my equal! Lucinda, I gave you a chance to leave. Since you insist on clinging to Leopold, I have no choice but to force you out."
I shook my head in horror. "This isn't love. Leopold isn't a fool. When he discovers how calculating you are, all your efforts will be wasted."
Sophia scoffed. "You're wrong. Leo has always known exactly what kind of person I am, and he doesn't mind."
"That's impossible," I said in disbelief. Born into the Percy family, Leopold had seen more treachery and hypocrisy than most people. He couldn't possibly like someone as manipulative as Sophia.
"I know you can't accept it, but you brought this on yourself." Sophia circled me once, continuing with contempt, "If you hadn't been so blind, Leo wouldn't have reconciled with me so quickly."
My heart jolted as I recalled our encounter at the police station—when Leopold had grabbed my throat and said I'd made him lose everything. But Sophia wouldn't explain easily. I needed a different approach.
"I brought this on myself? Are you delusional?"
Sophia stopped directly in front of me, her face smug with satisfaction. "Stop pretending. You're falling apart inside, aren't you?"
I glanced at her dismissively. "I'm not interested."
Her expression instantly hardened, but I ignored it and turned to leave. I'd only taken two steps when Sophia lost her composure.
She rushed in front of me, furiously blurting out, "Lucinda, if you don't want to hear it, I'll make you listen! I had a miscarriage once. The baby was Leo's."
Her words were like a blade piercing straight through my heart. An intense, tearing pain spread from my chest throughout my body. I trembled from head to toe.
All this time, I'd thought they were reunited lovers rekindling an old flame. I never imagined they'd had a child together! What was I, then? A pawn in their game? Or just a fool who never saw the truth?
Leopold, how could you do this to me?
"Lucinda." Sophia grabbed my chin, smirking with disdain. "Now you understand why you'll never win against me?"
"What happened at the ballet company was just a warning. If you don't back off, I have plenty of ways to make Leo drive you away!"
I couldn't remember how I left the hospital. My mind was in a complete fog. Only when my phone rang did I snap back to reality.
It was Samuel.
"Lucinda, did you see Mr. Percy? Did he agree to help?"
Hearing the name "Mr. Percy," tears suddenly streamed down my face.
"Why are you crying?" Samuel sounded alarmed. "Don't cry—there's still time. I'll find him myself!"
The call ended, but my tears wouldn't stop. They blurred my vision completely. The streets around me warped and twisted, leaving me disoriented.
I felt abandoned by the entire world.
"Cindy..."
"Cindy!"
Suddenly, a voice called out from somewhere distant, reaching my ears.