Betrothed To The Hottie Billionaire

Chapter 3: Lies

Elizabeth’s POV

My eyes locked with Tana's. I could feel the disdain emanating from her eyes. It was as if she had all the judgment in the world in those narrowed eyes, ready to unleash it on me at any moment.

But before I could utter a word, the air in the room shifted, electrified by an unexpected announcement from one of the maids.

"They're back," she said, giving me a wicked, knowing look.

I sat there on the floor, staring at her, unable to say whatever was on my lips. In a flash, she was gone, and I knew whatever awaited me was more substantial than I was.

The sound of her footsteps echoed in my ears, each one a mix of anticipation and dread.

"Where is Elizabeth?" Mom blurted out immediately upon entering, anger evident in her eyes.

Instead of an answer, there was silence. I knew they would soon have dinner, and I wasn't bothered about joining them downstairs.

There was a knock on my door, and one of the maids said in a small, timid voice, "Miss Elizabeth, dinner is served already."

She knocked multiple times, then left when she heard nothing from me. There I stood, hunched into the corner, silent tears trembling down my cheeks. I had been reduced to a trembling mess.

After dinner, when no one would pay me much attention, I descended the stairs to the living room, ignoring the curious and hateful stares of my parents and sister.

I only wanted to grab my purse downstairs and take a walk or perhaps go to a nearby restaurant to have something good to eat.

The air between us was heavy with unspoken words, a tension that threatened to suffocate us all. Then Mom finally spoke, her voice like ice cutting through the silence with its sharpness as she addressed me directly.

"Where do you think you are going, young lady?"

"Nowhere, Mom," I said. "I just wanted to take a walk outside," my voice croaked, a huge knot forming at the pit of my stomach.

"Really? So that is the reason why you refused to come down for dinner?"

"I don't want any trouble, Mom. I just want things to be the way they ever were," I finished and tried to walk away when she pulled me back and struck me across the face with a force that sent me reeling.

"How dare you talk back to me!" She yelled. The sound of the slap echoed in the room, followed by the sound of my choked sobs.

"That's enough," Dad intervened, his voice cutting through the air like a whip cracking in the stillness of the room. "We need to talk," he said, his tone stone cold and final. "We have more important matters to attend to." With that, he strode away back to the living room.

I was the last person to get there.

No sooner had I started down that Mother's voice cut the tension again, her eyes boring into mine with a mixture of accusation and disgust. "I heard you fought with your sister," she said, her tone cold and unforgiving.

I tried to speak, to protest, to defend myself against the false accusation. I turned to Tana; why couldn't she tell them the truth? I never fought with her. She didn't actually tell them what happened.

But before I could utter a word, Tana spoke up, her voice trembling, tears streaming down her cheeks, recounting a twisted version of events, casting me as the villain in her tale.

"She hurt me," Tana sobbed. Her words choked with emotions. “She said terrible things to me, things no sister should ever say.”

I felt like the ground had dropped out from beneath me, the weight of Tana's lies crushing me beneath their weight. How could she accuse me of such things, twist the truth to suit her own agenda?

Tears danced in my eyes, my mouth forming a perfect 'O.'

But before I could gather my thoughts, my parents were nodding in agreement, their expressions going as they listened to Tana's story.

“I begged her that we shouldn't fight, that it was inappropriate, but she refused. “She said again, "I'm sorry," She broke down in mock tears. Tony had to separate us.

"Your sister's behavior is unacceptable," they said, believing Tana's story immediately.

Disbelief painted itself across my face, my eyes wide with shock as I looked from Tana to our parents and then back again.

"But it's not true," I protested weakly, my voice trembling with emotion. "I would never."

"Tell them the truth, Tana. Tell them what you did, you and Tony."

"I did nothing," she yelled. "We were only discussing when you barged in and began to throw tantrums like a little child."

"No," I croaked. I wanted to say more, to give them details of what happened, but my voice failed me.

"She even hurt me," Tana said, breaking down in fresh tears. "She used her penknife on me."

I gasped, surprise and shock coursing through me. I never did any of that. But instead of me defending myself by saying something, I sat there like a puppet. My whole body was shaking. Why was this happening?

Why were they always taking Tana's side all the time?

Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes as I realized the depth of the betrayal, their accusations sinking like a stone in the pit of my stomach.

"Tana,” I called, my voice barely above a whisper. "I never did any of that. Why can't you tell the truth? Why are you doing this to me? Haven't you had enough?

"You did," she continued. "You even threatened to kill me in my sleep."She said and began to whimper, and tears rolled down her cheeks that I became confused myself. My parents glared at me with so much hatred. I wished I could just vanish. I had never felt this way before. I wished there was a way for me to vanish forever.