Blythe Tatum expected her freshman year at university to be nerve-wracking, though nothing out of the ordinary. The beginning of her school year starts off as averagely as possible, though Blythe soon finds herself caught up in an unexpected and ine...
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Kehlani is waiting for me by the time I make it back to our dorm, though I'm not surprised.
I enter our room quietly, my roommate's head snapping up and turning in my direction as the sound of the door creaking open catches her attention. I close the door behind me gently as Kehlani rises from her bed and crosses over to where I stand, wordlessly wrapping her arms around my frame and pulling me into a hug.
"I am so sorry," Kehlani murmurs as she pulls back slightly to study my face with wide and apologetic eyes. "I am so sorry, Blythe. I had no idea . . ."
I find it safe to assume that my friend is referencing the arrest of my former boyfriend that took place tonight. I should feel upset as I relive Jacob's final moments of freedom and having to watch him be taken away in handcuffs. Instead, I merely feel tired. My emotions are too worn to be anything but numb at the moment.
"No one did," I tell Kehlani with a half-shrug. "I don't think anyone was expecting the killer to be Jacob."
"How are you?" Kehlani asks as I wander over to my side of the room, falling back onto my mattress. I pat the area next to me, gesturing for Kehlani to sit down as well. She does, crossing her legs as she turns her attention to me once again. "I can only imagine what you're going through . . ."
"I'm relieved," I say after a moment of thoughtful silence, lifting my gaze to Kehlani's. "I've known about what Jacob did to Naomi for a while now. It feels . . . freeing, in a way? To finally know all of this is over."
Kehlani furrows her eyebrows as she studies me skeptically. "Wait. You . . . knew?"
I nod. "I found out a little while ago. I've been communicating with the police, gathering evidence to incriminate Jacob. I needed to make sure he would be put behind bars before I started telling anyone the truth. I wanted to make sure he wouldn't have the chance to hurt anyone else."
"Oh my God," Kehlani gasps, her green eyes growing as wide as saucers. "Blythe . . ."
"I'm sorry I didn't say anything sooner," I murmur, unable to meet my friend's stare. "You deserve to know the truth. I'm releasing an article explaining everything tomorrow. But I can tell you the story too. If you want."
Kehlani purses her lips, eyeing me with pity. "Only if you're ready to talk about it. I know this has to be so hard for you."
"I think the hardest part is knowing that I loved him," I admit meekly. "At least, the person I thought he was. I trusted him. So I'm angry and I'm hurt. But there's another part of me that just feels . . . free. Jacob is getting what he deserves. He can't hurt anyone again. I know I did the right thing."
Kehlani rests a comforting hand on my knee. "You did, Blythe. Seriously. Sometimes the right path is the hardest to take. I hope you know I'm proud of you."
"Were you surprised?" I question. "When you saw what happened tonight?"
Kehlani nods, inhaling a sharp breath. "Confused, mostly. Really shocked. I just remember thinking, What are they doing to Blythe's boyfriend? Why are they accusing him of this? It can't be true."
"Well, it is," I croak, exhaling a dry laugh. "That's how I felt when I found out too. It was almost . . . surreal."
"Do you want to talk about it?" Kehlani questions softly. She tilts her head to the side as she gazes at me with understanding eyes.
I sit in silence briefly. Then I nod and launch into the story, knowing it is one I will be retelling for years to come.
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