Scorned [ONC 2024]

Epilogue

So there you have it.

My confession.

Perhaps it was not the turn of events you expected. I have come to realise that some stories seem a little more far-fetched than others, and perhaps this is one of them. Maybe you thought I was the woman scorned, and I do so hate to be the bearer of bad news.

Sometimes the truth is what we do not expect it to be.

It is the unlikely, the villain that was standing in front of your face the entire time. Sometimes the hero is not who they say they are. People lie, manipulate, do what they must in order to protect people.

The hero can also be the villain.

Mr Jacob Turner, the man at the centre of our affairs, confessed to killing Miss Margaret Bolton in an act of self-defence. His word was accepted. How could it not have been with so much evidence to hand?

He went on to marry Sarah Oleson, and the two of them raised their son. Of course, whispers still followed them, but the truth had all but quashed most of the stories about Jacob Turner.

It took time, plenty of it, but he found happiness with his little family. He may have still been haunted by the memories of that day and the days that came before, but he would always hold his wife and son that little bit closer.

It was a reminder of how precious life could be.

Lily Rhodes disappeared that day. Killed, they say, by Miss Bolton. Her body was never recovered and most likely never would be, though no one could work out how Miss Bolton managed to move her body and hide it in such a short space of time.

Elsewhere, Lily-Rose Clement reappeared after a few months staying with a friend. She returned with a shoulder injury she said she sustained falling from a horse. Her word was accepted.

Only two people ever knew what really happened in that room. Only two people knew the truth about Miss Bolton's death and the disappearance of Lily Rhodes.

They still keep in touch. Trauma can bond people in ways they never expected.

Despite all the years that have passed, I still find myself wondering what might have happened if the truth had come out. If Lily Rhodes' identity had been revealed to all.

I decided to write this confession here and now, in my last few days of life, because I know enough time has now passed. I am not ashamed of what I did. Why would I? I needed to protect my friend. That is what this comes down to.

Some may still call it fate. A higher power that pushed us towards each other so I could help him escape Miss Bolton's grasp and so I might find out the truth about my brother's death.

Mr Jacob Turner and I met by accident.

An accident on a staircase three years before we ever laid eyes on each other.

An accident that wasn't an accident at all.

I killed Miss Margaret Bolton because she killed my brother. I am not ashamed of that.

Judge me all you want. That was, after all, why I wrote this confession. I do not care what you think, though.

I will go to my grave knowing I did the right thing.

Lily-Rose Clement

~~~

First Published - March 10th, 2024