Chapter 2: Choose Your Answer
1008 Words
My mouth went dry.
Every eye in the ballroom was on me.
The music had stopped.
The soft conversations were gone.
Even the waiters stood frozen.
I looked at Damien, hoping he would laugh and tell everyone the video was fake.
Instead, he waited.
His jaw was tight.
His eyes searched mine as if he wanted to find the truth without hearing my answer.
"Damien," I whispered. "You know me."
"I thought I did."
Those four words hurt more than anything on the screen.
I shook my head.
"The video is fake."
"What about the documents?"
"I've never seen them before."
"The emails?"
"They aren't mine."
"The man?"
"I don't even know who he is."
A loud voice came from the crowd.
"Then explain why you met him."
People turned toward the speaker.
It was one of Kingston International's board members.
"I..." I stopped.
"I can't explain something that never happened."
A few people exchanged doubtful looks.
Someone quietly lifted a phone.
Another person started recording.
My heart pounded harder.
This wasn't just a family problem anymore.
By tomorrow morning, it would be everywhere.
Every news website.
Every business page.
Every social media account.
I turned back to Damien.
"Please."
My voice shook.
"You have to believe me."
He stared at me for a long moment.
"I want to."
The words gave me hope.
Then he looked back at the screen.
"But wanting to isn't the same as knowing."
It felt as though someone had pulled the ground from under my feet.
He still wasn't standing beside me.
He was standing between me and everyone else.
As if he hadn't decided which side he belonged on.
Arthur Kingston slowly stood from his seat.
The room became quiet again.
He looked at the screen without saying a word.
Then his sharp eyes moved to Celeste.
She smiled politely.
Too politely.
For one second, Arthur's expression darkened.
I noticed it.
So did Margaret.
She frowned but stayed silent.
Celeste stepped forward before Arthur could speak.
"This is a painful moment for our family."
Her voice sounded full of sadness.
"If Emilia is innocent, then we all hope the truth comes out."
She looked at me with fake kindness.
"But Kingston International protects its reputation above everything."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
She was making me sound guilty without saying it directly.
"I didn't do anything," I said.
She sighed.
"Then tell us who that man is."
"I don't know."
"You expect us to believe that?"
"I do, because it's the truth."
She folded her arms.
"The truth usually comes with answers."
Before I could reply, Margaret walked to my side.
"Enough."
Her voice was calm, but everyone heard it.
"This girl has been part of our family for years."
She looked directly at Damien.
"If you love someone, you don't judge them before hearing everything."
Damien closed his eyes for a second.
"I am hearing her."
"No."
Margaret shook her head.
"You're questioning her."
The silence that followed felt heavy.
I reached for Damien again.
This time, he didn't step back.
But he didn't take my hand either.
That hurt just as much.
"I have never lied to you," I said quietly.
His eyes met mine.
"No."
"I have never asked you for money."
"No."
"I have never used your name to build my career."
"No."
Tears burned my eyes.
"Then why are you looking at me like I'm a stranger?"
He didn't answer.
A security guard hurried across the ballroom and handed Damien a tablet.
"I just received this, sir."
Damien frowned.
"What is it?"
"It was sent anonymously to the company's private server."
He looked at the screen.
The color slowly disappeared from his face.
"What is it?" I asked.
He didn't answer.
I took one step closer.
He turned the tablet away before I could see it.
My heart sank.
"What did they send you?"
His voice was low.
"They're saying there's more."
"More what?"
"Evidence."
"There is no evidence."
"I don't know that anymore."
The words struck harder than a slap.
He believed a stranger more than he believed me.
I searched his face for the man I had fallen in love with.
The man who stayed awake all night when I had the flu.
The man who drove three hours just because I once said I missed him.
The man who promised he would never let me face the world alone.
Where had he gone?
A flash from a camera pulled me back.
Reporters.
How had reporters gotten inside?
Questions flew across the room.
"Mr. Kingston!"
"Are the wedding plans canceled?"
"Did your fiancée leak company secrets?"
"Was she having an affair?"
I covered my face.
Sophia pushed through the crowd until she reached me.
"Emilia."
She grabbed my hand.
"We need to leave."
"I can't."
"You have to."
"I can't leave like this."
"You won't survive this crowd."
She was right.
People were already moving closer.
Not because they cared.
Because they wanted a better story.
A woman I had met only twice looked at me with open disgust.
"I always knew she was after the Kingston fortune."
Another guest nodded.
"They're all the same."
I wanted to scream.
Instead, I stood there, unable to breathe.
Then Damien raised his hand.
The room slowly became quiet.
He stepped onto the stage.
Every camera turned toward him.
My heart beat wildly.
This was it.
This was the moment.
He was finally going to defend me.
I knew he would.
He loved me.
Didn't he?
He looked at me.
Then at the guests.
Then at the reporters.
His voice was steady.
"Until this matter is fully investigated..."
He paused.
"I am calling off my engagement to Emilia Hart."
For a second, the world became completely silent.
Then the ballroom exploded with gasps.
I couldn't hear anything else.
Not the reporters.
Not the whispers.
Not even my own breathing.
All I could see was the man I had trusted with my heart.
And the ring that suddenly felt heavier than the pain inside my chest.
- Writer
