I... didn't want to.
I didn't want to go to that prom night, Inspector. If I had known it would end like this, I would have stayed home. Curled up on the couch. A bowl of buttery popcorn on my lap. Some stupid horror movie blasting at full volume. Wrapped in my warm blanket. Alone. That would've been better.
I didn't want to be there. I didn't want to see Ella hugging Prince, see those soft, lovestruck smiles under the glittering chandelier while the piano chimed like it was blessing them. Ella in her perfect dress and glass slippers. My beloved Prince standing right beside her.
No.
No.
No.
I didn't want that to happen.
I didn't want it, Inspector!
Prince was supposed to be mine.
I met him first. I was the one who got that little pack of tissues from him. I was the one who grew close to him first. I was the one who talked to him in the library, telling him stories about history until he smiled. I made him smile. Me. Me. Me. Me.
I should have been the one dancing with him.
Not Ella.
And honestly… who even is Ella?
She's not better than me. She's not smarter. She's not prettier. All she has are lies. Ridiculous stories she made up in her own head. Abused? Locked up all night? Oh, Please. What was she trying to do? Pretend to be some tragic heroine?
Just looking for attention?
Trying to be the popular girl?
Or… did she want the Prince's sympathy? Wanted him to pity her? To pamper her?
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
I couldn't take it anymore, Inspector. That night, when I locked myself in the restroom, I kept cursing her name. I wished she wasn't my sister. I wished I didn't live in the same house as her. I didn't want to see her ever again.
I wanted her gone.
It felt good imagining a world without Ella. My days would be lighter. No more cruel pranks at school. No more crying every single day. I would smile, satisfied, with Prince by my side. Just the two of us.
No Ella.
In my red dress, I would wrap my arms around him under the moonlight. He would hold my hand, guiding me to the music of piano and violin like it was written just for us. A party that never ends. Endless sweets. Endless drinks.
Just me and him.
Without Ella.
My life would be perfect without her.
She shouldn't exist.
In that second-floor restroom, I cried, Inspector. My tears soaked into my dress. The mascara and makeup Mother had carefully put on me smeared down my face. It didn't matter. It was pointless from the start. I didn't need the expensive dress. I didn't need makeup.
What was the point if Prince didn't even look at me?
"Wow, Anastasia, you look beautiful tonight."
I wanted him to say that. I wanted to see his cheeks turn red while he shyly looked me up and down.
My first love… was meaningless.
And again, it was all because of Ella.
Ella. Ella. Ella.
I truly wanted her gone. Disappear. Dead.
That's why I decided to kill her, Inspector.
When the tower bell rang, announcing midnight, I heard her coughing. Maybe she choked on some cake or drink from the ballroom. I didn't care.
And then I saw her.
I had just stepped out of the restroom when I saw Ella sitting on the lowest stair. In that dress. In those glass slippers that had captured the Prince's attention. And somehow… she looked fragile. As if that "abused Ella" act was actually real.
Disgusting.
Did she use that same pathetic expression when she asked him to dance?
I couldn't stand it anymore.
There was a large ceramic flower pot beside me. My eyes locked onto it like it was calling me. It was filled with soil. Cold. Hard. Smooth against my fingers. Heavy.
My wrist still hurt, but I forced myself. I ignored the pain from my earlier suicide attempt. I lifted it. Slowly. Carefully. Aimed it at Ella's body below.
I wanted it to hit her.
Like the crumpled paper balls she and her friends threw at me, I wanted that pot to fly straight at her head.
In that moment, emotions controlled me, Inspector.
The disgust from being bullied at school. The hatred because she spread lies about me. The frustration from my failed suicide attempt. The jealousy seeing her dance with the Prince. My love. My memories with him.
Everything gathered inside me.
She deserved it.
She deserved to die.
When I heard the pot shatter on the floor below, followed by her scream, I knew it was over.
And then, I ran.
I ran because I was happy.
I would never have to see Ella again.
Forever.
***
That's it, Inspector.
Are you satisfied with my confession?
I've told you the truth. I didn't hide anything. My fingerprints should still be on the broken pieces of that pot.
Yes, I may be good academically. My grades are always above average. But as you can see… I'm not very experienced at killing. I had no plan. No preparation.
It just happened.
I never intended to kill her before that night.
Crime happens when there's opportunity, right? You've heard that before, Inspector. Maybe that's what this was.
I was overwhelmed by my anger. And Ella was careless.
Maybe… you could consider it an accident.
If I confess like this, can I get a reduced sentence, Inspector?
I really don't want to stay in prison too long.
Because if I'm locked away like that…
I won't be able to see my Prince ever again.
***