I barely found the strength to whisper, “I didn’t do anything… She threw herself. It was a setup.”
Lucien’s eyes turned to slits. “Are you accusing Vanessa of lying?”
My body trembled, but I couldn’t be silent anymore. “Yes,” I said, louder now. “She’s been deceiving you since the beginning.”
He glared, his face hardening as though he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
“She wasn’t the one who saved your life,” I went on, my voice cracking under the weight of years I had kept this truth buried. “That cliff accident? That day when your parachute failed—I was the one who climbed down after you. Not Vanessa.”
Lucien’s expression twisted in disbelief. “What kind of story is that?”
“It’s not a story—it’s the truth!” I cried out, voice hoarse from desperation. “You were unconscious when I got to you. I held onto you, pulled you up with everything I had. I passed out from fear right after… and while I was unconscious, she claimed the credit.”
There was a flicker—just a flicker—of confusion in his eyes. But it vanished behind a cruel scoff.
“You’re delusional,” he said. “Vanessa doesn’t lie.”