Anne stood frozen, her hands still gripping the bars, her heart twisting painfully. Patricia wasn't just a mother drowning in guilt—she was a broken soul desperately trying to rewrite her daughter's ending, even if it meant sacrificing her own.
"Lorie is already dead…I don't hold a grudge with her any longer," she said compassionately. "You should tell the truth. Don't destroy yourself like this…"
But Patricia shook her head violently. "No," she cried out, her pain spilling over in broken words. "The truth will never come out. I told you because I had to—I owed you that much. But no one else can know." Her gaze turned desperate, almost frantic. "Promise me, Anne. Please… promise me this dies with me."
Anne stared at her, bewildered. "Why? Why would you do this to yourself? You didn't even know what Lorie was planning. You didn't commit the crime. Why shoulder this burden?"
