Tears blurred Angel’s vision as she gripped the steering wheel, her knuckles turning white. The road stretched before her, but she barely registered it. Her mind was consumed by the images—Hunter being dragged away, his desperate pleas, the cold courtroom where he was sentenced.
Her heart clenched painfully.
"He was in prison because of me."
Sobs wracked her body, but she didn’t stop driving.
There were only two people who could answer her questions.
Her father.
And Vivian.
The two people she had always trusted.
But now…
"Why didn’t they tell me?"
The mansion loomed ahead, its grand gates opening automatically as she drove in. She barely waited for her car to stop before she threw the door open and stormed inside.
Servants looked at her in shock as she rushed past them, her breath uneven, her steps quick and determined.
She knew exactly where they would be.
Her father’s library.
Without hesitation, she threw the doors open.
Her father and Vivian sat inside, discussing business, their calm expressions breaking into shock as they turned to face her.
Vivian’s eyes widened.
“Angel?” she called, concerned. “What happened? Why are you crying?”
Angel’s chest heaved, her emotions boiling over. She didn’t answer her sister’s question. Instead, she took a deep breath and shouted—
"Why didn’t you defend him?!"
Her voice shook the room.
Their father’s expression darkened, but it wasn’t in anger. It was in understanding.
He knew exactly what she was talking about.
Silence filled the air before he finally spoke.
“Angel…” he sighed, rubbing his temples. “Sit down. Let me explain—”
“No! I don’t need to sit down! I need to know why you abandoned him! Why you let them take him when you knew he was innocent!” she screamed, her hands trembling.
Vivian flinched, guilt flashing across her face.
“Angel, please…”
“No! You knew Hunter! You knew what kind of man he was! He would never hurt me! He would rather die than lay a hand on me!”
Angel’s father exhaled deeply.
“We were as shocked as you are now when it happened,” he admitted. “The police came with undeniable evidence, and they weren’t giving us a chance to refute it. Angel… it wasn’t just a misunderstanding. They had—”
“I don’t care what evidence they had!” Angel cut him off, her voice cracking. “You didn’t even fight for him!”
Her father’s jaw tightened.
“Angel, listen to me.” His voice was firm, but there was sadness in it. “The police showed us surveillance footage, reports, eyewitness statements. It wasn’t just one piece of evidence—it was a case they built from all angles.”
Vivian lowered her head.
“We didn’t even file a case against him,” she murmured. “We didn’t say anything. But the police still pursued it aggressively because of the nature of the crime.”
Angel’s body trembled with rage.
“You didn’t file a case?” she repeated, disbelief filling her voice. “Then why was he sentenced? Why didn’t you stop them? You were there! You could’ve said something!”
Vivian’s eyes filled with tears.
“We thought… maybe he did it,” she admitted, her voice small. “We didn’t want to believe it, but Angel… the evidence was too strong. Even if we wanted to help him, the law wouldn’t listen. It wasn’t in our hands anymore.”
Angel clenched her fists.
“That’s not an excuse,” she hissed. “You knew him. You knew our love. And still… you let him suffer.”
Her father ran a hand down his face, looking more exhausted than ever.
“I regret it,” he said quietly. “If I could turn back time, I would have fought harder. But the way the case was handled… it was beyond our control.”
Angel’s eyes burned with unshed tears.
“I will never forgive you,” she whispered, her voice shaking. “I will never forgive either of you.”
Vivian sobbed. “Angel—”
“And I can’t even forgive myself.”
The room fell silent.
Angel placed a hand over her chest, trying to contain the pain crushing her from within.
“I was the reason he left,” she said, her voice raw. “I was the reason his life was shattered. Our relationship ended because of me.”
Her body trembled.
“He suffered too much,” she whispered. “And I… I wasn’t even there to help him.”
Tears fell freely down her face.
“How am I supposed to face him now?” she asked, her voice breaking. “Knowing that I was the reason he was sent to hell?”
No one had an answer.
The truth had already destroyed too much.