"Yes. Where else would they be?"
Tom dashed to Alice's side. "You don't know yet? Your sister deliberately set the fire, trying to burn her husband and daughter to death! Stay away from her; she's vicious!"
A crowd had already gathered and held their phones high, capturing the drama unfolding before them. The scene was eerily reminiscent of my past life.
What unfolded next was Alice launched into an accusation to slander me.
Just as I expected, Alice yelled, "Quinn, you didn't really set fire to Mitchell and Poppy just to run off with your lover, did you?"
"What on earth are you babbling about? I have no lovers!" I exclaimed.
"Didn't you confide in me about your new love, your desire to marry him, and Mitchell's reluctance to divorce you?
"You even said that even if Mitchell agreed to a divorce, you wanted all of his property, and you saw Poppy as nothing but a burden. You said it would be perfect if both of them just disappeared. You wanted to be rid of them."
Fury boiled within me, and I raised my hand to slap Alice. "Preposterous! When have I ever uttered such monstrous words?"
Alice clutched her cheek, tears welling in her eyes. "Those were your exact words, and now you deny them! Quinn, I never imagined you to be so cruel, to murder your husband and daughter for the sake of a new love. I thought it was idle talk, but you've actually gone through with it! They are your family. Poppy is just a child, your own flesh and blood, born from your womb. How could you even think of harming her?"
My temples throbbed with rage. "Alice, I've always treated you with kindness. Why would you slander me?"
Alice was my sister by blood. We were adopted into separate families from a young age, only to be reunited four years ago.
To compensate for the years we spent apart, I had always gone out of my way to fulfill her requests, almost without exception.
In a single year, I lavishly spent thirty million dollars on her.
But she turned venomous, weaving lies that unleashed a torrent of cyberbullying upon me, which ultimately led to the heartbreaking demise of my adoptive parents.
"Quinn, you should just confess. Perhaps the police will show leniency if they see your remorse," Alice said.
"I had nothing to do with the fire, and there is no new love!" I retorted.