Chapter 66

Maya’s POV

“H-how?” she whispered, voice barely audible.

Elias exhaled heavily and lay back on the bed. “The police came at night. I called them. I told them I got home from school and found my parents dead in the living room.”

“Elias…” Maya’s throat tightened.

He bit his lower lip, eyes dark with guilt. “I lied. I was there.”

A gasp escaped Maya, and she covered her mouth with trembling fingers. Tears blurred her vision as the horror of his confession washed over her.

“I’d just come home from school. They were yelling again, and I tried to break it up. Then—what I feared most—my father, drunk as usual, pulled out a pistol and aimed it at my mother.”

“Oh God…” Maya whispered, pressing a hand to her chest.