The Silent Witness Chapter 3

The moment the words left my mouth, the crowd exploded.

Mr. and Mrs. Reed's faces went deathly pale.

Mrs. Reed rushed at me first, trying to grab my hair.

"Jason! You ungrateful bastard! What did my daughter ever do to you?"

"She got up at dawn to make you soup when you were sick! She knew your family was poor, so she supported you financially for two years!"

Mr. Reed threw another punch, landing it square on my face.

I couldn't keep my balance. I stumbled backward and hit the wall, a sharp pain shooting through my back.

"I used to think you were a decent kid, that Lily would be safe with you. But now I see I was completely wrong! You call Lily trouble? I think you're the monster hiding in human skin!"

I rubbed my back, about to argue, when Mr. Reed suddenly fixed me with a look I couldn't quite read.

It was somewhere between suspicion and despair.

Then he took a deep breath, his voice dropping low. "Jason, let me ask you something. Did you do this to her because she wouldn't sleep with you?"

I froze. I hadn't expected him to jump to that conclusion.

The people around us went quiet, all eyes on me, waiting for my answer.

"Lily's always been modest, always careful about her reputation. Did you get angry because she wouldn't give herself to you? Is that why you forced yourself on her that night when she came to see you?"

Mrs. Reed nodded tearfully beside him. "That must be it! Jason, you're a monster!"

"We already agreed to let you two get married after graduation, but you couldn't wait. You had to do this to her!"

I looked at them, torn between anger and disbelief.

They'd rather believe this insane theory than accept that I simply didn't see who attacked her.

I pulled out another cigarette and lit it, then laughed coldly.

"A wedding? You two should forget about it. Even if Lily threw herself at me, I wouldn't touch her. She's filthy."

The words hung in the air.

Everyone went silent.

They all stared at me with a mixture of rage and shock.

Mrs. Reed's whole body shook. She looked like she might faint.

But just then, a soft voice came from behind me.

"Jason... why would you say that about me?"

It was Lily.

Hearing her voice, my entire body went rigid.