Rafaelle's POV
With a smile that was both irritating and frustrating, Campani said in a teasing manner “Have you misplaced your little toy, Raf? It looks like she was attempting to escape.”
A cold feeling like a tight knot started to twist in my stomach and a deep sense of fear gathered at the bottom of me. “What is happening here?“ I asked urgently taking a step closer. Something inside me urged me to move towards her but at the same time, my anxiety was keeping me from getting any closer.
“I was on my way back from a meeting for work,” Campani said with a teasing tone enjoying what was happening. “While I was on my way I saw this small thief attempting to get away. But that’s not even the most troubling part…” He motioned to one of his associates and I felt a chill run down my spine. “Go ahead and take everything out of her bag.”
Iris's eyes grew wide with fear filled with alarm and dread. She cried out “No! Please don’t! I didn’t do anything wrong!” Her desperate plea resonated deeply within me stirring up feelings of deep sorrow. My heart felt even heavier with the inner struggle I was already facing.
The heavy sound of luggage hitting the ground resonated unsettlingly in the room causing my heart to begin racing rapidly. The bodyguard quickly grabbed the zipper of the bag and pulled it open forcefully. As he turned the bag upside down everything inside it came tumbling out.
To my surprise an impressive assortment of jewelry scattered across the floor including shiny gold chains sparkling diamonds and my very own luxurious watches. Each piece of jewelry seemed to shine even more in the dim light almost as if they were teasing or challenging me with their brilliance.
“Is what you just said true?” I asked my voice cutting through the silence like a knife filled with suspicion and doubt. I felt a wave of emotions rising inside me almost too much to handle. The feeling of betrayal gathered inside me heavy and toxic feeling like a poison that was taking over every part of me. It was all-consuming and made it hard for me to think clearly.
“I—I have no idea how that ended up there! I promise!” Iris stammered her face showing signs of panic as she took a step closer. “Raf you have to trust me on this!”
Campani grabbed my arm and twisted it pulling me backward while wearing a cruel smile on his face. He said “Be quiet! You’re a liar a murderer and now you’ve also become a thief.” Then he looked at me and I could see a spark of excitement shining in his eyes. “What are you going to do about it?” His question lingered in the air feeling heavy and suffocating like a rope tightening around my heart. I stood there at the edge of a decision that I had never wanted to face.
The words hung heavily in the air around me making it hard for me to breathe as my mind raced with a whirlwind of disbelief and deep sadness. I could sense the heavy burden of the evidence that was stacking up against Iris. It felt like it was pressing down on my heart with an unbearable force almost like a tightly squeezed vice.
Despite all the chaos and confusion swirling around us, there was a desperate voice inside me that was pleading for mercy to win out in the end. I felt torn apart inside somehow even amidst this storm of emotions surrounding us I had started to feel something genuine for Iris.
It was like a small spark of warmth that managed to shine through the dark shadows of my doubts and worries. This feeling seemed completely wrong and forbidden given how dire the situation was making it all the more complicated.
“No... no this cannot be happening,” I said in a quiet voice struggling to make my words heard above the overwhelming flood of feelings inside me. My desperate words lingered in the air between us filled with urgency and hope as I looked intently at Iris's face hoping to find some indication that this terrible situation was just a bad dream and not something real. “Iris please you have to tell me that this is not true.”
When she responded it felt as though someone had just delivered a sharp punch right to my stomach. I could hear the deep pain in her voice making it quiver as she spoke. “I swear it!” she cried out and I watched as tears streamed down her face soaking her cheeks.
“This isn’t mine! I would never do anything to hurt Dahlia. I—I truly love her!” The moment she said the word “love” it struck me powerfully hitting me hard like a massive tidal wave that surged through my body and echoed deeply inside me. Love?
How could she dare to use that word at this moment especially when everything in our lives seemed to be crumbling around us? The very idea caused a sharp pain within me twisting and turning much like a knife cutting into my heart. “Love? But you chose to steal! How can I ever put my trust in you again?”
“I truly didn't know what was happening!” she persisted her voice becoming shaky as she spoke. You could hear the panic building in her tone and every word she said was filled with a sense of desperation.
“I honestly believed it was just a regular travel bag meant for carrying clothes. I swear to you I never took anything at all!” As I watched her lose her composure and break down in front of me it was really painful to witness. Her desperate cries for proving her innocence were in stark contrast to the harsh and unforgiving reality that we were facing together at that moment.
“Raf” Carlos called out to me his voice breaking through my whirlwind of thoughts that felt like they were spiraling out of control. It was as if he was trying to pull me back from the dangerous edge I was teetering on.