Chapter 19 Taking Back My Story
ARIA’S POV
I clicked on one of the trending posts.
The caption read: “Heiress Aria Jones bullies innocent woman over ex-fiancé, victim later attempts suicide.”
I stared at my phone in horror as the video began to play.
It had been selectively edited to make it look like I’d demanded Liam kneel before me at the restaurant, cutting out all context of our conversation.
Even worse was the second clip-Sophia collapsing to her knees, begging me to forgive Liam-conveniently cut to make it seem like I’d forced her into that position.
“This is insane,” I whispered, my hands shaking as I scrolled through the comments. Thousands of people were calling me a monster, a bully, a heartless witch.
“Who posted this?” Lillian demanded, looking over my shoulder.
I noted the account name. “It’s some gossip site.”
“Let’s get out of here,” Lillian said, glaring at the saleswomen. “You should check your facts before judging people.”
We retreated to a nearby coffee shop, finding a quiet corner away from judging eyes.
“This has Sophia written all over it,” Lillian fumed, stirring her latte aggressively. “That woman is the definition of toxic.”
“The video is clearly edited,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.
I searched online and found headline after headline: “Sophia Clarke hospitalized after suicide attempt following public humiliation.”
My stomach dropped. “Oh my God, Lillian. She actually did it. After she knelt in front of me at the restaurant… she tried to kill herself.”
Lillian’s eyes widened, but her voice was sharp. “Don’t you dare blame yourself.”
She grabbed my arm, grounding me.”This is emotional manipulation at its finest. That girl knows exactly what
she’s doing. Public humiliation, then a suicide attempt? She’s making herself the victim so the world turns on you.
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I nodded, but couldn’t shake the sick feeling in my stomach. “I need to do something. I can’t let this narrative spread,”
“We should release the full, unedited video,” Lillian suggested. “Show people what really happened.”
I was about to agree when my phone rang. Aiden’s name flashed on the screen.
“Hello?” I answered, surprised.
“I saw the video,” his deep voice came through the line. “Do you need help handling this?”
I hesitated. “I… I’m figuring it out.”
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“I have connections with several media outlets. This can be contained.”
“Thanks, but I think I need to handle this myself,” I replied. “I don’t want to be in your debt again.”
“No interest charged this time,” he said, and I could almost hear the slight smile in his voice. “This affects the Carter name now too.”
I still refused, explaining I had my own approach.
“I have something that might help you,” Aiden continued, undeterred. “Give me your email. I’ll send it over.”
After we hung up, Lillian raised an eyebrow. “Well, that’s interesting. Seems like Mr. Carter is quite protective of his fake wife.”
I stared at my phone, confused. We had a contract marriage-why was he going to such lengths to help me? It didn’t make sense, yet I couldn’t deny the warmth spreading through my chest at his concern.
Ten minutes later, my email pinged. It was from Aiden-a file containing CCTV footage from the restaurant.
“How did he get this?” Lillian gasped, watching over my shoulder.
“I don’t know,” I murmured, “and I’m not sure I want to know.”
The footage clearly showed the entire encounter-Sophia arriving uninvited, her dramatic performance, and how she’d dropped to her knees on her own. No one had forced her to do anything.
“This is exactly what we need,” Lillian said triumphantly.
I bit my lip, thinking. “It’s not enough just to defend myself. I need to end this cycle once and for all.”
I hastily picked out a gift-a vintage gemstone brooch that seemed elegant enough for Mrs. Carter-and headed home, my mind preoccupied with more pressing matters than shopping.
Back at home, I sat at my desk and took a deep breath. It was time to be brave.
I spent hours crafting a detailed I*******m response.
First, I shared the unedited CCTV footage showing that Sophia had knelt voluntarily-no coercion involved. Then I addressed the “she deserved it” narrative head-on.
But the most important part was next. With shaking hands, I uploaded dozens of text exchanges between Liam and me from the past few years. The contrast was striking. Back then, he was attentive, present. He never missed my birthday, our anniversary, or even small things like brunch plans.
Messages that highlighted the stark contrast-how attentive and present he used to be, versus how distant he’d become since Sophia returned.
Back then, he was attentive, present. He never missed my birthday, our anniversary, or even small things like brunch plans. 2
But ever since Sophia returned to New York, it was like a switch had flipped. My birthday, our anniversary, Valentine’s Day-had been interrupted by Sophia’s “emergencies.” Even during the shooting-he left me. For her.
How Liam would consistently abandon our plans for her. The pattern was unmistakable.
“I defended this relationship for years,” I wrote in my caption. “I made excuses. I tried to be understanding. Everyone has limits. This isn’t about revenge-it’s about truth. I won’t be painted as the villain in a story where I was continually hurt.”
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I hit post before I could change my mind.
“Are you sure about this?” Lillian asked gently. “There’s no going back now.”
“I’m tired of hiding,” I said, my voice stronger than I expected. “Let people see the truth.”
Within minutes, comments flooded in:
“OMG the receipts! She came with RECEIPTS!”
“Wait, so Sophia crashed their dinner AND faked a suicide? That’s psychotic!”
“‘Don’t worry about her, she’s just a friend’ Liam is trash!”
Lillian immediately shared my post, adding her own comment: “As Aria’s friend of ten years, I’ve watched her endure this toxic relationship over and over. If she weren’t so kind-hearted, I would’ve exposed Sophia’s shameless behavior long ago. Innocent?”
“Please. Who calls someone at 3 AM to stake their claim on another woman’s man? Who conveniently has ‘ emergencies’ during every important occasion? And what business did she have showing up at a private dinner between two families?”
My post spread like wildfire.
“Plot twist!” commented one user. “I knew something was off about that Sophia woman! Everyone was attacking Aria, but come on-this was a private dinner between their families. What business did Sophia have showing up and making a scene? If I were Aria, I would’ve had security escort her out!”
“Brave of you to speak up now! I got attacked earlier just for saying Sophia seemed manipulative. Justice for Aria!”
“Are we not going to talk about how Liam abandoned his girlfriend on her BIRTHDAY to comfort another woman? What kind of boyfriend does that? ‘She’s just a friend’ my ass. Liam’s either incredibly stupid or willfully blind.”
“‘Stop overreacting,’ ‘There’s nothing between us,’ ‘We’re just friends,’ ‘I can’t help if you’re insecure,’ ‘Can’t you be more understanding?’-classic gaslighting phrases! My heart breaks for Aria.”
“Team Aria all the way! Those two deserve each other-just stay away from decent people!”
I couldn’t stop refreshing my phone. The notifications were flooding in so fast that my screen could barely keep up. After years of silently enduring Sophia’s manipulations, watching the truth finally come to light felt like breathing fresh air for the first time.
“Holy shit, Aria! We’re trending number one!” Lillian exclaimed, showing me her screen. “Look at all these comments supporting you!”
I scrolled through the responses, a mix of vindication and relief washing over me. People weren’t just sympathizing-they were angry on my behalf. Screenshots of my text exchanges with Liam were being shared thousands of times.
“I never thought this many people would care,” I admitted, still somewhat in shock.
“Of course they care! Everyone loves watching a villain get exposed,” Lillian said, gleefully scrolling through the comments. “And Sophia is basically the textbook definition of toxic.”
My phone rang, displaying Sophia’s number.
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