Chapter 8

Colette was about to speak when the accident occurred. Two kids on skateboards dashed in the direction of the pool. They noticed the two women too late and failed to slow down, hence crashing into Sophie and pushing her into the pool. Colette heard a splash, followed by water splashing around. It took her a second before gathering herself. Ignoring the two kids, she prepared to dive into the pool to save Sophie when a figure appeared out of nowhere. She felt a huge force hitting her. Stumbling backward, she steadied herself and saw James to the rescue. He took off his jacket without hesitation and jumped into the pool to save Sophie. Once they were back to safety, he frowned at Colette. "What happened?" Sophie spoke up before Colette had a chance to explain herself. "It's all my fault for angering Colette. That must be why she pushed me into the pool. I'm fine, though. Please don't blame it on her…" Trembling all over, Sophie put on a soft and pitiful behavior in front of everyone. Her attempt to speak up for me was in fact accusatory. James shot me a reproachful look. "I did not shove her! I didn't do it. It was—" Colette shook her head and tried to clear things up. She turned around to look for the two kids who crashed into Sophie, but they were long gone. Colette sank into silence, which robbed her of any chance to ever explain herself. "Who else could it have been? Are you saying I shoved her, or did she fall into the pool herself? Colette Anderson, I thought you were just stubborn, but I can't believe you're ill-mannered too!" His remarks dropped a bomb. Did he seriously describe her as ill-mannered? He knew that criticism was her sore spot ever since she lost her parents. Her bullies in school always scolded her for being an ill-mannered bastard. He stood up for her back in the day, but now, he weaponized the same criticism against her. She mumbled, trying to fight for herself, but James had scooped Sophie into his arms and left the pool. The party ended abruptly in the absence of the two main characters. The crowds dispersed, and Colette retired to her room desolately. She tossed and turned in bed. She called and texted James to explain herself, but he ignored her the whole night. It wasn't until dawn the next day that he returned to the villa with Sophie. "Uncle James, I didn't push Sophie into the pool. Two kids were fooling around, and they shoved her into the pool!" Colette rushed over to explain herself to James when they came home, but he remained silent. He walked past her without taking a look while holding Sophie's hand. She briskly walked to the front and stopped him. She teared up when she pleaded, "Can you please trust me one more time? You used to… trust me unconditionally." Colette's teary voice stopped him in his tracks. He was her only remaining relative in this world, and he provided her with everything. When something happened, he would believe in her words without a doubt. She once asked him about it. Why did he trust her unconditionally, even when the whole world accused her of lying? He explained, "Lettie, I raised you. I can't vouch for people's character, but I have confidence in you." Now, James stood before her in silence. Finally, he pushed her away. "Get away!" Although he did not shove her very hard, she stumbled onto the floor. Panic was written across his face as he helped her up. Her skin felt unusually cold to the touch. "Why does your skin feel so cold?" He sounded worried, especially when Colette failed to give an answer. He took her hand and realized she had no pulse. James was about to interrogate Colette in detail when Sophie cut him off. She said to Colette, "Colette, you shouldn't fake having an illness even if you're jealous of James spending time with me." James' worry turned into anger. "Not only did you push Sophie into the pool, you're faking illness to get my sympathy! I'll only forgive you if you apologize to Sophie!" The clock ticked away as sadness filled Colette's chest. She didn't want to waste her limited time on arguments. Looking pallid, she relented, "Fine. I'll apologize." Rising from her seat, she mumbled an apology to Sophie in tears. She looked up at James again in despair. "Uncle James, can you forgive me now?" Her forgiveness did not make him feel better, as she seemed to be on the verge of tears as if someone had bullied her. He stood in front of her with a scowl. Moments later, he hissed, "This had better not happen again!"