Chapter 6: The Friend Who Wanted Everything
Chapter 6: The Friend Who Wanted Everything
The name hung in the air like a curse.
My mother.
Alexander's voice was barely a whisper.
But somehow, those two words were louder than any scream.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
The folder remained open in his hands.
The documents inside suddenly seemed heavier than stone.
I looked at him.
At the man who had spent his entire life believing his family was built on honor.
And now, piece by piece, that belief was being destroyed.
"That can't be true."
Alexander shook his head.
"My mother would never do that."
The security officer lowered his eyes.
"I only know what the records show, sir."
Richard stepped forward.
"Give me that."
Alexander pulled the folder away.
"No."
The word surprised everyone.
Especially Richard.
For the first time in his life, Alexander had refused his father without hesitation.
"I spent my entire life believing your version of everything."
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
"Not anymore."
Richard's face hardened.
"You don't understand what you're reading."
"Then explain."
Alexander looked directly at him.
"Explain why my mother's name is connected to the collapse of your company."
Richard opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
That silence was more damaging than any confession.
I watched Alexander carefully.
Because I recognized that look.
The same look I had worn when I discovered the truth about my own family.
The moment when the person you trusted most becomes someone you no longer recognize.
"Alexander..."
He looked at me.
For a second, I saw the hurt behind his anger.
"What?"
"I know what this feels like."
His expression changed slightly.
"Do you?"
I nodded.
"When I found out about your father..."
My voice softened.
"I felt like my entire life was built on a lie."
He looked down.
"And now it's my turn."
The words broke my heart.
Because despite everything...
Despite his anger...
I could still see the man I loved.
The man who had held my hand through nightmares.
The man who had promised to protect me.
But now he was drowning in the same ocean of betrayal.
A few minutes later, Victoria finally spoke.
Everyone had almost forgotten she was there.
Almost.
"I told you."
Her voice was quiet.
We all turned.
Victoria stood near the doorway.
Her face was pale.
But there was something different about her now.
The confidence was gone.
The anger was gone.
Only exhaustion remained.
"You all thought I was crazy."
She looked at Alexander.
"You thought I was just jealous."
Alexander stared at her.
"What are you talking about?"
Victoria laughed softly.
"I spent years trying to prove the truth."
My eyes narrowed.
"Then why did you attack me?"
Her face changed.
Guilt.
For the first time.
"I was angry."
"Angry?"
I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
"You nearly hurt my baby."
Her eyes dropped.
"I know."
"Do you?"
My voice shook.
"Because I don't think you understand what you did."
Victoria closed her eyes.
"I lost control."
"No."
I stepped closer.
"You made a choice."
The words silenced her.
Because they were true.
Pain could explain someone's actions.
It could not erase them.
Victoria looked away.
"I wanted him to hate you."
Alexander stared at her.
"Why?"
She looked at him.
And the answer came quietly.
"Because I wanted him."
The room froze.
I felt something cold move through me.
Victoria continued.
"I always wanted him."
Alexander's expression changed.
"Victoria..."
"You never noticed."
Her voice cracked.
"Nobody ever noticed."
She laughed bitterly.
"I was always the friend."
I stared at her.
"The person standing beside you."
She looked at me.
"Your happiness. Your love story. Your perfect life."
"Victoria..."
"No."
She shook her head.
"I watched you get everything."
"That's not true."
"You had Alexander."
Her voice became louder.
"You had his love."
I went silent.
Because I understood something.
Victoria's obsession was never only about revenge.
It was about wanting my life.
My happiness.
My place.
She didn't just want Alexander to suffer.
She wanted him to choose her.
"I was there before you."
She whispered.
"I knew him before you."
Alexander frowned.
"What are you talking about?"
Victoria looked at him.
"You don't remember."
A strange sadness appeared in her eyes.
"But I do."
She stepped closer.
"When your father sent you away after your mother's death, you spent a summer in my family's town."
Alexander froze.
A memory appeared on his face.
"I was nineteen."
Victoria nodded.
"You were broken."
The room became silent.
"You didn't know anyone."
She smiled sadly.
"And I was the person who stayed with you."
Alexander looked confused.
"Victoria..."
"You told me I saved you."
Her voice trembled.
"I thought that meant something."
My heart tightened.
Because suddenly, I realized.
This wasn't a new obsession.
It was something she had carried for years.
A fantasy she had protected.
A love story that existed only in her mind.
"But then you met Emily."
Victoria looked at me.
"And suddenly I disappeared."
I didn't know what to say.
Because I had never known.
I had never seen the war happening beside me.
"Do you know what hurt the most?"
Victoria whispered.
"Not that you loved her."
She looked at Alexander.
"It was that you never even knew I was waiting."
Alexander looked away.
"I didn't know."
"I know."
Her smile was broken.
"That's why it hurt."
Then the library lights suddenly flickered.
Everyone turned.
The security officer looked at his phone.
"Sir..."
"What?"
"We received a message."
Alexander frowned.
"From who?"
The officer hesitated.
"From the same number that contacted Miss Carter."
My heart stopped.
My mother.
The officer handed the phone to Alexander.
He read the message.
Then his face changed.
"What does it say?"
He looked at me.
And slowly turned the phone around.
The message was short.
Only one sentence.
"Emily, do not trust Victoria. She was never your friend."
Victoria's face went white.
"No."
She stepped backward.
"No, that's impossible."
I looked at her.
"What does my mother know about you?"
Victoria said nothing.
And that silence revealed more than words.
Alexander looked between us.
"Victoria."
His voice was dangerous now.
"What did you do?"
Her eyes filled with tears.
"I didn't have a choice."
Everyone froze.
"What choice?"
She looked at me.
And whispered:
"Your mother wasn't the only person who survived that night."
My blood ran cold.
"What night?"
Victoria stared at me.
"The night your mother disappeared."
The room went silent.
Then she said the words that changed everything:
May you like
"I was there."
End of Chapter 6
