As they prepared to leave, Andrew suddenly stopped them, his voice sharp with indignation.
“Don’t go! This man made a false report and damaged my reputation. I’ll hold him fully accountable!”
Victoria tugged his arm, her voice low and coaxing.
“Let it go. Don’t make things worse. Please—for my sake.”
“No! You’re too protective of him. Do you love him more than me?! If that’s the case, then live with him—I’ll just stay out of the way!”
Andrew shrieked and raged, more like a shrew than a man.
I could hardly believe it. The gentle, refined Victoria—betraying me for such a low-class, foul-tempered man?
Yet she trembled, terrified he would leave her, and so she turned on me instead.
“You’re the one at fault here. Go back and reflect on yourself for a few days.”
My heart splintered. The woman before me was a stranger.
Under Andrew’s demand that I be punished for “false reporting” and slander, the police took me in. As they led me to the patrol car, Victoria chased after us, her voice soft with pity.
“Andrew’s words are sharp, but his heart is kind. Next time you see him, just avoid him.”
I met her eyes with cold silence. Words are useless now.