I curved my lips into a faint smile. Over the past three months, I’d managed to contact Nina–who was imprisoned and tormented by Marcus–through a secret channel.
Marcus was willing to offer his life for someone he loved. But when he didn’t, he would destroy them.
He despised her for betraying him. Every day, he brought various disease–ridden men into her room and recorded ev- erything. Nina had been tormented to the point of madness.
“Get her out tomorrow night at 8,” I replied, then hid the phone back in its usual place.
The next evening, he came home unusually early, holding a document in his hand.
“Emily, sign this share transfer agreement, okay?” he said, hugging me gently.
I pretended to be dazed from the medication and stared at him. “Okay, but Hubby, you have to have dinner with me first. Today’s the anniversary of our first meeting.”
Marcus gazed at me with emotion in his eyes before kissing my lips. “Emily, I’m delighted you’ve come to your sens- es. You will always be my most beloved wife.”
Hearing that, I couldn’t help but sneer internally. I took his hand and led him to the dining room. Beneath the candle- light was his favorite steak.
I poured him a glass of ’82 Lafite, the most expensive bottle in his collection.
I raised my glass and watched the candlelight flicker in front of my eyes. “To our… love.”
After a few rounds of wine, Marcus’s gaze began to blur.
I quietly crushed the last “antidepressant” and mixed it into his dessert. Those pills he had prepared so carefully, now finally returned to their rightful owner.
“That’s strange,” he muttered, rubbing his temples. “My head feels so dizzy…”
I helped him toward the bedroom. “You’re just tired. Get some rest.”
- As soon as his head hit the pillow, he passed out. I removed his wristwatch, set the tracker to a static mode, and then called Abigail. “He’s taken the sleeping pills. How much longer until Nina gets here?”
“About an hour, Emily. I had someone implant a psychological thought in her head earlier. She’ll stick to the plan.”
After hanging up, I took out a gasoline can from the back of the wardrobe.
Over the past three months, I’d hidden a little each day, until it added up.
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Chapter 7
The liquid flowed silently onto the hardwood floor, releasing a pungent, suffocating smell.
When everything was done, I took one last look at Marcus, who was sleeping.
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His brow was furrowed as if he were having a nightmare. It was ironic how the man who ruined my life now looked fragile.
“Goodnight, my husband.” I tenderly kissed his forehead before locking the bedroom door and dropping the key into the gas can.
Nina arrived even earlier than expected. She burst into the villa in a red dress, her eyes manic, radiating the heat of a wildfire.
“Where is he?” she shouted, eyes bloodshot and reeking of alcohol.
I pointed upstairs. “Master bedroom. But I think he locked the door from the inside.”
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Nina screamed and raced up the stairs, pounding on the door like a madwoman. “Marcus! Come out! I know you are in there!”
I quietly backed toward the front door and watched her pull a gasoline bottle from her bag.
She laughed hysterically. “Since you hurt me like this, let us die together!”
As the lighter ignited, I turned and walked out of the villa. A deafening explosion followed, the shockwave knocking me off balance.
I had sent all of the housekeepers away a day in advance, making sure only two individuals would die at the villa tonight.
To make it convincing, I smeared myself with ash and tore my clothes, carving wounds into my skin before collaps- ing at the villa entrance.
The ambulance siren pierced the night sky as I lay “weakly” on the lawn outside.
Blood streamed from a gash on my right arm, self–inflicted with a shard of glass. It had narrowly missed an artery, but the sight was horrifying enough.
I pretended to regain consciousness.
“Ms. Sutton!” A police officer rushed over as I opened my eyes. “Can you tell us what happened?”
I coughed violently, tears mixing with the ash on my face. “Nina suddenly stormed in and said she wanted to die with my husband.”
Then, I pointed to the burning villa with trembling hands and cried, “I couldn’t stop her.”
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