"No." She smiles sweetly, approaching me and smoothing out my crisp shirt collar. Her eyes burn with madness I’ve seen so many times these past few years. "I did, darling."
I stare her down, unable to comprehend her words. "What?"
"Think about it," she purrs. "I was at your house. I knew where the key was."
"Why would you hurt them?" I grunt.
"Because you loved them," she whispers. "You loved them, and I only want you to love me."
My blood runs cold then and I stare her down in disbelief. "Are you fucking serious? You set the fire?"
"It was so easy." She giggles, making me feel sicker and sicker inside. "And the flames... oh, the beautiful flames. They were so fast. So angry. I loved it. I want to do it again and again."
"You..." I swallow, fighting the urge to kill her then and there. "You wanted me to believe your father did it."
She shrugs easily, as if it means nothing. "It was easier. You loved me then. You don't love me now."
"You're a fucking monster," I hiss at her. "You're a psychopath."
"And you loved me once upon a time," she smiles sadly. "Isn't it sad, Dexter? Now you'll have to pay for everything. For betraying me. You know what I'm going to do?"
She approaches me while I grit my teeth together. Lily Anna runs a finger down my chest, smiling wide.
"I'm going to kill that girl," she purrs. "She's as good as dead. And you signed her death sentence, Dex. You signed it, because you fucking love her more than me."
My hands form fists at my sides. It takes everything in me not to react. But I can't. I'm better than that. Better than Lily Anna Oakes, the monstrous girl I used to love.
"I'm never letting you out of here," I mutter. "I'll fucking leave you here to rot."
"No, you won't," she smiles. "You'll feel too guilty. Just now, Dex... The first chance I get..." She imitates slitting her neck, smiling wildly. "She's fucking gone."
I advance against her then, making her back up into a corner without ever laying a finger on her. I tower above her petite body, my veins pulsing with the need to hurt her.
"You'll never get out of here," I tell her. "It's time you paid for what you've done. And no matter what... you lose, Lily Anna."
She screams, throwing herself at me and clawing me with her long fingernails. I grab her arms and hold them behind her back while she struggles wildly. I don't give her the control she wants. Instead, I just push her back on the mattress, and she falls back, looking at me with pure hatred.
"You're alone now," I tell her. "There's no one left for you, Lily Anna. You drove us all away."
I walk away from her, my heart pounding with revelations, when she calls out one last time - a desperate plea, one last attempt at winning me over.
"I still love you, Dex!" She sounds desperate. Ugly. I look over my shoulder at her tear-streaked face. "I did it for us, Dex... I wanted us together, forever, the way it was supposed to be. Remember?"
"No," I spit out, slamming the door behind me. I lock it three times before leaning against the wood and slowly sliding to the floor with my hands in my hair.
Her confession shouldn't have come as a shock. She's unpredictable, always has been. But this... this makes her a true monster.
She lied to me for years. She took my family away from me. I should kill her. Before I leave Eden Falls, I should fucking shoot Lily Anna right between the eyes and toss her down the cliff she should've jumped off of years ago.
Or better yet, I should give her back to Emilian Oakes.
A smile lights up my face as I think of the possibilities. The guy may not be a murderer, but he's still a piece of shit. He'd destroy her - exactly what she fucking deserves.
When I pick myself up from the floor again, my mind is made up. I'm done taking care of her, done with the burden that is Lily Anna. She's on her own now, and I don't give a fuck what happens to her.
I close my eyes and remember the sweet moments. Her laugh, her innocence, her flushed cheeks. All lies. Little fucking liar. She's done now. She'll never hurt me again.
My thoughts fill with Pandora then, and my heart swells with emotion. Pride, yearning, need, want, desire. My cock hardens, my heart hurts. Butterflies swarm in my stomach.