“Balfour, do you have any idea what kind of woman Ivy is? She's a different person when she's with you than when she's with me. I know you might not believe me, but look at these wounds; they're proof enough. I didn't do this to myself, Balfour. You can confront her about it if you want!"
The restroom didn’t have a camera, so Mara felt safe spinning her web of lies. She wasn't concerned about Balfour checking her story.
"I'm not saying I don't believe you, but..."
"But what? I'm sitting here with serious injuries, and you still choose to believe her over me! If it weren't for the relationship between you and her, I'd sue her right now. I'd make her regret underestimating me!"
Ivy was an actress now; how could she afford to be dragged into such a scandal?
Balfour immediately intervened, "Don't do anything rash! It's different here than back home. Legal battles can get messy. Since you've mentioned it, I'll look into it thoroughly. But don't act on your own until I've figured this out, okay?"
Mara let out a cold laugh, "At the end of the day, you're still looking out for her. Balfour, sometimes I regret how much my sister sacrificed for nothing. If she were here, she would've believed me without question! We grew up together. Don't forget that I've known you way longer than you've known Ivy. By not trusting me, you're betraying my heart."
The past brought up, Balfour couldn't stay calm any longer.
"I haven't forgotten your sister's sacrifice for a single day, rest assured."
Looking into Balfour's eyes, Mara felt like she was drowning.
"Balfour, the old you might have given me peace of mind, but now you often make me feel like a stranger. I thought that with our years of understanding, you would believe me unconditionally, that you'd take my side. I've barely woken up, and you don't seem to care much about me. Instead, you want to speak for the person who hurt me. Even if when you verify for yourself that she's the one who hurt me, would you still take her side?"
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Kiss that Sparked it All