Chapter 8
359words
Dead silence.
Then, chaos erupted.
"Jake Wilson! You monster!"
"You killed Lily!"
"You raped her! You murderer!"
The villagers surged forward, held back only by the police.
Jake, handcuffed to the tree, slumped, defeated. His eyes were hollow.
My mother, Helen, stared blankly at the phone, then at Jake, then at me. Her face was a mask of utter devastation.
The officer held up the phone, voice grave.
"Jake Wilson, you're under arrest for the sexual assault and murder of Lily Johnson. You have the right to remain silent..."
But Jake wasn't listening. He stared at me, a chilling, knowing smirk twisting his lips.
"Maya Johnson... you knew... you knew all along, didn't you?"
"You set me up... you and that idiot..."
His voice was a rasp. "You knew what Lily planned... you knew she wanted to ruin you... to take Nathan..."
He laughed, a dry, hollow sound. "You used me... you used me to get rid of her..."
The crowd gasped, turning shocked eyes towards me.
Nathan stared, horrified. "Maya... is that true?"
My mother staggered. "Lily... Lily wanted to...?"
Jake spat on the ground. "Yeah! Your precious Lily! She bragged about it! Said Nathan was just using Maya, that he really wanted her! Said once Maya was 'soiled,' Nathan would marry her instead!"
He glared at my mother. "She wasn't the angel you thought, Helen! She was a scheming little..."
"Shut up!" My mother screamed, rushing at Jake, but police held her back.
She collapsed, sobbing uncontrollably. "No... no... Lily wouldn't..."
Jake ignored her, his eyes locked on me, venomous. "You... you played us all. You knew Lily was coming for you... you knew she'd try something that night... you let her walk into it... you used me..."
He laughed again, bitterly. "And I fell for it... like the fool I am..."
I met his gaze, my expression unreadable. Inside, a cold satisfaction warred with a deeper, older pain.
The officer tightened the cuffs. "Enough. Jake Wilson, you're coming with us."
As they led him away, his final words hung in the air, aimed at me.
"Watch your back, Maya Johnson... karma's a bitch..."
