Page 194 of I Will Mend You

My brow pinches. Lambda must be a code word for Lyle. “Then why?—”

“Because we were supposed to be together,” she screeches, her eyes streaming with tears. “Three Fates and what happened after would have been bearable with you!”

Her words trigger a slew of memories where she was always praised for succeeding, while I was chastised for minor failures. The instructors made a point of breaking my spirit, stroking Dolly’s ego while offering me nothing but denigration.

Gripping the knife, I nod. “I was supposed to be the scapegoat, while you basked as the golden child.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” she snarls.

“I don’t expect Delta taught you the intricacies of narcissistic abuse.”

She rises to her feet on shaky legs, raising the ice pick. I flinch, not knowing when she wrestled it from my fingers.

Charging at me like a banshee, she screams, “You were always a book nerd. Why don’t you just die?”

Time stills, and the space between pounding heartbeats expands. I stand in place, imagining myself as a matador, facing a furious bull. Dolly aims the ice pick at my eyes, her features a rictus of fury.

She won’t change.

She never will.

I exist to serve as the whipping girl for everything that’s gone wrong in her life. But I refuse to take the blame for the actions of our stepfather and his corrupt associates. Refuse to waste another second of my time explaining my truth to a murderous woman who won’t listen.

Dolly might be a victim, but she’s far from innocent. She sat by, allowing Delta to create more snuff movies. She could have killed him any time during their marriage, including today, yet she turned her anger on me.

As she comes within reach, I remember Seth’s comment about her glass eye. Shifting my weight backward, I wait for the hand holding the ice pick to approach. At the last minute, I leap into her blind spot, grab her arm, and slip my knife between her ribs.

Time snaps back to normal as she drops to her knees, her eyes widening with shock.

“Amy?” she whispers, sounding just like the twin I remember.

“I hope you find peace in death, because you’re too dangerous to keep alive.”

Blood wells at her parted lips, and she gazes up at me with wide eyes filled with betrayal. She falls onto her side, her body convulsing.

Bile rises to my throat. I stumble back, gasping for breath as life drains from Dolly’s eyes. Her body twitches once before falling limp in a pool of spreading blood.

Dolly. My stalker, my tormentor, my twin. The monster in the mirror. The woman who should have been my lifeline but chose to make me suffer.

Finally, it’s over. At least for her.

I fall to my knees beside her, grief crashing down like a lead weight. Harsh sobs tear from my throat, mingling with hot tears. I place a hand on her face, feeling warmth that will soon dissipate. No matter how much I try to stem the emotion, it won’t stop.

There’s no time to mourn. Xero is unconscious, alone, and at Delta’s mercy. What if Delta is murdering him or letting those sickos access his unconscious body?

But I can’t stop crying.

I cry for the girl she was, for the sister I lost, for the monster she became. My tears soak into her dress, mingling with the blood.

Dolly deserved better. We both did. So did Mom. But this is our reality. Pulling back, I blink away the tears and gaze down at her through swollen eyes. Her face is peaceful—free from rage and pain. I want to hate her, but all I feel is overwhelming sadness.

Wiping my eyes,I peel off my torn dress and strip Dolly’s corpse. After forcing her into my outfit, I lift her corpse onto the bed and stumble into the bathroom.

In the mirror is a wild-eyed woman I barely recognize. I’m spattered with blood and my curls fly in all directions. Dark circles ring my eyes, and bruises are already forming around my neck.

With trembling fingers, I turn on the faucet and splash cold water on my face, but it does nothing to cool my nerves. My body is so jittery I can barely scrub off the blood.

Once I’m clean, I rinse the knife and take another look at my reflection. All I see is myself. I’m pale, exhausted, and out of breath, but the monster in the mirror is dead. Any reactions to killing her will have to wait until I’ve rescued Camila and Xero.

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