“I didn’t kill him.” My voice comes out steady, but my hands are shaking under the table. The detective leans in, eyes cold. “Then why did you sign?” I swallow hard, tasting blood where I bit my tongue. Outside, sirens scream—too close. “Because if I don’t confess,” I whisper, “she dies.” His pen freezes. My heart drops when he says, “Who is she?” I look at the one-way mirror and realize… they already know.
“I didn’t kill him.” My voice stays even, but my palms are slick against my jeans under the table. Detective Ruiz doesn’t blink. He slides the confession back toward me, my signature smeared at the bottom like a bruise. “Then why did you sign, Ethan?” Because you gave me two minutes and a promise you…