My chest burned with frustration. “You really don’t see it, do you, Kelvin? You don’t see how she plays you—how she plays *everyone*.”
Patricia gasped, her hand over her mouth like I’d hurt her with my words. “Lucille, please,” she whispered. “I just want us to be close again. You were my best friend…”
I wanted to scream the truth, to make him see her for what she really was, but I knew it was pointless. Patricia had him wrapped around her finger, and no matter how much I tried, she’d made sure I’d only look like the villain.
AI let out a bitter laugh, shaking my head as I took a step back. “You know what? I’m done with this little game. “Believe whatever you want, Patricia. If lying about me helps you feel better about yourself, go right ahead.” I turned to Kelvin, feeling the sting of his betrayal like a knife. “But you, Kelvin… you don’t deserve to know the truth anymore.”
He frowned, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
I took a deep breath, letting the weight of it all sink in. “It means I’m done. I’m done trying to prove myself to someone who never wanted to believe me in the first place.”
I reached into my bag and pulled out the photos from Lyra’s funeral. My hands were shaking as I held them up, the images flashing in the light.
“Here!” I said, throwing them at him. The pictures scattered across the floor, images of the casket, of me standing alone by her grave, of Lyra's tiny, fragile body surrounded by flowers.
Kelvin’s eyes widened as he looked down at them, his expression faltering. “What…?”
“Proof, right?” My voice was sharp, biting. “That’s what you wanted, isn’t it? Proof that she’s gone? There it is. Look at it, Kelvin. Look at what you missed.”
He didn’t say anything, just stared at the photos in shock. For once, Patricia was silent, her face pale.
“I buried her alone,” I continued, my voice hard. “While you were having the best time of your life with your mistress!” I shot a look at Patricia, who had the decency to flinch. “You didn’t care enough to come back, and now you’re standing here, accusing me of doing something to her?! Wow.”
Kelvin looked away, “Lucille, I… I didn’t know.”
“Of course, you didn’t,” I said, my tone softening, but only a bit. “Because you didn’t want to know. Because you’d rather believe her lies than face the truth.”
He opened his mouth to say something, but I held up a hand, stopping him. “Save it, Kelvin. I’m done listening!”