Chapter29
Seeing me remain silent, Alicia tilted her head, scrutinizing my face.
“I’ve been wanting to say this since we first met,” she said. “Don’t you think we look alike?”
Feeling utterly ashamed and humiliated, I had to run away under her triumphant gaze.
Back in the private room, my colleagues‘ warm greetings finally made me feel better.
As I was about to shake off the frustration, the door burst open.
Antonio paused, surprised by the packed room, and then his eyes found me. There was a storm brewing in them, but I couldn’t figure out why.
He balled his fists and called my name, ‘demanding I step outside.
I followed him, puzzled, but got slapped across the face in the hallway. It was the first time he had ever done this to me.
He met my shocked look with fury, no trace of guilt.
“Why did you push Alicia? You knew her ankle was hurt. I’ve told you I would explain later. Why were you so aggressive?”
My cheek stung with pain.
Alicia was limping toward us, her shirt crumpled and dirty.
I tried to explain, but she fell to the ground.
Antonio pushed me away and rushed to her side, holding her in his arms.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, sounding worried. “I was going to bring her to apologize to you.”
Alicia shook her head, her eyes red. “It’s okay. It’s not a big deal. She didn’t mean it. Don’t be too hard on her.
“If Freddy knew you hurt his sister, he might get angry with you.”
At the mention of Freddy, Antonio’s eyes flickered with unease, But when he looked at Alicia, he grew furious again.
“Freddy entrusted her to me. If she did something wrong, I gotta set her straight,” he stated.
I scoffed and couldn’t help asking, “What exactly did I do? You need proof for an accusation. You’re just throwing charges at me and even getting physical. Isn’t that a bit unfair?”
Antonio clenched his fists, his gaze piercing as he accused, “You knew the bathroom was a blind spot with no cameras, so you started a fight, right?”
I felt both amused and heartbroken.
“Since there are no cameras, how can you pin this on me?”
“Are you implying Alicia is setting you up? There’s no reason for her to do that. Plus, I’ve known her for years. She’s not a liar,” said Antonio.
“You mean I’m a liar?” I asked.
We had been together for seven years, and I figured Antonio would have some trust in me. But with Alicia around, it was like those years meant nothing. A mere sentence from her was enough to convict me. There was no chance for me to defend myself. It was just plain favoritism.
In the end, I was nothing more than a substitute.
There was no use in fighting it, so I ignored Antonio’s cursing and walked away.
I had a slap mark on my cheek, and I didn’t want to bring everyone down, so I didn’t head back to the private room.
I went to the front desk, settled the bill, and texted everyone that I had to leave due to an urgent matter, but they should have a good time. The bill was on me.
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