Chapter 382
Ana watched silently as the tension thickened between them, then turned to Tyler with a sharp edge in her voice. “This is the woman you’re determined to save at all costs. Allow me to reveal her true nature — cunning, vicious, and ugly. I’ll show you exactly why I oppose your marriage!”
“No, that’s not true. I— I didn’t do it. You have to believe me, Tyler!” Naomi’s voice trembled, panic and fear shining clearly in her eyes as she pleaded.
Olivia had never seen her sister so frantic before. She watched Naomi closely, struggling to make sense of the situation.
Tyler’s silence and unreadable expression only deepened Naomi’s desperation. She turned to Olivia from her bed, hands shaking as she said, “Olivia, I swear I didn’t do it. Can’t you believe me?”
But Olivia stepped back, her gaze steady and unyielding. She wasn’t naive — Ana wouldn’t fabricate such a story without reason, especially one this serious.
Tyler, too, was not easily convinced. If Ana’s accusations were false, why would he allow them to be voiced so boldly in front of Naomi?
Olivia was caught in disbelief. She could not fathom that the sister she had admired could have committed such an act.
Naomi wanted to explain more but found herself unable to speak. She stared helplessly at Olivia.
“Did you really do it, Naomi?” Olivia asked quietly but firmly.
“N—No, Olivia. P—Please believe me—”
Suddenly, Olivia covered her ears. “I’m not listening! Stop talking!”
Overwhelmed, she collapsed onto the bed, pressing her hands tightly against her ears, as if blocking out the sounds could erase the painful disbelief she felt toward her once-beloved sister.
No one could fully understand the place Naomi held in Olivia’s heart. From the moment she first stepped into the Jones household and laid eyes on Naomi, Olivia had looked up to her as a role model, aspiring to be like her.
Through the years, Olivia had gone to great lengths to assist Naomi whenever asked, even after their mother’s obligations to the family ended.
But now, she struggled to understand — why was Naomi so different from the person she remembered? What had changed?
Naomi realized it was pointless to speak further. She knew Olivia wasn’t naive; she was intelligent — after all, she had won Ana’s favor.
Tears welled in Naomi’s eyes as she looked at Olivia.
Was she truly as cruel as Ana claimed? Naomi hesitated, afraid of hurting Olivia, especially knowing she had joined their family as a child and had always tried to be obedient.
Though Naomi resented Olivia’s mother for breaking their family apart, she had never fully hated Olivia. She genuinely saw her as a sister.
Yet, Naomi’s desperate need to survive — and fear of losing her place — had driven her to act as she did in frustration.
Now, feeling utterly powerless, tears streamed down her pale cheeks.
“Is there anything you’d like to say?” Ana’s voice cut sharply through the room.