Found Obsession

Chapter 35: Rose's reflection

Rose and Will sat in separate cells, each one facing the other. Will groaned in pain, nursing his wounds, while Rose sat back against the wall, one foot propped up on the bench, her arm resting on her knee, the other foot firmly on the cold concrete floor. She stared blankly ahead, her thoughts racing, but her expression remained cold and detached.

The sound of footsteps echoed through the corridor. Riley arrived with an officer, opening Will's cell. Paula helped Will to his feet, his face bruised and bloodied. For a brief moment, Rose thought they might open her cell too, but she wasn't surprised when Riley waited for them to leave before turning to face her.

"Why am I not surprised?" she asked, her voice flat but laced with bitterness.

Riley's face was a storm of anger. "Did you see what you did to him?" His voice was low, but the fury was clear. "He's bleeding everywhere."

Rose scoffed. "It was an even fight."

"I didn't teach you to fight so you could do this to your colleagues!" Riley hissed, stepping closer.

"I didn't ask you to teach me anything!" Rose shot back, her voice rising.

Riley exhaled sharply, trying to keep his composure. "I'll give you time to think."

"What does that mean?" Rose yelled, standing up as Riley turned to leave.

"It means you'll stay here until you reflect on what you did," he said firmly.

Rose stared at him, shocked. "He started it!" she shouted, her voice cracking.

"It doesn't matter who started it!" Riley shouted back, his frustration boiling over. "This isn't the Rose I know."

Rose swallowed hard, her defenses crumbling under the weight of his words. "Well, blame yourself," she spat bitterly. "Will did this to me. You covered up for that bastard, and because of him, everyone died that day."

Riley's expression faltered, a flash of pain crossing his features. He looked lost for a moment, but then his voice steadied. "Stop blaming him," he said quietly, but with conviction. "I'm the one who made the decision. And it's me who has to live with the consequences. It haunts me every damn day, Rose. But you-" His voice cracked with anger and something deeper. "You're falling apart, and I have to watch you do it."

Rose's eyes watered, but she held her ground, her throat tight, unable to speak.

"I made a mistake, okay? We all do." Riley continued, his voice rough with emotion. "I followed the evidence, and it led me down the wrong path. And that will haunt me. But you don't get to keep punishing me for it."

Rose blinked, the tears threatening to spill, but she remained silent, her heart pounding in her chest.

"But here I am," Riley said, his voice quieter now, but still charged with emotion, "not running, not being reckless. I'm still here, trying to do the right thing. Life isn't fair, Rose. Justice doesn't always come the way we want, and sometimes, someone has to make the hard choices that affect the least."

Riley then collected himself.

Riley took a step back, his voice soft but firm. ""See you tomorrow morning, Rose. And I expect you to apologize to Will." He turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Rose standing there, the weight of his words hanging heavy in the air.

Rose didn't know how long she stood there, staring blankly at the cell bars. Eventually, she returned to her spot on the bench and pulled out a cigarette. At least they hadn't taken that from her.

She took a slow drag, the smoke curling around her, offering a brief escape. But it wasn't long before Riley's words crept back into her mind, repeating over and over again, haunting her.