Dexter didn’t head home; instead, he found himsell wandering down re Alley and Tangle


    Lane.


    I had no clue what he was up to, just aimlessly trailing behind him.


    Perhaps, I was too eager to witness the look on his face when he confronted the truth.


    Would it be regret, relief, or would he defend Melody at that very moment?


    “Dexter, did you ever care for me, even the slightest? When you were tormenting me, what were you


    thinking? A mix of disgust and your unrestrained demand?” I stood behind Dexter, repeating my


    questions over and over.


    I knew full well he couldn’t hear me, yet I stubbornly sought a resolution, an answer.


    “Dexter… we really couldn’t find Phoebe. The cops said it’s a fact that we had Phoebe over on the 13th


    and 14th, and we all admitted to it. But they’re saying the surveince footage shows Phoebe showing


    up again on the 15th, heading down Tangle Lane. I saw the tape myself, Phoebe was definitely there,


    all by herself.”


    Dexter’s buddy had arrived with the investigation updates.


    I watched the two of them with a sarcastic smirk. Were they truly clueless, or just putting on a show?


    Clearly, I heard theirughter and horsey through the earpiece on the day of the incident.


    They had also said over the monitor that Phoebe was the kind of woman even a creep wouldn’t look at


    twice.


    “What was she doing there all alone on the 15th?” Dexter’s face was glum as he surveyed the


    surroundings. “Did the surveince catch her leaving?”


    “The cops zeroed in on a janitor during the window of Phoebe’s disappearance. There was just this


    janitor hauling a big trash bin out; no sign of Phoebe…” His friend’s voice trailed off, less and less


    confident.


    Then he whispered, “Dexter… you don’t think something really happened to Phoebe, do you?” Dexter


    went white as a sheet, probably starting to panic. “Don’t talk nonsense. She’s not dead.” He reassured.


    Dexter stepped back and leaned against the wall.


    I just stood there watching Dexter. Destion washed me over.


    “Dexter, no offense, but Phoebe was the kind of woman who’d do anything to get her way. She pushed


    Melody down the stairs, and she’d poison Melody for her own selfish gains. If someone like that is


    gone, we’re probably better off.”


    None of Dexter’s crew liked me; I always knew that. They all adored Melody.


    15.02


    I was well aware that Melody might have the knack to convince these guys of her innocence, but their


    disrespect, their jokes, bullying, and even aggression towards me, it all stemmed from Dexter’s own


    indulgence.


    Because Dexter loathed me, so naturally, they all did.


    Dexter furrowed his brows, giving Hank a dark, intimidating look.


    I remembered Hank. He had tried to assault me once in the Fitzgerald family’s back garden. But he


    didn’t seed; I managed to crack his skull and sent him running.


    Later, Hank threatened me to keep quiet about that day. He said even if I spoke up, no one would


    believe me.


    To ensure nobody would believe me, he spread rumors and ndered me among Dexter’s circle of


    friends, all to fear the day I’d reveal the truth.


    If I was discredited, his assault would just be another stain on my already tarnished reputation, and


    even if I spoke out, no one would believe me.


    And indeed, that was the case.


    Hank was a distant cousin of Dexter. When I first joined the Fitzgerald family at eighteen, he


    was there too:


    His mother hadined to Dexter’s mom, “Hailey, if you’re really short on kids, our little Hank can


    be a choice. You want a daughter? I’ve got daughters. Why neglect your own to take in an outsider?”


    At that time, I was cowering behind Dexter. Freshly orphaned and without a soul to trust, I was so


    frightened.


    “Don’t be scared, just ignore them; they’re all sick,” Dexter said as he took my wrist and led me upstairs


    to a room. “From now on, this is your home.”


    Còntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    I quietly watched Dexter, and in that moment, my dependence on and affection for him peaked. But


    everything shattered when he discovered the love letter I had written.


    Through the years, ver understood why Dexter’s initial reaction was so strong, so full of revulsion.


    It was just a naive crush; why did it disgust him for so long?