Chapter 212 Shame
>>Riona
I froze.
My heart stopped as her words hung in the air, sharp and brutal. My eyes darted down to where she was pointing, and there it was—lying just inches from my hand, on the floor next to me.
A knife. The blade slick with blood, the handle so close I could almost feel it in my palm.
I stared at it, my breath caught in my throat. The sight of it—its presence—hit me like a slap to the face. I recoiled, horror flooding my veins. How had I not seen it before? How was it there? I scrambled back instinctively, my heart racing in my chest. I wasn’t holding it. I hadn’t touched it. But there it was, and it looked as if it belonged to me.
“I—” My voice faltered, my mouth dry, the words crumbling into silence. I had no explanation. The truth sat there, cold and gleaming, smeared in blood.
Ava’s eyes, wide and disbelieving, burned into me. She shook her head slowly, stepping back as if she couldn’t stand to be near me anymore. “You had it,” She whispered, her voice barely above a breath. “How could you...?”
Her words pierced me, deeper than the knife itself could have.
I wanted to scream, to deny it, to throw the knife across the room, but nothing made sense anymore. Everyone’s eyes shifted between the bloodied knife and me, the horror in their faces growing. It was as if the whole world had already decided what had happened, and nothing I said would ever change it.
“I didn’t...” I stammered, my voice small, almost childlike as I stood up. Milo held Ava even more carefully, making me pause, “Milo, I-”
“Stay away from us, Ri,” His tone was harsh, one hand on his wound, the other on Ava. The open doorway framed the crowd that had gathered, their eyes glued to me,
I stared at his gushing wound. I did that? Me?
Suddenly, the steady thud of a cane tapping against the floor cut through the murmurs. The sound grew louder, and slowly, the crowd parted, clearing a path as Annamae, our youngest, stumbled her way forward. The echo of her stick was sharp, precise, each tap bringing her closer.
“What is happening?” she asked, her voice soft but clear. She paused at the threshold, her head turning slightly as if trying to make sense of the oppressive atmosphere. “There are... so many people here.”
I clenched my fists, wanting to call out to her, but fear strangled the words in my throat.
“Rio?” She called my name as she stepped forward cautiously, her hand lifting slightly as though she were reaching for me. The sound of her cane hitting the floor echoed louder now, guiding her toward me. I could see her confusion, her face scrunched in uncertainty, and for a fleeting moment, I thought she might just come to me, might just break this terrible silence.
But then Ava moved quickly, positioning herself between us. “Annamae, don’t!” Her voice was sharp, her hand reaching out to stop her.
Annamae froze, her brow furrowing in confusion. “Why? What’s going on?” She tilted her head, gripping her cane tightly, sensing the tension that she couldn’t see.
The silence that followed was unbearable.
“Why is everyone so quiet? Why... does it feel like something’s wrong?” She took another step, her free hand reaching out as if she might find me in the silence.
I couldn’t breathe. I stood frozen in place, watching her,
“Anna, no!” Ava’s voice was sharp as she stepped in front of Annamae, blocking her path. She grabbed Annamae’s arm, gripping it tightly. “Don’t... don’t come closer.”
Annamae frowned, her brows furrowing in confusion. “What? Why? What’s happening, Ava?” She tried to pull away from Ava’s grip, her cane tapping again as if to reorient herself, but Ava didn’t let go.
“Riona—” Ava’s voice cracked, and I saw her swallow hard before she continued. “Riona killed them.” Her words came out in a harsh whisper, filled with both anger and disbelief. “Our parents. She... she’s the one who did this.”
I wasn’t expecting her to tell her that. Anna was only seventeen after all, she was like a baby to both of us.
Annamae froze, her entire body stiffening. “What?” Her voice trembled, shaking with disbelief, “Killed our parents?” She let out a breathless laugh, the kind people do when they can’t comprehend what’s just been said. “No, that’s... that’s impossible. Rio would never—she wouldn’t— And our parents are dead? Killed? What’s that supposed to mean??! What do you mean killed?” She moved her face around but of course, what use was that when she couldn’t see? “Mom? Dad?” She called out to them but received no reply back.
It was hard to watch
“Yes!” Ava’s voice was harsh, “They’re dead and Riona killed them.,” Ava insisted, her grip tightening on Annamae’s arm, her knuckles white. “She— She’s covered in blood!”
“No...” Annamae’s voice was shaking now, her head whipping back and forth as if trying to make sense of it. “That’s not true. That can’t be true!” She reached out again, her hand trembling, calling out into the suffocating silence. “Rio! Tell her! Tell her it’s not true!”
I couldn’t answer. I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. My throat burned with the weight of everything I couldn’t say. My eyes stung with unshed tears, my body shaking as I stared at the blood smeared across my hands, my gown.
I wanted to tell her, to scream that it wasn’t me, that I didn’t know how this had happened, that I loved our parents too much to hurt them. But the words were gone.
They wouldn’t come…
“Rio!” Annamae called again, louder this time, her voice cracking. She tried to move past Ava, her hand reaching for me, but Ava blocked her again, holding her back, refusing to let her get closer.
“No, Annamae,” Ava said, her voice low but filled with desperation. “You don’t understand! You can’t... you can’t go near her. She’s dangerous!”
Annamae fought against her, her voice rising in frustration. “You’re wrong! You’re wrong! Rio, answer me!” Her shouts echoed through the room, cutting through the heavy silence. Her voice trembled with desperation, with disbelief, with love, and it made everything inside me break.
But I still couldn’t answer.
The blood. I could still feel it on my skin, sticky and warm. I could smell it in the air. It was everywhere. If Annamae got any closer, she would know. She would feel the blood, smell the death clinging to me. She’d touch my hands and feel the warmth of the violence that had spilled all around me.
And that thought… The thought of her knowing, of her touching that—made me sick.
I couldn’t let her come near me. I loved her too much for that. I couldn’t let her be a part of this nightmare.
So I stood there, silent,
“Rio!” She yelled, “Answer me!” She tried to break free from Ava but Ava wasn’t going to let her go, “Rio!!”
I looked down with my lips tightly sealed.
What have I done?
Nothing makes sense, but still I can’t let Anna come closer. I can’t give her the shock of feeling that our parents are dead. She’s still in denial and wants the answer from me. But what do I tell her?
I didn’t know how to deny it. And I was disgusted with myself, with the way the evidence clung to me, with the way I looked like the monster everyone believed I was.
Annamae’s voice shattered in a final, desperate cry, “Rio!”
I closed my eyes shut as I clenched my fists.
That’s when another group of people arrived, “Move! Make way, people!!” Their voices were thunderous.
The police stormed into the room, their presence pushing the murmuring crowd aside, scattering them.
“Move! Arrest the bride!!” Voices shouted, orders barked, and chaos erupted as officers shoved their way toward me.
“Move!”
“Get her in the car!”
The thud of their boots echoed through the room, and I felt the weight of their arrival sink into my chest like lead. They moved with authority, indifferent to the scene that had already shattered everything I knew.
One of them, too focused on clearing the path, bumped hard into Annamae. The force sent her stumbling, her cane clattering to the floor as she fell.
!!!
My heart lurched as I watched her hit the ground, her hand groping for something, anything to steady herself. Ava’s let go of her wrist, and for a moment, Annamae was helpless, alone on the floor.
“Anna!” The word tore from my throat.
Annamae’s head snapped toward my voice, her eyes wide though they saw nothing. “Rio?” she called, her voice trembling, filled with hope.
I could hear the disbelief in it, the confusion. For a moment, everything else faded—the officers, the crowd, even the blood soaking into my dress. All I saw was her, struggling to her feet, her cane gripped tightly in her hand, and that one simple word hanging between us, “Rio.”
She stepped toward me, blindly, like she always had, trusting me to be there, to make things right. But before she could reach me, before I could even react, I felt the cold metal clamp around my wrists. The snap of the handcuffs was like a door slamming shut inside me, and everything in the world shifted.
Right then two news reporters ran in, snapping pictures, the lights snapping my eyes shut.
Ah..
This is going to make headlines…
“No!” Annamae’s voice cut through the fog, sharp with panic. “Rio!” She moved toward me again, but the officers blocked her path, surrounding me, keeping her at bay. I could see her struggling against them, her face twisted in frustration, fear written all over her features.
Her cries cut through me like knives, but I couldn’t look at her. I couldn’t let her come any closer
“Rio, don’t go!” she screamed, her voice cracking, breaking. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out the sound, the ache in her words.
I turned my head away, shame curling deep inside my gut. The officers were dragging me out, their hands tight on my arms, pulling me toward the door.
“Rio!” Annamae’s voice rose one last time, pleading, and I wanted so badly to turn, to reassure her but the world was against me.
The police dragged me out into the hallway, and all I could do was keep my head down, letting the shame consume me.