Free Web NovelChapter 82: Chapter 82 When Doubt Creeps In
Jade’s POV
My heartbeat followed me down the hallway like a warning drum.
Each step felt louder than it should have, even though the mansion was quiet. My fingers trembled slightly, but I refused to turn back. I had made my decision. I was going to tell them. I was done letting fear control me.
I could hear their voices coming from Ronan’s room. Low, steady, serious. They were probably discussing pack matters or security or something important. Something normal.
For a second, I stood outside the door.
If they believe me, we fight this together.
If they do not, then I am alone.
I lifted my hand and knocked.
The voices stopped instantly.
“Come in,” Ronan called.
I pushed the door open. All three of them were there. Ronan leaned against the desk with his arms crossed. Ryder sat on the edge of the bed. Renzo stood near the window.
All three of them looked at me at the same time.
Concern immediately softened their expressions.
“What’s wrong?” Ryder asked, standing up.
“I need to tell you something,” I said.
Renzo stepped closer. “Jade, you’re shaking.”
“It’s about Linda.”
The moment her name left my mouth, a loud crash echoed from downstairs.
Then a sharp cry.
A scream.
“Ahhh! Help!”
Everything inside me went cold.
The boys moved instantly.
“That came from the living room,” Ronan said.
We rushed out of the room and down the staircase. My heart pounded so violently I could barely breathe.
Servants were already gathering near the center of the living room.
And there she was.
Linda lay on the floor near the large rug by the coffee table. One of the decorative vases had shattered. Water spread across the marble tiles, glistening under the chandelier lights. She clutched her ankle, her hair slightly disheveled, her expression twisted in pain.
“I slipped,” she gasped.
Ryder was at her side in seconds. “What happened?”
“I do not know,” she cried softly. “The floor was wet.”
Wet.
My eyes locked onto the water spreading across the tiles.
A servant suddenly stepped forward, hesitating.
“I saw Miss Jade earlier,” he said nervously. “She was near this area.”
All the air left my lungs.
“What?” I whispered.
Ronan turned slowly toward him. “Doing what?”
“She had a bucket,” the servant continued, avoiding my eyes. “I thought she was helping clean. She poured water near the rug. I did not think anything of it.”
The world tilted.
“That is not true,” I said immediately. “I was not even downstairs.”
The servant swallowed. “I saw you, Miss.”
Linda let out a weak sob. “Why would someone pour water there? It is dangerous.”
Her eyes lifted and found mine.
There was no fear in them.
Only calculation.
“You are lying,” I said, my voice shaking. “I never came down here.”
Ryder’s jaw tightened. “Jade, think carefully.”
“I am thinking clearly. I did not do this.”
Another maid nodded hesitantly. “I remember seeing a bucket near the stairs earlier.”
My pulse roared in my ears.
This was planned.
Every piece of it.
Linda tried to shift her leg and winced dramatically. “I just wanted some tea before bed. I had no idea the floor was wet.”
Renzo crouched and touched the tiles. “It is not just water. It feels slippery.”
Soapy water.
Of course.
My throat closed.
“You think I did this?” I asked, looking at the boys one by one.
Silence answered me.
Not outright accusation.
But doubt.
Ronan stood slowly. “Jade, were you downstairs at any point tonight?”
“No.”
“Not even briefly?”
“No.”
The firmness in my voice did not feel convincing even to me. Because how could I prove where I was before I reached their room?
“I was coming to tell you something,” I said desperately. “That is why I was heading toward your room.”
Linda’s voice trembled again. “Tell them what? That I am in your way?”
“I never said that!”
Ryder helped Linda sit up gently. She leaned against him slightly.
The sight stabbed something deep in my chest.
“I do not want trouble,” Linda said weakly. “If Jade is stressed because of the pregnancy, I understand. I truly do.”
Pregnancy.
Again.
Everything circled back to that.
“I am not unstable,” I said sharply. “And I did not pour anything on this floor.”
Alpha Ashford entered the room then.
His presence silenced everyone.
“What happened?” he demanded.
“She slipped,” Ronan said evenly. “The floor was wet.”
Alpha Ashford’s eyes scanned the tiles, the broken vase, the water.
“Who poured this?” he asked coldly.
The servant cleared his throat. “I saw Miss Jade earlier with a bucket.”
That was it.
That single sentence changed the entire atmosphere.
Alpha Ashford’s gaze moved to me slowly. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
“I did not do this,” I said.
“You were warned about reckless behavior,” he said calmly.
My heart pounded.
“I was not even here,” I insisted. “I was upstairs.”
“Yet a servant saw you,” he replied.
Linda looked up at him with watery eyes. “Please, do not be harsh with her Sir. I am sure she did not mean for me to fall.”
The fake mercy made my skin crawl.
Ryder finally stood. “We need to get Linda to the doctor.”
Two servants helped her up carefully. She limped slightly, leaning into Ryder as if she truly could not bear her weight.
As they moved past me, Linda’s shoulder brushed mine.
She did not look at me.
But she did not need to.
I understood the message.
I warned you.
Once the room cleared, the boys turned to me.
Ronan’s expression was unreadable. “Explain.”
“I cannot explain something I did not do.”
Renzo’s eyes searched mine. “Why would a servant lie?”
Because she told him to. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
Because she planned this.
Because she is capable of worse.
The words tangled in my throat.
“Because she is manipulating all of you,” I said instead. “You cannot see it because she is playing the victim.”
Ryder’s voice was quieter now. “This is serious, Jade.”
“So is what I was about to tell you,” I snapped.
They stiffened.
“What?” Ronan asked.
I hesitated for only a second.
“She threatened me,” I said.
Silence fell between us.
“When?” Renzo asked slowly.
“In the girls bathroom yesterday. She told me I have until tomorrow night to tell you that I cheated and that this baby is not yours. Or she would kill me.”
The words hung in the air.
Heavy.
Unbelievable.
Ryder exhaled slowly. “That is a dangerous accusation.”
“It is the truth.”
“Do you have proof?” Ronan asked.
The word hit me like a slap.
Proof.
“No.”
Renzo rubbed his jaw. “You understand how this sounds, right?”
“Yes,” I whispered. “But it does not make it any less true.”
Ryder looked conflicted. “Jade, a servant says you poured water. Linda is injured. And now you are saying she threatened murder.”
“Because she did!”
Ronan’s tone hardened slightly. “You are asking us to believe that she staged this entire thing.”
“Yes.”
Silence again.
Their hesitation felt louder than shouting.
They did not outright call me a liar.
But they did not defend me either.
And that hurt more than anything.
“If you were going to tell us this,” Renzo said carefully, “why wait until now?”
“Because I was scared you would not believe me,” I admitted.
That truth made everything worse.
Ryder’s eyes softened slightly. “We need to think.”
Think.
While Linda tightened her trap.
While the clock ticked down.
“You are hesitating,” I said quietly. “Which means you do not fully believe me.”
No one answered.
That was my answer.
I stepped back.
“If you cannot believe me about this,” I whispered, “how will you believe me about anything else?”
Ronan’s jaw tightened, but he said nothing.
I turned and walked away before the tears could fall in front of them.
Back in my room, I locked the door and leaned against it.
My body shook uncontrollably.
This was worse than being accused.
This was watching doubt bloom in their eyes.
And knowing Linda had planted it perfectly.
My phone buzzed on the bed.
The sound made my stomach drop.
Slowly, I walked over and picked it up.
Unknown number.
One message.
You tried to act smart today but it backfired just like I warned you it would.
My vision blurred.
Another message came seconds later.
Now the deal is off, and I am coming for you and your baby now.
I pressed my hand against my stomach as the weight of everything crashed down on me.
