Ross ignored her and put his hand back on Brandon’s neck. Maria gave up and paced away from them.

Idiots. They were all idiots. This was all so stupid.

How could she have been so stupid?

Ross was moving now. Up and down. Doing CPR.

That was a waste. All of it was a waste.

A blaring sound almost made Maria scream again. She caught herself when she recognized it. Sirens, coming from the other side of the fence.

Maria left the others and ran toward the sirens. The people in the ambulance could fix this. They could put everything back how it was supposed to be.

Maria yanked open the service gate and waved her arms. The paramedics jogged toward her, moving way too slowly. Kits that looked like her father’s fishing tackle box swung from their hands. Maria ducked behind a tree trunk to watch them work.

It was safer here. No one could see her. No one would know what she’d done.

Here, none of this was happening.

Brandon couldn’t really be—

She hadn’t—

She would never—

“There’s no such thing,” she whispered. She sank to the ground, pulled her knees up to her chest, and wrapped her arms around them. She bent her head so she wouldn’t have to see what was happening on the other side of the trees. “There’s no such thing.”

That was how Lily found her a few minutes later. The paramedics were moving slower by then. One of them was talking quietly to Ross while the others strapped Brandon onto the stretcher. They were pulling a sheet over his face. By then, Maria had made up her mind.

No more hysterics. No more screaming. She knew what she had to do.

Maria knew it was Lily behind her from the sound of her crutches in the grass. She didn’t flinch when Lily put a hand on her shoulder.

“What’s going on, Ree?” Lily whispered. “They’re saying Brandon had a heart attack. Were you there? Did you see what happened?”

Maria didn’t move.

“You’re in shock,” Lily said. “You need a doctor.”

Lily stood up to signal the paramedics.

“No!” Maria’s voice felt raw and scratchy. “No. I don’t want them near me.”

“Okay.” Lily reached for Maria’s hand. “Let’s go back up to the house. You can tell me about it there.”

“No.” Maria pulled away. She lifted her head for the first time. There were tears in Lily’s eyes. “I want to be left alone.”

“Just tell me what happened. Had he been sick? I don’t get it. Please, tell me what—”

“It was Altagracia.”

Lily blinked. “It—what?”

“It was me.” She whispered it so quietly Lily didn’t hear.