She rushed down the hall once the living room was out of sight. Her legs felt heavy and weak as she fumbled through the long corridor. Photos lined the walls, and there was a darkness in the space that wasn’t present in the living room. She tried every door, turning knobs only to find them all locked. She pulled and pulled, unsure what she was looking for—anything that might have belonged to Willow.
The fifth door she pulled opened, causing her to stumble forward. She caught herself with a huff. The room was large, a huge canopy bed made of darkened wood standing in the middle. There were two doors; she assumed they led to a bathroom or a closet. Male clothing was tossed carelessly on the floor, and she nearly cursed herself.
It was his room.
She closed the door softly behind her and shakily fumbled for her phone. Lilia could hardly type the message. She could barely believe it when she sent it.
She pinned her location and slipped the phone back into her pocket. Her eyes darted around the room, taking in the dark walls, the light bedding, anything until her eyes found the one thing she wished she’d never seen.
It shone in the light from the window, the diamonds reflecting on the wall. The quaint bracelet sat on the desk in the corner of the room, haphazardly, beside a stack of books and a half-drunk cup of coffee.
She approached it slowly, as though it would somehow come to life and bite her. Her throat tightened, and the soft whimperthat escaped her was a telltale sign that she was seconds away from a panic attack.
She grasped the bracelet, holding it up. The delicate charm she had given Willow weeks before her disappearance dangled from it.
“You weren’t supposed to see that.”
She whirled around, her hip knocking into the desk as she tried to gain her balance.
“You should’ve just left, Lilia.”
His tone was so different from the kind, gentle one she had come to know over the past few months. His blue eyes were nearly black, his nostrils flaring as he stared at her.
“Why do you have this?” Her voice was barely a whisper. “How did you get this?”
“She left it after a lecture,” he said calmly.
“You’re lying.”
“I’m not. She left it. I was going to give it back.”
Lilia shook her head slowly, in disgust. “She would’ve never left it. She wore it every day.”
“Give me the bracelet, Lilia.”
“Did you kill her?”
She could feel bile rising in her throat.
“No.”
“Liar,” she whimpered. “You’re a liar.”
“I would’ve never hurt her.”
“You killed her!” Her voice raised in pitch.
“I did no such thing, Lilia. I would’ve never killed her. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“She was wearing it when she left the party. The police couldn’t find it, but her mom swore she had it on. She never took it off. How else would you have this?”
“You need to calm down,” he said, nodding as he approached her. “You’re hysterical. You’re not thinking straight.”
“No! Stay away from me.” She moved toward the door. “Don’t come any closer.”
“I didn’t kill her. I would never hurt her.”
“Stop lying! You’re a murderer.”
