Chapter 6: The Truth Unfolds
Alicia’s heart pounded as she stared at Joshua, her mind racing. Caden had warned her not to trust him, but now here he was, standing in front of her, telling her that Caden was the dangerous one. She didn’t know who to believe.
“Joshua,” she said, her voice trembling, “what are you talking about? How did you even find me?”
Joshua stepped closer, his expression a mix of relief and urgency. “I’ve been looking for you since last night. When I realized you were gone, I knew something was wrong. I tracked your phone. Alicia, you have to listen to me. Caden Ward is not who he says he is. He’s involved in something dangerous, and he’s using you to get to me.”
Alicia’s chest tightened. “Using me? Joshua, I was drugged last night. Someone set me up. And now you’re telling me Caden’s the bad guy? How do I know you’re not lying?”
Joshua’s face fell, and for a moment, he looked genuinely hurt. “Alicia, I would never hurt you. You have to believe me. Caden’s been manipulating you from the start. He’s the one who drugged you. He’s the one who’s been pulling the strings.”
Before Alicia could respond, the sound of footsteps echoed through the warehouse. She turned to see Caden standing in the doorway, his expression dark and unreadable.
“Well, isn’t this cozy,” Caden said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Joshua Yates, in the flesh. I was wondering when you’d show up.”
Joshua’s eyes narrowed as he turned to face Caden. “Stay away from her, Ward. You’ve done enough damage.”
Caden stepped closer, his gaze locked onto Joshua’s. “Funny coming from you, Yates. You’re the one who’s been playing both sides. How much did they pay you to betray your own wife?”
Alicia’s breath caught. “What are you talking about?”
Caden didn’t take his eyes off Joshua. “Your husband’s been working with some very dangerous people, Alicia. People who don’t care who gets hurt as long as they get what they want. And Joshua here? He’s their golden boy.”
Joshua’s face flushed with anger. “That’s a lie! Alicia, don’t listen to him. He’s trying to turn you against me.”
Alicia looked between the two men, her mind spinning. She didn’t know who to believe. Both of them were accusing the other, and she had no way of knowing who was telling the truth.
“Stop!” she shouted, her voice echoing through the warehouse. “Both of you, just stop! I don’t know who to believe anymore. All I know is that someone’s been manipulating me, and I’m tired of being a pawn in whatever game this is.”
Caden and Joshua both fell silent, their eyes fixed on Alicia. For a moment, the only sound was the faint hum of the warehouse lights.
Finally, Caden spoke, his voice calm but firm. “Alicia, I know this is a lot to take in. But you need to understand that Joshua’s been lying to you. He’s involved in something dangerous, and he’s been using you to cover his tracks.”
Joshua shook his head, his expression desperate. “Alicia, please. You have to believe me. Caden’s the one who’s been manipulating you. He’s the one who drugged you last night. He’s the one who’s been pulling the strings.”
Alicia’s chest tightened as she looked between the two men. She didn’t know who to trust, but she knew one thing for sure: she couldn’t keep going like this. She needed answers, and she needed them now.
“Enough,” she said, her voice firm. “I’m done playing games. If either of you wants me to trust you, you’re going to have to prove it. No more lies, no more secrets. Just the truth.”
Caden and Joshua exchanged a glance, their expressions unreadable. For a moment, it seemed like neither of them would speak. Then, finally, Caden nodded.
“Okay,” he said. “You want the truth? Here it is. Joshua’s been working with a group of powerful people who are involved in illegal activities. They’ve been using him to launder money and cover their tracks. And when they realized he was getting too close to the truth, they decided to use you to control him.”
Joshua’s face flushed with anger. “That’s not true! Alicia, don’t listen to him. He’s lying!”
Caden ignored him, his gaze fixed on Alicia. “I’ve been trying to expose them, but they’ve been one step ahead of me. That’s why they set us up last night. They wanted to discredit me and use you to get to Joshua.”
Alicia’s mind raced as she tried to process everything. It was a lot to take in, but something about Caden’s explanation felt… plausible. She turned to Joshua, her eyes searching his face for any sign of deception.
“Joshua,” she said, her voice trembling, “is any of this true?”
Joshua hesitated, his expression shifting from anger to guilt. “Alicia, I… I didn’t want you to get involved. I was trying to protect you.”
Alicia’s heart sank. “So it’s true? You’ve been working with these people?”
Joshua looked down, his shoulders slumping. “I didn’t have a choice. They threatened to hurt you if I didn’t cooperate. I thought I could handle it, but… things got out of control.”
Alicia felt a wave of anger and betrayal wash over her. “You lied to me, Joshua. You put me in danger. How could you do that?”
Joshua’s eyes filled with tears. “I’m sorry, Alicia. I never wanted to hurt you. I was just trying to protect you.”
Caden stepped forward, his expression grim. “We don’t have time for this. If they know we’re onto them, they’ll come after us. We need to move.”
Alicia nodded, her mind made up. She didn’t know if she could trust Caden completely, but she knew one thing for sure: she couldn’t trust Joshua anymore.
“Let’s go,” she said, her voice firm.
As they turned to leave, Joshua reached out, his voice desperate. “Alicia, please. Don’t do this. I can fix this. Just give me a chance.”
Alicia hesitated, her heart aching at the pain in his voice. But she knew she couldn’t go back. Not after everything that had happened.
“I’m sorry, Joshua,” she said softly. “But I can’t trust you anymore.”
With that, she turned and followed Caden out of the warehouse, leaving Joshua behind. As they stepped into the night, Alicia couldn’t shake the feeling that the worst was yet to come. But for the first time, she felt like she was finally taking control of her own life. And that was a start.