JESSICAโHowโs the new guard you hired two months ago doing?โ I ask the head of security in Charlesโs house โฆ our house. I have to start getting used to calling it now. Charles doesnโt like it when I call it his house and is always telling me that itโs our house now, as well as Avaโs, which of course, is true.โHeโs doing very well, maโam. Iโve had no issues with him at all. Heโs a very good replacement for the man who left.โโGood, good. Have you heard anything from the guy who left? Heโs supposed to come back, not so?โ I ask. I always make an effort to relate with the staff, and while Iโve given up on Charlotte finding a way to come back into our lives and wreak havoc, I still try my best to be cautious, so I wonโt be taken unaware.โYes, maโam. He was supposed to come back, but I donโt think he will. I havenโt heard from him in a while now. He did send me a message a day after he left, saying that he fell sick, and has been sick for a long time, so he has to go live with his sister
JESSICAThe minute we arrive at our honeymoon destination, I feel all my worries blow away with the crisp, salty wind of the beach resort. Palm trees line everywhere, swaying gracefully in the evening breeze, as we Charles and I make our way out of our secluded cabin and down the pathway. This rustic, private, and hidden cabin is just what I need for privacy with my husband.Of course, it isnโt exactly privacy, since we have a bodyguard, nanny, and our six-month-old daughter with us, but it is the closest that we can get to privacy considering the circumstances. At least, our cabin has two floors, with Charles and I occupying the first floor alone, and the rest occupying the lower floor.โThis place is so nice.โ Charles marvels as we walk, hand in hand. His voice is full of awe, but I notice that he keeps looking around as we walk. I resist the urge to roll my eyes.โYou think Charlotte could be hiding somewhere within the bushes? Oh, please! Sheโs just one woman.โโYeah, she is, but
CHARLOTTEโI want to come with you,โ Richard whines as I shrug into my clothes. He does not bother to do the same, but instead, lies there in all his naked glory, or lack of it. The sight of him naked irritates me to no end, but I have to do what I have to do. The fact that he whines instead of talks also does nothing to win him any favors in my books.โI want to come with youโฆโ I mimic. โYou sound like a damn baby. Why will you want to come with me?โโTo make sure that you donโt get hurt, of course. Why do you think? If I love you and canโt protect you, what does that make me?โโThatโs nice of you, but you donโt need to worry about me. I have two of your best men with me.โโYeah, yeah, I know, but still. Just be careful. I donโt see why youโre hell-bent on doing this instead of just staying here where it's safe. Iโve even offered to relocate out of the country to a remote island where no one will ever find us, but youโve refused to agree. I donโt think thereโs any sense in what youโr
CHARLOTTEWho the fuck waits for a few months after having their wedding ceremony before going on their honeymoon, anyway? Charles and Jessica, thatโs who. Weird fellows. To think that I would have missed this perfect opportunity to carry out my plans does not bear thinking about. They chose a small island to have their honeymoon. One would have thought that after they were stranded on an island, they would have an aversion to those, but apparently not.โSo, how long do they have left to be here?โ I ask Eric.โTheir original plan was to spend three weeks here, and theyโve spent a little over two weeks already. They were talking about extending their stay for a week, but I donโt know if theyโll really do it.โโGood, good. So I already got some local carpenter to knock up a small structure where Iโm going to carry out the whole thing.โโIs that a wise thing to do? What if he leads the authorities back to you after everything is discovered?โโDonโt you worry about that. I have it taken c
JESSICAโCome on, babe. Hurry up. You donโt want to keep them waiting.โ Charles calls up to me from downstairs. Heโs talking about a very nice couple from Africa that we met some days after we arrived here, and became friends with. Charles had actually been the student doctor who was assigned to the doctor who treated the wife years ago when she had cancer. Now, sheโs in remission. We have dinner planned with them this evening, as we have had for several nights, but this night, Iโm not just feeling it. Unlike other nights when we had dinner at the resort, this night, we had planned to have dinner in town in town (the resort is about an hour and a half away from town), and the thought of driving all that way just doesnโt appeal to me. Theyโre a very interesting older couple, with whom weโve spent hours discussing on several nights, and I always enjoy their company, but something feels very off about this night.Still, I shrug into presentable clothes and apply a little makeup and then
JESSICAI sit up suddenly with a jerk, totally disoriented, and trying to get my bearings. It takes a few seconds for me to realize that Iโm in the cabin that Charles and I got for our honeymoon. The room is dark (I always sleep with the lights off), but a sliver of moonlight filters in through the partially open window by my bedside, and illuminates the room a little.Despite my unease earlier, I had been sleeping deeply, until whatever sound it is that woke me up, came. A quick glance at the bedside clock shows that it is a little past midnight already. Charles still isnโt back, so I listen carefully, wondering if it is the sound of him coming back that woke me up, but the cabin is as silent as death, which is no surprise, seeing as itโs past midnight already.Something is wrong โฆ very wrong. I can feel it in my bones, but I donโt for the life of me know what it is. I get up from the bed and put on my robe as quietly as I can. Still, everywhere is deathly quiet and still, with only
CHARLOTTEIโve barely gotten to where I parked my getaway car when I hear the unmistakable voice of Jessica screaming out Ericโs name in a panic. She has no doubt discovered the lifeless body of her nanny and the fact that her daughter is missing, which means that very soon, sheโll take the bait and follow after me in a bid to recover her daughter.โSorry, honey. Ericโs body is preparing to stiffen somewhere out there, so he canโt hear you.โ I say, laughing gaily to myself. Once everywhere is silent again, I start the car and rev it loudly so that she can hear it and give pursuit.Luckily enough, Charles isnโt around, as the men who were spying on the cabin this evening informed me. Eric had told us that Jessica and Charles were supposed to go to dinner, so the men had been watching the cabin to alert me to when theyโll leave, only for Jessica to stay behind.This was actually better for my plans, as it gave me the chance to lure Jessica alone. Getting into the cabin had been very eas
JESSICABy the time I gather my wits about me and rush up the staircase, taking them three at a time, so I can get my phone, I can no longer hear the sound of the car in which Charlotte is getting away with my baby. I speed-dial Charleโs number and rush down the car, grabbing the key to the spare car that we had rented.I send a silent prayer of thanks above that Charles had had the foresight to rent two cars, even though I had kicked against it, saying why would we need two cars, as I felt that it would only bring us unwanted attention. Now, though, Iโm grateful for the availability of the car, because I donโt know how I would have gone after Charlotte without it.Charles picks up the phone on the first ring, just as Iโm rushing down the stairs in my robe and slippers. There is no time to change into more suitable clothes as my daughterโs life is at stake.โHelโฆโ Charles begins to say, but I cut him off desperately.โSheโs here! Oh, Charles, sheโs here, and she has killed the nanny a
JESSICASix months later, it still feels like a dream that it's finally over. But life is finally getting back to normal, or at least itโs finally getting back to what I think normal should be, and itโs blissful. I can go out any time I want, go wherever I want, and do whatever I feel like doing without having to watch my back.I have my loving family, both my immediate and extended ones. By extended, I mean Sebastian and his family, along with Mrs. James, of course. Theyโre the only family that Iโd ever want or need. My brother, who had been estranged from me for a very long time, despite all my efforts to reach out to him over the years, finally reached out to me three days after the whole Charlotte saga.Heโs a stranger to me now though, and I donโt consider him family, although once, I worshipped the ground on which he walked. He had literally raised me up until my teenage years when he disappeared without a single word. Now that I know the reason why he disappeared, I'm glad he d
โI donโt want either of us to get hurt, Charlotte. If I try to grab the gun, one of us will surely get hurt, or wind up dead. You still have enough time to run if you donโt want the police to catch you.โ Charles tells his sister after about two minutes or so of them going back and forth.The pain in my knee is beginning to be unbearable, but I struggle with all that is in me to swing my legs as silently as possible from the bed. My legs feel rubbery, as though they belong to someone else, but I know that it is now or never. If I fail, Ava might not grow up with her father, mother, or both of them.Although every muscle in my body is in protest, I struggle to move silently, and Iโm almost all the way to where Charlotte is when all hell breaks loose. Sheโs backing me, while Charles is facing me, so he obviously sees me trying to move to where they are, but he pretends not to and continues to engage Charlotte.However, she must have noticed movement out of the corner of her eye, or maybe
"Youโre joking, right? I mean, how is that even possible.โ Charles asks in bewilderment. From his expression, and the tone of his voice, it is clear that he thinks that his sister is batshit crazy, which she obviously is. As for me, I remain silent, not even daring to breathe too loudly, so that Charlotte would not be reminded of my existence.What she is saying is pretty wild to me too. I mean, I havenโt seen or spoken or heard from my brother in well over a decade, and neither do I have any desire to speak to or hear from him, so I donโt know why someone would want to harm me just because of him.โI wish I was joking, because if I were, then my daughter and her father would still be alive, and maybe, just maybe I would have someone to love me too because itโs clear that you donโt give two hoots about me.โโWell, you make it hard to care about you, considering the fact that you go about killing innocent people for no reason other than the fun of it. Wait! Whatโs this bit about a daug
โWhat the fuck?! Youโre not supposed to be here. How did you get here so fast?โ Charlotte asks him, her composure cracking for once. She immediately dives for the gun which she had discarded earlier, and points it at Charles. Thereโs no need for her to be worried about me, because Iโm in no condition to do anything other than lay on the mattress on which she placed me. Charles is not armed, and neither had I thought that he would be, because where on earth would he get a gun in a foreign country? But then, I had expected him to at least come with help, and not just charge in alone, although come to think of it, I should be thankful that he showed up when he did, else, Charlotte might have amputated my leg by now. โI drove like a maniac and no doubt, broke all the laws there are about driving too fast in this country, but I had to get here, considering the fact that youโre hell-bent on obliterating my family.โ โHow did you find this place?โ โBy sheer luck, and technology too, plus I
"Get on the bed? Wh โฆ why?โโDonโt ask me questions. Just do as I say.โโWhat are you going to use all those tools for?โ I ask her, backing away as she inches closer. Iโm not prepared for the loud bang of a gunshot from the gun in her hand. I donโt hear the sound of the bullet whizzing past me, but I feel it, and my heart jumps into my throat. It takes everything in me not to turn and run out of that building, but I manage to stand my ground.โNext time, you wonโt be so lucky. Now, get on the table. If you think youโre stalling long enough for help to arrive, you have another thing coming. Youโre never going to be found, and thereโs no reception here, so just do as I say and this is going to be a fast, painless experience.โ Charlotte orders.Looking at her, one would be forgiven to think that sheโs a socialite or a very respectable banker, with her well-pressed clothes and perfect hair, not the mentally deranged criminal that she really is. Still, thereโs no way Iโm getting into that
"Okay, I donโt want any problems. Please give me my daughter, and we can forget that this ever happened, while you go back into hiding or something. Look, I forgive you for all that you did to me.โ I tell Charlotte, my voice wavering so badly, but there is nothing that I can do about it, or about anything.โAva, isnโt it? Sheโs a very beautiful baby. She takes after my motherโs side in the looks aspect. My mother was a very beautiful woman, although I canโt say the same about my birth father.โโYes. She looks just like you and Charles when you were babies. I saw your family pictures.โโYou did?โ Charlotte asks, sounding genuinely surprised.โYes. Charles showed me.โโCool, cool.โ She says, still rocking Ava as slowly as though she has all the time in the world. To say Iโm confused is an understatement, but Iโm starting to relax a teeny tiny fraction.โPlease give me Ava, and weโll both be on our way,โ I tell her, wondering what the meaning of all this is. She doesn't seem to be in a h
The road is rough and bumpy, but Iโve turned on all the lights of the car to illuminate my way. Charlotte isnโt making it hard for me to follow her at all, which makes me believe what Charles has said, that sheโs leading me into a trap. Anyway, trap or not, I canโt just leave my infant daughter at her mercy, so I have no choice but to follow her.Soon, she branches off into a bushy part, which makes driving even more difficult than it had been when we were still on the gravelly part. It is difficult to follow her closely here, considering that the car Iโm driving isnโt made for rough terrains, while the one sheโs driving is, and after a while, I lose her, but it is easy to follow her, because of the tracks that her car makes in the bush.My phone keeps ringing all the while Iโm chasing Charlotte through the woods. I know this because its lights keep coming on, lighting the dark interior of the car with each call. Finally, I decide to answer it, knowing that itโs Charles whoโs calling.
JESSICABy the time I gather my wits about me and rush up the staircase, taking them three at a time, so I can get my phone, I can no longer hear the sound of the car in which Charlotte is getting away with my baby. I speed-dial Charleโs number and rush down the car, grabbing the key to the spare car that we had rented.I send a silent prayer of thanks above that Charles had had the foresight to rent two cars, even though I had kicked against it, saying why would we need two cars, as I felt that it would only bring us unwanted attention. Now, though, Iโm grateful for the availability of the car, because I donโt know how I would have gone after Charlotte without it.Charles picks up the phone on the first ring, just as Iโm rushing down the stairs in my robe and slippers. There is no time to change into more suitable clothes as my daughterโs life is at stake.โHelโฆโ Charles begins to say, but I cut him off desperately.โSheโs here! Oh, Charles, sheโs here, and she has killed the nanny a
CHARLOTTEIโve barely gotten to where I parked my getaway car when I hear the unmistakable voice of Jessica screaming out Ericโs name in a panic. She has no doubt discovered the lifeless body of her nanny and the fact that her daughter is missing, which means that very soon, sheโll take the bait and follow after me in a bid to recover her daughter.โSorry, honey. Ericโs body is preparing to stiffen somewhere out there, so he canโt hear you.โ I say, laughing gaily to myself. Once everywhere is silent again, I start the car and rev it loudly so that she can hear it and give pursuit.Luckily enough, Charles isnโt around, as the men who were spying on the cabin this evening informed me. Eric had told us that Jessica and Charles were supposed to go to dinner, so the men had been watching the cabin to alert me to when theyโll leave, only for Jessica to stay behind.This was actually better for my plans, as it gave me the chance to lure Jessica alone. Getting into the cabin had been very eas