Page 77 of Dead to Me

“Say it.”

“Milan.”

“Say it.”

Her voice grew softer.

“They needed somebody else to be there.”

I stared at her.

“So you volunteered me. You wore my clothes and everything.”

“Warren told me to.”

“And you did everything Warren told you?”

“I was scared.”

I walked toward her. China got up fast.

“You keep saying that.”

“Because I was.”

“You know what I did when I was scared?”

She shook her head.

“I told the truth.”

“Milan.”

“I told every cop who questioned me that I didn't kill Jeremy. I told Warren. I told my lawyer. I told the judge. I told the jury. I screamed it until my throat hurt.”

China cried silently.

“Nobody believed me because my own sister stood in front of twelve strangers and told them I was unstable.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No.”

“I am.”

“You’re only sorry because Malcolm is dead.”

“That’s not true.”

“You weren’t sorry yesterday.”

“I invited you here.”

I laughed.

“You think that was an apology?”

“I was trying to fix things.”