The Beginning Of All Sins

After much thinking, Naomi still couldn't make sense of things. She said, "Claude is getting a lot of attention, so it makes sense that someone might be after him."

Tyler just nodded, not looking up from what he was doing.

That same evening, Olivia's phone rang. It was Claude on the other end. "Olivia," he began, his voice calm.

Olivia's heart raced, but Claude spoke gently. "Do you believe them?"

His voice carried a touch of sadness as he continued, "Other people's opinions don't matter to me, but yours does. At my age, why should I care so much about what you think? Do you think I'm a rapist?"

Caught off guard by his call, Olivia struggled to process everything. Claude had left his job at Yancey Bank and was dealing with a lot, yet he still made time to call her. She hadn't realized how important she was to him.

She thought about Morgan, who loved Claude deeply. How could he have hurt her like that?

After a moment of silence, Olivia finally spoke. "Did you?"

"Do you believe me?" he pressed.

She was unsure, so she answered honestly, "I don't know you very well."

"Your trust means a lot to me," Claude said. Content rights belong to NôvelDrama.Org.

"Why don't you clear things up then? If the accusations aren't true, why did you resign?" she asked. His reaction seemed to confirm the worst, as if he was acknowledging what everyone was saying. "I resigned to let the deceased rest in peace," he explained.

Listening to his deep, low voice that still carried its usual gentleness, Olivia felt torn.

"I don't care about what others think. I just care about you, so I'm asking you to believe me," Claude pleaded.

Should she believe him? Why should she? Who was he to her?

Olivia felt overwhelmed, but something inside her whispered that he couldn't have done what he was accused of. He didn't seem like a cruel man.

Still, if he was innocent, what really happened to Morgan that night? How did she end up dead?

Cautiously, Olivia asked, "Can I trust you?"

"I'd be really happy if you did," Claude replied with a sad smile. "I'm worried you might shut me out forever."

After a brief pause, he added, "Olivia, you're the first person I've cared about this much."