13
The three of us were gathered in the police station’s interrogation room.
Sophie, her wrists shackled, sat opposite Dad.
Her face was half–shrouded as if dodging the light.
Yet, she was clearly avoiding Dad’s gaze.
Dad himself, though seated, was slumped over, resembling an old man weighed down by years.
It seemed like an eternity before he hoarsely asked, “Why?”
He couldn’t fathom why his favored daughter would harm her sister.
Sophie remained mute.
Tony presented her confession, pointing to the document, “She confessed that the fire at your house years ago was her doing, an
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13
accident. She’s been living in fear of you discovering the truth. Last month, she realized you were reopening the investigation into the fire. In a panic, she decided to eliminate Emily to keep the secret buried.”
Dad clutched his head in torment.
“So, it was my fault… Did I drive Emily to her death?”
Dad had always struggled with accepting Mom’s death as an accident, and his continued probing now seemed tragically misguided.
He never expected that the real arsonist was right beside him.
And due to his obsession, I met my
untimely end.
Tony attempted to console him, “Don’t blame yourself, this isn’t on you.”
“No!” Dad shouted, standing abruptly, “This is my fault!”
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Tears poured down his face as he lamented. “If I hadn’t wrongly blamed Emily all these years, if I hadn’t been so consumed by the fire, she might still be alive! I’ve failed my daughter, failed her mother…”
Suddenly, Sophie looked up and shouted, “Yes! You are the reason Emily died!”
Dad stared at her, stunned.
With venom in her voice, Sophie yelled, “All my life, it’s been Emily this, Emily that. I’m sick of it! Even after she confessed to setting the fire, you wouldn’t believe it, kept digging! You were convinced your precious Emily couldn’t possibly be the culprit, right?!”
Sophie sneered, “Then let me spell it out for you today—no, it wasn’t Emily who started the fire, it was me. I was the one who ordered her killed. I wanted to erase her from this world, to permanently silence my secret!”
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Enough!”
Overcome with rage, Dad lunged towards her, but Tony grabbed him, holding him back.
Dad’s neck veins bulged as he pointed at Sophie, “Sophie, how could I have raised such a heartless daughter! She was your sister! Thirty–seven stabs–how could you let that happen?!”
Unmoved by his distress, Sophie retorted, “You’ve thrown those accusations at Emily often enough, I’m tired of hearing them.”
“I didn’t just have her stabbed; I destroyed her face. And you, her father, didn’t recognize her. Didn’t you carve into her with your scalpel just the same?”
Her words struck Dad like a dagger to the heart.
He clutched at his chest, gasping for air, and then suddenly, a spurt of blood escaped his lips!
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In the tumultuous interrogation room, I stood silently watching.
I saw Tony helping Dad out as Sophie laughed maniacally.
There, my transparent feet began to fade.
I think it’s almost my time to leave.
