Chapter 43 Quarrel

Elena Garcia POV:

"I didn't lose the necklace! It wasn't me!" I protested, my voice shaking.

It felt like my neck was in a vice, Sofia and Isabella's words swirling in my head.

"What do you mean, 'chance to leave'? Sofia, what are you talking about?" I asked, panic rising in my chest. Was she losing it?

But then she gave me this smug smile, and I knew she was dead serious.

Albert had warned me, but I didn't listen. Sofia had always been so nice.

She was the first to welcome me back to the Garcia Mansion with a smile.

'Why would she do this to me?' I thought.

I couldn't believe Sofia had changed just because of the kidnapping.

But if not, then maybe her kindness was all an act.

I bit my lip, trying not to dwell on our past interactions.

Sofia blamed me for our return to the villa, which made Isabella and James mad. They thought I caused the kidnapping, and Sofia was just so kind to go back to the villa and get dragged into this ordeal.

And according to Sofia, it was my scream that had pissed the mafias off.

Also, according to her, it was I who changed the jefe's mind by throwing a fit when he decided to let Sofia go instead of me.

The bruises on my body were proof; I got punished for my outburst.

In the end, I left Sofia behind and took her chance to escape.

Sofia's story had holes, but Isabella and James didn't see them. Maybe they loved her too much or thought she was their only daughter.

My heart ached.

"That's not true! Sofia, you know the truth!" I yelled.

"Elena, I can't lie for you, especially since you hurt me," Sofia said, her eyes welling up.

"But you're the one lying..." I started.

"Elena, you're shameless! Your foster mother failed in life and raised a liar!" Isabella cut me off, scolding me.

Her face was full of disdain.

If she just criticized me, I'd be sad because they were deceived by Sofia.

But she blamed everything on my foster mother.

Anger flared up, and I snapped, "Shut up! You can't talk about my foster mother like that, Rosa is not a failure!"

Isabella's eyes widened. She clutched her chest in fury. "Oh my God! You told your biological mother to shut up for your foster mother!"

Sofia patted Isabella's chest, telling her to breathe, then looked at me in shock.

"I'm sorry, but Mom, you shouldn't say that. My foster mother Rosa is kind and gentle!" I said, my mind spinning, clutching my clothes.

This whole mess made me forget to refute Sofia's lies.

But even if I did, without proof, Isabella and James wouldn't believe me.

James stormed over and slapped me.

The maids called the doctor, moving Isabella to the bedroom, with James and Sofia following.

No one paid attention to me. When I tried to follow, a maid stopped me. "I'm sorry, but it's not appropriate for you to enter now."

I wanted to push them away, but watching everyone leave, I felt I missed my chance.

"But I haven't explained the kidnapping yet. What Sofia said isn't true," I said urgently.

I sat on the ground, feeling completely defeated, covering my face in despair.

Eventually, I dragged myself back to my room.

The maid put some medicine on my face. Looking in the mirror, I saw just how hard James had slapped me.

My right cheek was swollen, and there were scratches from his fingernails. My hair was a mess too.

Staring at my reflection, I felt like nothing had changed since I first came back to the Garcia Mansion.

I was still a mess and all alone.

Just then, I got an email from William.

William: [Are you okay?]

Since we got back, William had sent me a bunch of messages, mostly asking where we were.

I hadn't replied because I still remembered how he misunderstood me on the stairs.

I had to admit, I was a bit pissed. William never apologized for that.

So I ignored his messages, even when he eventually apologized, I still didn't reply out of spite.

But now, seeing his email, I felt like I finally had someone to lean on.

Elena: [Terrible.]

My tears dripped onto the phone screen.

William called almost immediately.

I wiped my tears away. "William, I'm sorry I haven't replied to your messages."

"It's okay, Elena. I thought you were mad because I thought you pushed Sofia at the villa." William's voice was gentle and patient.

"After Albert sent everyone away, I called Sofia several times, but she never answered, and neither did you. I'm really worried something happened to you," William said.

I wasn't sure if opening up to William was the right move, but I needed to vent and find some support.

And since William had confessed to me, I believed he could be the person I needed.

"I'm sorry, I was a bit mad after you misunderstood me. But it wasn't your fault, William. Sorry, but are you free now? I mean, can I talk to you?"

"Of course," William said without hesitation.

I told William about our return to the villa and the kidnapping.

William's immediate response was, "That's impossible!"

His reaction stung, but I expected it.

I knew my story sounded crazy, it completely shattered their image of Sofia.

"I wish it wasn't true. But William, I don't know why Sofia would do this to me," I said.

"Then you must be mistaken about Sofia. Maybe something else happened that led to this misunderstanding?" William suggested.

I ran my hand through my hair. I couldn't tell William everything, but I told him I hoped it was all a misunderstanding.

"But what kind of misunderstanding would make her blame everything on me?" I retorted.

"Elena, I think you're losing it. You need to talk to Sofia again. She's always been a good person! She wouldn't lie!" William insisted.

Even though I knew he liked Sofia, his defense of her made me angry.

People didn't easily believe that someone they knew could change.

"So you think I'm lying? William?" I snapped.

"Oh my God, calm down, Elena, I didn't mean that!" William sounded anxious. "Don't you remember how Sofia helped you before?"

I realized if we kept going, we'd end up fighting too.

So I took a deep breath. "Sorry, William, but I need to think this over. Thanks for listening, let's talk when we're both calmer."

With that, I hung up the phone.