Chapter 23- Plan A, B, C and D

I shuffled closer so that I could get a good look at her. She was a sobbing mess, though I didn't know why.

"What did I miss?" I asked Tristan. Only minutes ago, she was smirking and preaching how she had 'won'.

"He asked her if she was behind Sheldon's murder. She was outraged, but Sean got a little rough. It's odd how she admitted to everything else, but not this" Tristan explained, and I noticed he had his thinking cap on. I shrugged.

"It's obvious that she has a condition. Maybe it has led her to believe that even though she was the culprit, I was the MAIN reason why he had to die, hence ultimately making me his killer and now her main target?" I suggested, trying to understand her twisted mind.

"Maybe" Tristan semi-agreed. "It's hard to tell what really goes on in her mind."

"Really Mia? Really? So is it not possible that after Sheldon refused to leave Cianna, you decided that you'd kill him and her too?" Detective Edwards inculpated, causing her to shake her head rapidly through tears.

"No I would never-"

"You were so blinded in rage, that you decided that if you cant have him, then no one else can. So you paid someone to do the dirty work for you, because you knew you'd be too deep in guilt to deal with it if you killed him yourself. But after the deed was done, you knew deep down that YOU still killed him. YOU were behind it and it's YOUR fault. So what do you do? You twist every logic to make yourself believe that Cianna was the reason--that she was the true murderer"

Gosh even I felt convinced after he ended, but the way how Mia was hiccuping through sobs told me she didn't. "I didn't! I would n-never cause any harm to Sheldon. I-I had nothing t-to do with his death!"

"Or..." Detective Edwards continued, not paying her any mind. "After you insisted that Sheldon break up with Cianna or you'd kill her, poor Sheldon knew it was a red flag and decided to leave. Ain't that right?" He asked calmly, but after a while he asked again. "Ain't it Mia?!"

Tristan wasn't lying when he said he knew what he was doing. If they worked together, I could see that they could crack any case.

"But you didn't like that now did you Ms. Walters?" He casually stood to circle her chair. "So you arranged to get him killed, knowing your love for him wouldn't render you do do it on your own. And when that was over, you went after Cianna with twice the rage because you felt guilty, deprived of love and angry. Isn't that right?" He taunted as I bit my lip nervously.

"No! I didn't!"

"Then why are you crying?" He slammed his palms against the table again, leaning over it to peer in her eyes.

"Because I'm being accused of something so..so absured! When I asked who killed my Sheldon, I was told that his ex-girlfriend was a suspect! And I knew, just knew it was her."

"That's confidential information. That officer can get in a lot of trouble for telling her that" Tristan mumbled to himself, and I sorta agreed until I remembered that he basically walked me through all the evidence of Sheldon's murder. He could get in a lot of trouble too.

"I swear I didn't do it! I swear on my parents' graves that I did not kill or arrange to kill Sheldon Myers!" She cried in desperation. "I admit to everything else because I know what I did. But I did not kill my finance! I didn't I swear." She sobbed, begging with her eyes for someone to believe her. " I didn't kill him. I loved him! I didn't-" She paused as she broke down in sobs.

Oh my God.

She really didn't kill him.

I didn't know why my mind was telling me something so stupid. If she didn't, the who did!?

It didn't make sense. This was her. This was the killer I'd been in hiding to be safe from. And yet, now watching her in that room, I just knew it wasn't her who killed Sheldon. She was guilty of a lot of things, but this wasn't one of them.

"Tristan-"

"Very well then" Detective Edwards ended, uncuffing her from the table and handing her over to the officer waiting.

He emerged from the room looking very much frustrated. I watched as they led her passed me, and her eyes never left mine.

I knew I was a lot safer now that she was being put away, and I wont have to worry about her ever again. She was still sniffling as she passed me, eying me with utter contempt as they led her down the hall.

I still hated her with every fibre of my being, but if she really wasn't against Tristan murder, that meant the real killer was still out there.

Somewhere.

Nonetheless as my uncle use to say, one day at a time. This was a victory on its own. A criminal was being put away.

They didn't have enough evidence against her in particular that they could use to charge her for the murder, but they had enough to keep her away, and get her the help she needs.

As for Jason, I wasn't sure what deal they made, but with my little knowledge from what I've learnt or read somewhere, he'd probably be gone for a year, knowing now that he acted under duress, and he helped with Mia's arrest.

"It's over hun. She's gone" Tristan mumbled in my hair as he hugged me. I quickly tried to push him away in fear.

"Tristan you're at work" I tried to talk sense into him.

"I don't care." He protested, and I melted in his arms as my heart grew a little.

We were official. We could move on and be a little more relaxed and at ease.

"Tristan..." I started as I backed away a little, deciding to share my thoughts about Mia with him. "I don't think-"

I was stopped immediately as I felt a sharp, sudden pain scourging through my back. I gasped as my eyes widened in shock, as I watched as Tristan's face morph into shock, pain, anger and fear at the same time.

My voice was lost in my head as my world moved in slow motion. I could feel the liquid soaking through the back of my shirt and dripping down my calves as my eyes scanned the direction Mia went in. They were still walking her away, but the smirk on her face as she gazed in my direction made me know that it was all her.

I heard the muffled sound of shouting, and I could see some cops tackling an officer close behind me as my world became hazy.

Tristan's voice sounded far as I reached behind me, confirming my thoughts as I felt the sharp, cold metal under my fingertips, still lodged in my back.

That officer stabbed me, and it was all Mia's doing.

This was what she meant when she said she had already won. She had her plan B, C, D and E. Hell, even her plans had plans.

The last thing I felt was Tristan's arms around my shoulders as my knees wobbled, his scared shouting still being lost in my still world.

And the last thing I saw was Mia's smug smirk as they turned the corner with her, and my whole world became dark.