Revelations
Then
"Are you okay?"
I turned over, the phone pressed to my ear. In the darkness, the apartment was quiet. All I could hear was Isaac, breathing softly on the other line, waiting for me to answer.
"It's bad," I whispered.
"What happened?"
I tried to speak, to tell him everything. But I couldn't. So I shut my eyes and buried my face further into my pillow, inhaling the scent of detergent.
"I can't tell you," I said.
"Nina." His voice was urgent. "You called me for a reason. Now what is it?"
"It's my dad, Isaac." My voice cracked.
"What happened to him?"
"He's dead," I said. "They said I killed him. But I didn't, I swear to God."
The line is quiet for a long time. Then, Isaac took a breath, and said, "Of course you didn't. I know you. You would never hurt anyone."
"We were the only ones home, and then I went to sleep. I woke up with his blood on my hands. His body was in the kitchen, his throat slit. The cops found me next to him, and took me in for questioning."
"There's no way." Isaac's voice was hard, angry. "Absolutely no fucking way you would ever do that to him. Even after what he did."
"Maybe I did," I replied. "I was so angry after I found out what he'd done."
Nina, no, you didn't do this."
"I wish I could believe you."
After that, I ended the call.
I turned over, the phone pressed to my ear. In the darkness, the apartment was quiet. All I could hear was Isaac, breathing softly on the other line, waiting for me to answer.
"It's bad," I whispered.
"What happened?"
I tried to speak, to tell him everything. But I couldn't. So I shut my eyes and buried my face further into my pillow, inhaling the scent of detergent.
"I can't tell you," I said.
"Nina." His voice was urgent. "You called me for a reason. Now what is it?"
"It's my dad, Isaac." My voice cracked.
"What happened to him?"
"He's dead," I said. "They said I killed him. But I didn't, I swear to God."
The line is quiet for a long time. Then, Isaac took a breath, and said, "Of course you didn't. I know you. You would never hurt anyone."
"We were the only ones home, and then I went to sleep. I woke up with his blood on my hands. His body was in the kitchen, his throat slit. The cops found me next to him, and took me in for questioning."
"There's no way." Isaac's voice was hard, angry. "Absolutely no fucking way you would ever do that to him. Even after what he did."
"Maybe I did," I replied. "I was so angry after I found out what he'd done."
Nina, no, you didn't do this."
"I wish I could believe you."
After that, I ended the call.