Emily quickly looked away, filling her cup with hot water before leaving the kitchenette.

A female detective stepped over and held out her phone. "We've already reviewed the security footage and made a copy. You two should take a look."

There was something off about the detective's expression, and Emily felt a flicker of unease as she accepted the phone and set it down between herself and Isabella.

The video on the screen was pulled straight from the surveillance cameras.

The camera had captured exactly where Emily and Isabella's incident occurred. From the very start, the footage showed Emily passing by, right as she walked past Isabella.

Emily didn't hit play immediately. Instead, she turned to study Isabella's face.

Isabella, who was usually quick with a snide remark or a biting comment, was unusually quiet now. The silence was unnerving.

Her lips pressed into a thin line, eyes glued to the phone screen, her shoulders unconsciously leaning forward—every sign pointed to nerves.

Emily's finger hovered over the play button, catching the way Isabella's eyes widened ever so slightly.

"You seem nervous," Emily remarked quietly.

Isabella's eyes flickered, and then she managed a gentle, almost springlike smile,

as if nothing could ruffle her. "Not at all. You're imagining things."

Emily's voice stayed calm. "I hope so."

Standing just behind Isabella, Alex frowned, clearly annoyed. "Enough chatter. Play the video, we don't have all day."

Emily didn't bother responding to Alex-she could see that Isabella's smile was forced, nothing like Alex's upright certainty.

Without another word, Emily pressed play.

On the footage, Emily skirted around a group of men and kept her eyes fixed straight ahead, trying to walk past Isabella.

It was clear as day: Isabella suddenly grabbed Emily's wrist.

Emily raised an eyebrow as she watched.

In the video, Isabella pulled her toward the edge of the pool, chatting away with a smile on her face. Emily, on the other hand, looked unwilling to engage and repeatedly tried to pull her hand free.

Isabella kept a tight hold, never letting go.

They exchanged a few tense words. Emily kept her head down, twisting her wrist over and over, making countless attempts to break free.

The camera couldn't catch Emily's expression, but Isabella's was plain to see-she kept smiling sweetly, her tone gentle, her demeanor calm. Yet, from how Emily couldn't escape her grip, it was obvious Isabella was being anything but reasonable. Something felt off.

Out of the corner of her eye, Emily saw Isabella's forced smile begin to falter. The hospital room was utterly silent.

Isabella should have been smiling, but she couldn't keep it up.

In the next moment on the video, Isabella's foot suddenly slipped. She lost her balance and tumbled into the pool.

Because she was still holding Emily's wrist, Emily was dragged in with her.

From the outside, it looked like no one had deliberately pulled anyone into the water.

It seemed like Isabella had just slipped, and in her panic, accidentally pulled Emily in as well.

Emily's gaze darkened.

Even the detective seemed to agree.

She reached over, retrieved her phone once the video ended, and said in a measured tone, "You've seen this angle, and we've reviewed footage from other cameras as well. My colleagues and I at the station have all watched them."

Emily met the detective's eyes, already guessing what she would say next.

"We're all in agreement—there's no evidence of intentional harm between you two." She made it official. “It was just an accident."

Emily had nothing to say to that.

She hadn't expected it. Even though she'd felt Isabella's deliberate tug, even with the full surveillance footage, there was no way to prove Isabella had pulled her in on purpose.

She had to admit—Isabella's act had been flawless. Every move was calculated, every gesture perfectly staged. So even if she had pulled Emily in, even with all the cameras watching, her actions could always be explained away as coincidence.