her world at the hospital, but we didn’t have time. Soon the news of Dad and Violet’s involvement would spread like wildfire. I wasn’t sure we could go home. The press would surely catch wind of this. And what if Dad was there? I didn’t want to see him. “She was pregnant,” Mom cried out. “That poor girl was pregnant. The baby. That precious baby. Your half-sibling. Your best friend.” Mom cradled her head in her hands. We both cried, not caring about the other nurses that walked in and stared curiously. Not caring that my phone was ringing violently in my pocket or that soon Kai had wrapped me in a hug and whispered that we needed to leave in my ear. Our family was broken apart, and there was nothing that could mend us back together.
Dear Diary,
Don’t trust people that say they love you then do the opposite. Actions, Diary. Actions are the hallmark of a person’s soul. I don’t think he ever loved me back.
XOXO,
Violet
We didn’t go home—we couldn’t. The moment Chase turned in the cell phone and revealed what he’d found, our house became a crime scene investigation. I sat snuggled up in a blanket on the living room couch in Chase’s house, with mom asleep in my lap. I stroked her hair, staring at her tear-stained cheeks and listening to her desolate moans in her sleep. Kai made us both some food, but it sat untouched on the coffee table. I couldn’t eat, not when my stomach was in knots. I just wanted Chase to come home. The police had questions for all of us, but we weren’t ready to answer them. I wanted to know what was going on but was too afraid to turn on my phone.
In a moment of weakness, I ripped out a chunk of my hair while sobbing in Violet’s bathroom. I stared at the clump of insanity in my hand before Kai dragged me downstairs. I had to stay strong for my mother, but in these little moments, I broke. When her eyes were closed, I fought demons. When she was lost in her own world, I punctured my heart with a fork, hoping to watch it bleed.
How could she do this to me? I suppose the signs were there. She’d work at the surf shop while dad was there. She’d get dressed up to come to my house. She’d offer him flirty smiles I mistook as familiarity. How long had it been going on? Why would she have done this? She died on her birthday, which meant she was just seventeen when they were together. Was my father a predator? I imagined him with sharp teeth and hair like a lion, stalking my best friend during vulnerable moments. Was Violet innocent in this? Was she coerced by a villain? Or were they both the masters of their own fate, willingly dancing with the devil in exchange for passion.
“You need to eat,” Kai whispered.
“I’m not hungry.”
Kai let out a sigh while running his hand through his hair. I knew he wanted to help but didn’t know how. I honestly didn’t know what I needed. I didn’t know how I would ever be okay again.
The front door opened, and Chase walked through, carrying a paper sack. “Chase?” I said, making Mom stir in my lap. He took one look at her, then nodded toward the back patio. I gently slid out from under her and walked toward the door, followed by both Kai and Chase.
“What happened?” I asked the moment the door was shut. Chase took out a large bottle of whiskey and unscrewed the cap, taking a long swig of the burning liquid before handing it to me. I didn’t think twice, I wrapped my lips around the bottle and gulped some also, relishing in the pain blooming in my chest from the heat of the drink. With a hiss, I wiped my mouth and handed it to Kai. He didn’t drink any.
“Your father has been arrested,” Chase said in a low voice. “They found him drunk off his ass at the beach. He started screaming that he knew they’d find him eventually. They checked his cellphone’s location records and determined that he was in the woods at her time of d-death. They took a sample of his DNA to compare to the fetus, but he’s already admitted that he was the father. They have enough evidence that…”
“My father killed Violet,” I whispered. I couldn’t believe it. “Chase, I’m