The diamond necklace felt heavy in Elena’s hand, weighing down her palm with the cold, hard reality of Julian’s confession. I killed her. The words echoed in the silent apartment, bouncing off the walls, mocking her ignorance.
She stood there for a long time, the door ajar, the hallway empty. Julian was gone. He had vanished into the city night, leaving her with a bombshell that threatened to level her entire existence.
Elena closed the door and locked it, engaging the deadbolt and the chain. She walked to the window and peeked through the blinds. The street below was empty, save for a lone taxi splashing through the puddles. He was really gone.
She walked back to the couch and sat down, her legs trembling. She opened the velvet box again. The diamonds caught the lamplight, fracturing i
