Chapter 9: The Truth

Upon seeing her savior arrive, Waverly, dazed and distressed, burst into tears. "Waverly, don't worry. I'm here," Samuel reassured, pulling her into a comforting embrace. His piercing gaze then locked onto Raylee.

Mindy, her face swollen, immediately played the victim. "Samuel, you saw the video! Raylee blamed Waverly relentlessly in the private room. She pushed her down the stairs! This wicked woman nearly killed her, and then hit me! Look!"

Waverly sobbed uncontrollably. "I don't blame Raylee for pushing me," she stammered, "but she shouldn't have hit Mindy! She's my best friend; it felt like she hit me too. It's heartbreaking!" Her words, coupled with her distress, painted Raylee as the culprit.

Raylee met their gazes with unsettling calm, a stark contrast to the frantic accusations. Samuel's expression darkened. "Is this true, Raylee? Did you harm Waverly? Tell me the truth!"

"Do you believe me if I say no? Speaking a hundred truths means nothing if you won't," Raylee replied, her nonchalant tone sending a chill down Samuel's spine. On her first day free from prison, she found herself reliving a nightmare—wrongfully accused, once again, by those around her.

Samuel's anger curdled into bitterness. Reproach died on his lips. Raylee's injuries—bruised cheeks and a fresh cut on her forehead—were far more severe than Waverly's and Mindy's. In the past, Raylee's vulnerability would have drawn her to him, tears streaming. He would have soothed her for hours. But now, she remained silent, stubbornly resolute, ready to endure anything rather than submit.

Noticing Samuel's silence, Raylee turned to Waverly, her voice laced with anger. "You're still the same! Setting traps for me. Why? Isn't my life miserable enough? Is it because I lived your good life for eighteen years?"

Waverly's sobs ceased. "No, Raylee, I didn't set you up…"

"Whether you did or not, I don't care. I won't let you frame me again!" Raylee chuckled sarcastically. Turning to Samuel, contempt flickered in her eyes. "I'll clarify this once. Your sister fell, and I saved her! My head wound proves it! The surveillance will too! Four years ago, you forced me into submission. Not again!"

She turned and left, her resolute departure a gust of wind.

Samuel watched her limp away, struggling to regain his composure. His heart ached, filled with pain and fear. He felt himself losing the sister he'd known for eighteen years. An inexplicable restlessness gnawed at him. Waverly's pitiful sobs only deepened his frustration, though he masked it. "Are you okay? Hurt? I'll take you to the hospital," he asked with concern.

The doctor found only a cut on Waverly's finger. Still, the fall had shaken her. Samuel insisted on hospital observation. Afterward, he went to the bar for the surveillance footage, only to learn the stairway cameras were broken. Why now? After threats and inducements, the manager confessed: Mindy had paid him to erase the footage.

Samuel confronted Mindy with the recovered footage. "Why falsely accuse Raylee?"

Mindy stammered, "I…misunderstood. The lighting was dim; they were arguing. You saw the video, right?"

Samuel exposed her lies. "If it was a misunderstanding, why erase the footage? You framed Raylee! You knew she worked there, yet requested her for your private room. What were your intentions? Raylee is innocent; she saved Waverly! Was this your idea, or Waverly's?"

"Samuel, are you doubting me?" Waverly cried, rushing in.

Samuel's tone was frustrated. "Waverly, I'm siding with the truth, not with those I'm close to! Did Raylee push you?"

Sobbing, Waverly explained, "I fell. In the shock, I saw Raylee fall too, and assumed…"

Mindy took responsibility. "Mr. Goodridge, it was my idea to erase the footage! And to have Raylee serve in the private room. It had nothing to do with Waverly! I just hate Raylee. Blame me!"

Waverly defended her friend. "Mindy didn't do it on purpose! Blame me, Samuel!"

Samuel sighed, watching their mutual defense.

Upon learning of her daughter's injury, Harriet rushed to the hospital. After hearing the story, she sided with Waverly. "Wavy, distance yourself from Mindy. She's not a good friend."

Waverly, tears streaming, nodded. "Mom, I understand. But I'm worried about Raylee. She got hurt saving me."