Chapter 3
737 Words
That weekend, Caleb took me to a party at a villa hosted by his friends.
I hadn't wanted to go, but my work visa for the overseas assignment would take a few more days to come through, and I couldn't be bothered to argue with him at home.
When we arrived, I found Sophie there too.
She wore a spaghetti-strap dress and moved easily among the group of men around her.
I found a quiet corner and sat down with sparkling water.
At one point, I went upstairs to use the bathroom.
When I came out, Sophie was standing in the hallway, blocking my way.
"Natalie, Caleb said you've been in a bad mood lately and told me not to provoke you."
The sweet, innocent look dropped from her face. She raised an eyebrow at me.
"But I'm curious. You know Caleb likes me now. Why won't you call off the engagement?"
"If you're so desperate to replace me, why don't you ask him yourself?"
I stepped around her and headed for the stairs.
She suddenly grabbed my wrist and shoved a Patek Philippe watch into the pocket of my coat.
Before I could react, she screamed and threw herself backward.
She tumbled down the stairs.
The music downstairs cut off at once.
Everyone rushed toward the staircase.
Caleb was the first one there.
He scooped Sophie up from the floor as she cried out in pain.
"Soph! What happened?"
Sophie pointed at me, sobbing so hard she could barely breathe.
"Caleb, I only went to the bathroom. Natalie accused me of stealing your watch. She snatched it from me and then pushed me down the stairs. My ankle hurts so much."
A stunned murmur swept through the room.
Every pair of eyes on me felt like needles against my skin.
Caleb looked up, his face dark with rage.
"Natalie, have you lost your mind?"
I stood at the top of the stairs and looked down at them.
"I didn't push her. As for the watch, she put it in my pocket herself."
I took out the watch and set it on the railing beside me.
"Check the security footage."
Someone in the crowd muttered, "The upstairs hallway camera broke a few days ago."
Sophie cried even harder and clutched Caleb's sleeve.
Caleb drew a deep breath and handed Sophie off to someone beside him.
Then he came up the stairs one step at a time until he was standing right in front of me.
"Natalie, I know you're angry because I've been neglecting you lately, but Soph is innocent. Using a dirty trick like this is beneath you."
Each word made something inside me go colder.
"I already told you. I didn't push her."
I held his gaze and spoke slowly.
"You'd rather believe an intern you've known for a few months than believe me."
His face tightened with impatience.
"Enough. Apologize to Soph."
I said nothing. I only looked at him coldly.
He ignored my attempts to pull away, seized my wrist, and dragged me down the stairs.
"You're apologizing today, whether you like it or not."
My heel missed a step, and my whole body pitched forward.
In the instant I fell, I instinctively covered my lower abdomen.
I hit the marble floor.
A sharp, tearing pain ripped through my lower abdomen, as if I were being split open.
"Natalie!" someone cried.
I curled up on the floor and felt something warm run down my thigh.
A patch of bright red quickly spread across the white carpet.
Caleb went rigid, his hand still held in the position it had been in when he'd yanked me.
"Why... why are you bleeding?"
For the first time, panic edged into his voice.
Sophie called weakly from nearby, "Caleb, my ankle hurts so much. What if it's broken?"
Caleb looked at me, then at Sophie.
That split second of hesitation made it harder to breathe than the pain did.
"Call 911!" he shouted at someone nearby.
Then he bent down, picked Sophie up, and rushed for the door.
"I'll take Soph to the hospital first. Keep an eye on Natalie for me."
He left without looking back.
I lay on the cold floor and watched him disappear through the doorway with another woman in his arms.
The pain in my lower abdomen came in waves, each worse than the last.
My vision went black, and I lost consciousness.
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