The Mistake

Chapter 8: Betrayal

I didn’t reject him. I accepted his love with all my heart.

He promised to love me forever, to never leave my side.

But that promise? It was a joke. Just a few months later, he disappeared. No explanation, no warning. I didn’t even know his true face. All he left behind was a pendant.

When my best friend, Lily , found out, she called him a scumbag. To help me move on, she introduced me to Jason.

But now, standing here with Oliver Hayes, his words cut through me like a cruel joke.

“So, the brother you’ve been talking about... he’s *that* guy?” I laughed bitterly, but it came out hollow. The moment I remembered Daniel Hayes was dead, my laughter died completely.

“He wasn’t a bad man,” Oliver said firmly. “He loved you, Emma. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have asked me to protect you.”

I stared at him, disbelief flooding my chest. “Protect me? Is *this* what you call protection? Helping them ruin my life?” My voice cracked as the anger boiled over. “If it weren’t for your so-called protection, I wouldn’t have ended up like this! Look at me—I’m a mess, not even a shadow of the person I used to be. *This* is what your protection has done to me!”

Tears burned my eyes as I let all the pain I had bottled up pour out. But Oliver? He was as calm as ever. No reaction. No emotion. If anything, there was a flicker of something I couldn’t ignore—disdain.

“You’re an i***t,” he said bluntly.

“What did you just say?” I snapped, my frustration boiling over.

“You heard me. You’re stupid. Stupid enough to let yourself be their target. And even now, you’re still clueless.”

His words hit me like a slap to the face.

“If Lily’s death was really an accident,” Oliver continued, “I wouldn’t have gotten involved. If you were guilty, you’d spend a few years in jail and move on. But this? This wasn’t an accident, Emma.”

My hands started trembling as his words sank in.

“Think back,” he said, his tone icy. “When Lily introduced you to Jason, you were heartbroken. Vulnerable. That’s when the plan began. After Lily’s death, the crime scene was *too* perfect. So how was Ava Williams so certain you were the killer?”

I froze. The question hit like a punch to the gut.

“You’re probably thinking it was because of the footage,” Oliver said. “But let me tell you something—I’ve been to your apartment. There are no hidden cameras, no micro lenses. That so-called video? It’s fake. Ava, Jason, and the others—they’re all in on this.”

“No…” I whispered, shaking my head. This couldn’t be true. Ava was a detective. She swore to serve justice. She couldn’t hurt me.

“Open your eyes, Emma,” Oliver snapped. “Everyone’s lied to you. Everyone’s betrayed you. I’m the only one who’s tried to help you. And what do you do? You believe *them*. You even tried to help them catch me.”

His words shattered the last bit of my resistance. A chilling silence followed as the truth clawed its way into my mind.

“Your choices,” Oliver muttered, his voice tinged with quiet disappointment, “have hurt me. But I’ve done my part. I kept my promise to my brother. Now, I have to think about my own safety. If you don’t want to get hurt, Emma, don’t stand in my way.”

And with that, Oliver turned and walked out of the café.

I didn’t try to stop him. I couldn’t. His words had left me frozen in place, my thoughts spiraling into doubt.

By the time Ava arrived, Oliver was long gone.

“Emma Johnson!” Ava’s voice was sharp and angry. “Why didn’t you cooperate? Are you still defending him?”

I didn’t respond to her accusations. Instead, I pulled out my phone and hit play.

The recording I’d made of my conversation with Oliver filled the air.

Ava’s face paled as the truth spilled out. The fire in her eyes dimmed, replaced by something I’d never seen before—fear.

For the first time, I realized I wasn’t the only one with something to lose.