Ben:???????????????One of the biggest questions I’ve been getting is this—Why would your husband believe Emmett over you? Matt very quickly put the blame on you. Why was that?
Lucy:?????????????Well, Matt saw me that night, and it admittedly didn’t look great. I think the only way I can explain it is to say that Matt never gave me the benefit of the doubt about anything. Just like most of the people listening to this podcast, he thought the worst of me. And to be fair, he saw the worst of me. We had a very bad marriage—which I’m not going to go into here—and when you already hate your spouse as much as he hated me at the time, thinking I murdered my best friend isn’t a huge leap.
Ben:???????????????Still, it’s weird, isn’t it? Shouldn’t Matt have questioned Emmett’s version more, given how injured you were?
Lucy:?????????????Sure, he should have. But Emmett actually had a whole plausible story and I had nothing. Matt, like most men I’ve known, is always more inclined to believe the guy’s version of events.
Ben:???????????????And your parents? They were convinced you murdered Savannah, because of what Matt told them. Why do you think they were willing to make that leap?
Lucy:?????????????Matt didn’t tell them about Emmett being there. I’d like to think that they would have been more skeptical if he had.
Ben:???????????????That’s a generous way of looking at things. You don’t feel angry that they also didn’t give you the benefit of the doubt?
Lucy:?????????????Sure, I do. I’m not all that surprised, though.
Ben:???????????????What do you think Savannah would say, if she were here?
Lucy:?????????????I think she’d be happy I was okay. She died trying to protect me. She saved me. We were a team, me and Savvy, right up until the end.
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
LUCY
Grandma is leaning against her doorframe as I pull up to the tiny house, still looking smug as hell.
“You headed to the airport?” she asks as I climb out of the car and walk to her.
“Yes. Finally.” I can’t believe I just spent over three weeks in my hometown. I deserve a medal. “You’re coming to visit me next time. This town doesn’t get the pleasure of my company ever again.”
She snorts. “That’s fair.” She steps back, letting me step into the air-conditioning. I flop down on her couch.
Grandma goes into the kitchen to make a drink and then slides into a chair at the table with her drink.
“It isn’t everything,” I say quietly.
“What isn’t?”
“The story Ben told on the podcast. It isn’t the whole truth.” I meet her gaze. “I know you know that.”
“I do,” she says softly.
“I’d tell you, but it’s the only thing left I can do for her.” I lean forward, resting my elbows on my thighs. “Keeping the secrets. It’s all I can do.”
“Oh, hon, I understand.” She reaches forward, taking one of my hands in hers. “You don’t owe anyone your whole story. Or Savvy’s.”
I nod, swallowing hard.
“Let Ben think he found the truth. He did what we needed him to do. You’re right that some people will never believe you, no matter how hard you explain yourself. Trust me, there’s no pleasing people. If they’re determined to think the worst of you, they will.”
“They think the best of Savvy, so I guess that’s really all I can ask for.”
“Absolutely. Who she actually was, and the secrets you two shared, that’s just for you.”
I scoot forward, wrapping my arms around her. “Thank you for badgering me into coming back and doing this.”
“You’re very welcome. I am happy to badger you into doing the right thing anytime.”
My phone dings, followed up immediately by a second ding. I suppress a sigh as I sit back and glance at the screen. I’ve been getting a strange mix of messages these days—some from people I know, saying they knew I was innocent all along （I never really doubted you, Nathan sent this morning, a text too absurd to warrant a response）， and many comments on my Eva Knightley social media accounts, ripping into me for all sorts of things. A substantial portion of the internet hates me more than ever. Some of them acknowledge that I didn’t kill Savvy but still hate me.
It’s an email from a journalist, asking for comment on an article he’s writing about me. Linked is a video that is apparently making the rounds on social media. It’s titled, Lucy Chase: How a Manipulative Psychopath Framed Emmett Chapman.