"Exactly!" Mrs. Ashford's voice rose shrilly above the commotion, her maternal desperation now unbridled. She surged forward, her eyes wild with indignation as she glared at Victoria. "Mirabel would never do something so foolish. I am certain of it. It must have been you, Victoria! You planted all that evidence in her room just to ruin her. You are the snake behind this plot against my daughter!"
His revelation hit hard, widening the eyes of the brothers while Mirabel's nails dug so sharply into her palms. Her lips trembled, but she refused to release the sound struggling to escape her throat.
"I… I purposely hid this from you all because I didn't want to cause worry, nor did I wish to stir up more conflict in this household. But now—" Victoria voiced out, her breath hitched painfully, "—now I stand accused, ridiculed, and despised."
