His awards and certificates were ripped into pieces, tossed into the trash bin, trampled and crumpled like worthless scraps.
“Dr. Crumpler.” Mariam followed me inside, shutting the door with a careless hand. She leaned lazily against it, her eyes brimming with contempt, her voice lowered to a sneer.
“So what if you’ve come back? This house no longer has a place for you. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave quietly.”
A rush of blood thundered in my head. Hatred surged, threatening to consume me whole.
“Mariam—” My voice shook, but she cut me off with a derisive laugh.
“What, did you come back to overturn the case? To take revenge on me? Oh, Arizona, you’re still so naive. Do you really think the people who sent you to prison five years ago would give you another chance now?”
She stepped closer, her gaze sharp and malicious.
“As for your dead son…” Her lips curved into a cruel smile. “I had his grave leveled long ago. I bet his soul will never rest.”
My mind exploded into white noise.