How They Got Away With Murder | Book Three

Chapter Ten-Part One

      All she felt was pain.

      It was numbed, but still, a burning, stinging sensation hovered on her limbs, engraved in her mind. Whenever she blinked she was back in the house, the flames shooting towards her. She wasn't sure how much time had passed as she had faded in and out of consciousness constantly. Karmen had only recently managed to peek at her image in a mirror. At one point, all soot and ashes had been wiped from her face. Despite that, small patches of burn marks scattered her skin. One lingered on the right of her forehead, another sporting itself on her cheek. Her arms were marred with bruises, apparently from her fall. She couldn't see the rest of her body, but she imagined it looked about the same.

       During the time she was awake, Karmen tried to process everything that happened. Wes was dead. But that wasn't what truly troubled her. It was the fact that she felt nothing. In his final moments she viewed him as someone who betrayed her. Of course she knew his death was a tragedy, but she found she could only mourn for a total of five minutes.

      "Karmen?"

      She weakly tilted her head towards the door, managing a small glare as Bonnie hesitantly stepped into the room.

      "How are you?"

      Karmen averted her eyes. 

      "Everyone's in the waiting area. They want to see you, but the doctors would only let me in. I told them I was your lawyer." Bonnie explained. She shifted uncomfortably in the small bed, a groan of pain escaping her lips. She easily caught the pity that shone in the older woman's eyes.

      "Karmen, Wes died before the fire." 

      She glanced at Bonnie incredulously, but said nothing.

      "The M.E. told me. Did you see anything before the explosion?"

      The damaged blonde shook her head.

      Bonnie lowered her tone. "The detectives will be here soon."

      "Okay." She at last spoke, her voice scratchy and near-silent. "Is Laurel okay? Nobody's told me anything."

      "Laurel's in a better physical condition, but she's not thinking straight. She wants to tell the cops that Frank did this."

      Karmen's eyes widened and she tried to sit up, but a searing ache stabbed her in the abdomen. She hissed, lowering herself back down. 

      "She can't do that."

      "I know. I'm doing everything I can to stop it."

      She scoffed. "Really? Last time I checked you recorded his confession and handed it to Annalise." Bonnie pursed her lips. Karmen took a few deep breaths to calm herself.

      "Leave. I want to be alone."

      Lie.

      She wanted to constantly reassure Alyssa that she was fine, she wanted to roll her eyes at Connor's attempts to make light of the situation, and most importantly, she wanted Frank to make her feel safe. She imagined him sitting down beside her, his hand grasping her own tightly, somehow threatening the fire that burned her. 

      "But—"

      "Please, just go." She begged. Bonnie sighed, but acquiesced to her request and vanished from the room. Karmen dropped her head back onto the pillow.

      She hated life. 

      She couldn't help but dwell on what her so-called lawyer said. Laurel wanted to tell the police that Frank killed Wes. It wasn't true. It couldn't be. Frank had no reason to kill Wes, not even with the Mahoney trial happening. Besides, he wouldn't have added the extra theatrics of burning Annalise's house down to cover it up.