Chapter 9

　　Xyrille\'s jaw was agape, then her eyes were suddenly full of concern. \"Zoey, what happened? How… why are you dressed like that? Where have you been recently? I\'ve been looking for you for so long!\"

　　\"Enough!” She shrieked. “Stop acting!\"

　　After three months of darkness, it took a while before her eyes could adjust to the sunlight. Outside, the brightness was blinding, but she managed to walk and find them in this dress shop.

　　It took every ounce of self-control she had to keep from pouncing at Xyrille. She wanted to slap her and tear her hair out. Instead she turned to Jerome. “The baby in her stomach is not yours! I heard her men talking about it, they said her baby was fathered by another man.”

　　“And also she set me up so you would catch me in bed with another man!”

　　“She had me kidnapped! Don’t marry her, she\'s a liar!\" On and on she went, raging and ranting.

　　Even as Xyrille\'s heart thumped wildly, she managed to shed a tear. She covered her chest in disbelief. \"Zoey, I know you hate me for being with Jerome, but how can you make these stories up? You know how much I love him. I\'ve loved him for more than ten years...\"

　　Xyrille’s soft, pleading voice, and her very reasonable words, was always a sure hit with her audience. She could tell stories the way most other people could not. She was a gifted speaker. Zoey knew that she should at the very least control herself, but she could not. Her hands were shaking, and her mind was racing.

　　\"Xyrille, when are you going to stop pretending? Don\'t you feel tired of wearing a mask all day? When you ordered those men to kidnap me, you revealed your true self. Now you’re playing the victim!”

　　\"Zoey, what are you talking about? How could I have you kidnapped? You’re my best friend! I still care about you!”

　　\"No you don’t!\"

　　\"Enough!\"

　　Jerome\'s temple was beating. He glanced at Zoey\'s swollen abdomen

　　\"Have you made a new one? Since the abortion, I mean.\"

　　Zoey fell silent.

　　\"You\'ve been missing for three months, and suddenly you show up and play this game. Zoey, are you stupid enough to think I’ll believe you?\"

　　From the corner of her eyes, she saw Xyrille stifle a yawn. But Jerome wasn’t paying attention to his new fiancée. He was looking intently at his ex-wife.

　　Zoey knew that Zyrille had won, but she had to defend herself. She had to say what was on her mind.

　　\"When I came out of the operating room that day, I pretended it was gone so you would leave us alone. I was about to head back to my family’s home when some men kidnapped me. They locked me up for three months. I escaped so I could find you and tell you what I heard from them.”

　　Tears threatened to fall from Zoey’s eyes, but she held them back. “I can take you to the place where I was imprisoned, and you can also find the two kidnappers for questioning.\"

　　Jerome calmly responded. “So you’re saying Xyrille had you kidnapped.”

　　Zoey nodded.

　　“If there were men watching you, how did you escape, especially in your condition?”

　　Now she had the sense to keep her mouth shut. If she told him how she had charmed the man guarding her so she could escape, he would definitely beat her up.

　　“I’ve known Xyrille for a long time, more than ten years in fact. I’ve known her longer than I’ve known you. She isn’t capable of the things you’re accusing her of.”

　　His words, like a sharp steel knife, went straight into her heart.

　　\"Jerome!\" Zoey\'s voice was whiny and desperate. \"Why don\'t you believe me? You\'ve known her for more than ten years, but I have also known her for a long time! I don\'t ask for too much, just once! Do I have to die for you to give me a little trust?\"

　　Jerome\'s cold eyes stared back at her. “Trust is never given freely, it has to be earned,” he tells her. As he spoke, a small voice inside his head seemed to point out his hypocrisy. What about you, what have you done to earn her trust?

　　Jerome banished the thought. Xyrille, standing beside Jerome, sensed that he was struggling internally. She needed to act fast.

　　Suddenly, she knelt down on the ground.