They were best friends for years, sharing every secret except one. When Felix finally confesses his feelings, Josephine lets him down with a gentle lie: she's not interested in men. Heartbroken but determined to keep their friendship, Felix tries to...
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This chapter has STRONG trigger warnings. Readers discretion is advised. ⚠️⚠️⚠️‼️
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The Rainbow Valley Police Department buzzed with muted activity as Larisa sat on the edge of a cold metal chair in the station's lobby. Her leg bounced uncontrollably, her arms crossed tightly as if to hold herself together. She had been here for hours almost every day of the week, speaking to every officer who would give her even a sliver of their time.
Detective Hargrove, a tired-looking man in his early fifties, sat across from her at the small interview table. His balding head glistened under the harsh fluorescent lights as he flipped through a thin file, barely glancing up.
"Larisa, correct?" he asked in a monotonous tone.
"Yes," Larisa snapped. "And for the hundredth time, I'm telling you Josephine didn't kill Ryan! I don't know why you're not taking this seriously."
Hargrove sighed and leaned back in his chair. "The evidence points to her involvement. Ryan was last seen alive with her at the office, and now she's disappeared. That doesn't look good, does it?"
Larisa's nails dug into her palms. "She disappeared because something happened to her! Ryan was her boyfriend. Their relationship was still kinda new. But she was falling in love with him! She wouldn't just kill him and run off with some guy, especially not Orson. Do you even know her?"
Hargrove raised a skeptical eyebrow. "People do strange things, ma'am. Love triangles, jealous fits, crimes of passion—"
"This isn't a crime of passion!" Larisa slammed her hands on the table, startling both herself and the detective. Her voice cracked as tears welled in her eyes. "Felix. You need to look into Felix!"
Hargrove's pen paused over his notebook, and he gave her a laughing look. "Felix...?"
"Yes! The guy I've been telling you idiots about these past weeks. He's Orson's roommate," Larisa explained, her words tumbling over each other. "He's the one who told me Josephine left with Orson after Ryan's death, but it doesn't add up. Josephine would've told me if she was leaving with Orson. She wouldn't just disappear like that. And Orson had a girlfriend, Rachel. Why would he run off with Josephine?"
"Do you have proof?" Hargrove asked flatly, already returning his attention to the file.
"Proof?" Larisa nearly choked on the word. "Do you hear yourself? I'm telling you something's wrong! Felix is lying about what happened. Josephine didn't even like him romantically. She only wanted to be friends with him. She said that he basically always had a thing for her. I wouldn't be surprised if he's the one who killed Ryan!"
