Chapter 82 Moral Blackmail, Deception
Every word from Seraphina felt like a needle piercing Ophelia's heart.
"Is that how you see me?" Ophelia could hardly believe it. "Seraphina, we've grown up together since the orphanage. You think I would fight with you over men after over twenty years of friendship?"
Seraphina's words were infuriating. Ophelia felt an urge to confront her and shake some sense into her.
"Still acting all angelic, I see," scoffed Seraphina. "You just use me as a backdrop to highlight your own elegance. If it weren't for my ordinariness, how would you even stand out? Have you slept with Finnegan? Have you been slandering me to Magnus? You're two-faced, and I won't trust you again."
Seraphina played the victim, and she had known all along about Finnegan's one-night stand with Ophelia. She had swooped in to take her place, yet had the audacity to accuse Ophelia of trying to steal her man.
Seraphina didn't want Ophelia to get off easy. Even if Finnegan didn't want her, she was determined to make sure Ophelia felt the sting.
She knew Ophelia well enough to know that by playing the wronged party, she could make Ophelia feel guilty.
"Seraphina, I..." Ophelia began, looking as if she felt she was to blame. "My fling with Finnegan was an accident, I didn't know he was your boyfriend back then. If I had, I would never have gotten involved with him."
Ophelia thought this misunderstanding was the reason behind Seraphina's anger.
Upon realizing this, Ophelia's anger faded, replaced by a sense of guilt towards Seraphina.
"So you admit it?" Seraphina sneered sarcastically. "Ophelia, you claimed you wouldn't fall for him, yet you did everything to get close to him. He was my boyfriend, and you backstabbing me like this, it hurts. I thought we were friends, yet you go after my man. Now that he's dumped me, are you happy?"
"Seraphina, I'm truly sorry, I had no idea," Ophelia pleaded. "You never told me. When did you and Finnegan start dating?"
Seraphina didn't dare tell the truth, and she sidestepped the question. "Just because you didn't know, doesn’t give you the right to go after him. I was the only one Finnegan brought to live with him at Orchid Garden. If it hadn't been for you, he wouldn't have broken up with me and kicked me out."
Ophelia pondered Finnegan's pursuit of her, asking her to be his girlfriend.
Can it be that he dumped Seraphina just for her?
In addition, those words he said, claiming that Seraphina wasn't his girlfriend—were they all just to charm her?
In today's world, a man's words can be as deceitful as the devil’s – none of it is ever true.
Seraphina had officially moved into Orchid Garden, and to everyone's knowledge, it seemed to be common knowledge that she was Finnegan's girlfriend. It was an undeniable fact.
Pondering over this, Ophelia felt an increasing pang of guilt.
'Am I the other woman? Did I inadvertently become a homewrecker? For my own friend’s relationship, no less!’
"Seraphina," Ophelia said with remorse, "I'll make it clear to Finnegan..."
"I don't want Finnegan to know we're acquainted," Seraphina interrupted her. "Ophelia, do you really want to embarrass me further? Letting people know we've been best friends since childhood, and my best friend ended up stealing my man?"
"Alright, I won't tell Finnegan we know each other, Seraphina, I'm truly sorry," Ophelia reassured her. "It was just a company party where we had too much to drink, it was an accident, really."
Seraphina looked utterly heartbroken, even managing to squeeze out a tear. "I know you're more attractive than me, with a better figure. Standing next to you, any normal guy would choose you over me, but I also have my dignity, and I can't accept my best friend being with my boyfriend. That's why I've been in hiding. I didn't want to face you, partly out of inferiority and fear."
Her words were a mix of truth and lies, and Seraphina's intention was to morally bind Ophelia, to incite fear and prevent her from harboring any thoughts of being with Finnegan.
As she spoke, real tears started streaming down Seraphina's face, the image of a woman deeply wronged.
"I'm so sorry, Seraphina," Ophelia kept apologizing. "I promise you, it was only that one time with Finnegan, and it won't happen again. Please, stop crying."
Noticing the apology, Seraphina's eyes sparkled as she asked eagerly, "Can you really do that? Can you really stay away from him?"
After a moment of hesitation, Ophelia replied, "Yes!"
Only Ophelia knew the true difficulty behind uttering that word and making that decision.
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