Lilia recoiled from the blow, her cheek burning with the sting of the slap. “I didn’t—” she began, but Willow’s mother cut her off with a vicious tirade.
“You were always jealous of her,” she accused, her voice rising with each word. “You and your friends think you can waltz in here and take everything she has. I hope you all rot in hell for what you’ve done.”
Willow’s father stepped forward, his eyes cold and unforgiving. “You didn’t protect her,” he accused, his voice cutting through the air like a knife. “You failed her when she needed you the most.”
Sebastian moved instinctively to shield Lilia from the onslaught, his stance protective as he faced off against Willow’s father. “Back up,” he warned, his voice low with resolve. “Touch her, and you’ll regret it.”
“Enough,” Augustus declared, his tone commanding attention. “This is all a misunderstanding. There’s been a ton of misinformation going on about that night, but I promise you, we hadnothingto do with what happened to Willow. I loved her—still love her. We were her friends.”
Amelia stepped forward, her voice soft with compassion as she addressed her parents. “Please,” she implored, her eyes pleading. “Please stop this. Let’s just go, please. We’re causing a scene.”
“This isn’t over,” Thomas threatened.
“Dad, please,” Amelia tugged at his arm. “Stop this. Willow wouldn’t have wanted this.” Her father brushed the brunette away roughly. “Let’s go home, okay?”
Reluctantly, Willow’s family turned and left, leaving the five friends standing in the aftermath of their confrontation. As the tension dissipated, Sebastian couldn’t help but break the silence with a joke. “Well, that was fun,” he quipped, pulling out his flask once again. “Same time next week, guys?”
Augustus rolled his eyes, shaking his head in exasperation. “I still can’t believe you brought that,” he muttered, his tone filled with disbelief.
Sebastian grinned. “A little liquid courage never hurt anyone. Besides, it’s not like Willow’s here to scold me.”
“Show some respect,” Augustus snapped, but there was a hint of a smile on his lips.
“She would’ve thrived on this, you know,” Delilah said, glancing back at the church. “The attention, the people crying over her.”
Sebastian snorted. “She did love being the center of attention.”
Augustus’ expression softened. “But she didn’t deserve this. No one deserves this.”
As they made their way to the parking lot, a figure stepped out of the shadows, blocking their path.
“Augustus, Lilia, Delilah, Sebastian, and Eleanor.” A man in a clad black suit approached them. His expensive watch flashed in the setting sun. “I need you all to come down to the station,” he said, his voice a low rumble.
Augustus paused in his movements, raising his brow. “We’ve already talked to the police?—”
“Who are you?” Lilia interjected.
“Detective McCall.” He flashed his badge. “It’s important for you five to come down to the station now that this is no longer a missing person’s investigation.”
Augustus frowned, suspicion darkening his eyes. “Do you think we had something to do with this? With what happened to Willow?”
Eleanor made a small sound. “What—no, you have to be joking, right? Willow was our best friend. We didn’t have anything to do with this.”
The detective’s face remained impassive. “It’s routine.”
Augustus shook his head. “No. I’m the DA’s son. I know how this works, remember?”
Detective McCall sighed, clearly frustrated but not backing down. “Please, just come with me. It will make this a lot easier for everyone if you just cooperate.”
“And if we don’t?” Sebastian challenged, his tone defiant.
The detective’s response was measured, his eyes betraying none of the thoughts swirling behind them. “You five were the last ones to see Willow alive,” he explained, his words hanging heavy in the air.
Augustus, always quick to question authority, chimed in. “What, so we’re suspects now?” he demanded, his voice tinged with disbelief.
McCall shrugged. “Depends on what you know,” he replied cryptically.
Lilia exchanged a glance with her friends as they reluctantly followed the detective across the lot—the weight of the town’s gaze followed them, the whispers growing louder as they stepped deeper into the harsh overcast of the day. The detective’s car waited, a symbol of the new reality they were about to face. The small, well-off town of Mills Creek, with its Ivy League university and its high-powered residents, was no place for a scandal. Yet, here they were, bound by secrets and lies, each step they took echoing the fragility of human existence.
