TROY I opened my eyes and found myself lying in a bed, shirtless. The room felt oddly familiar, though I knew it wasn’t mine. Turning to my left, I saw Marianne sitting beside me. Suddenly, the memory of her lying in a pool of blood flooded back. I bolted upright. "Marianne? Is this a dream?" "Troy, how do you feel?" she asked, her voice steady, though her eyes showed concern. I cupped her face, my heart racing at the thought that this could all be a dream. "Marianne," I gasped, my eyes welling up. She looked at me, slightly startled by my intensity. "Yes, it's me, Troy." Without thinking, I pulled her into a tight embrace. "I thought I lost you... I can't believe you're here." She gently pulled back, her expression questioning. "Why? What do you remember?" I released her from the hug, holding her hands instead, "There was an attacker. He opened fire as soon as you opened the door. You closed it and dropped to the floor while I ran to get my gun. When I came back, the
TROYThe moment Aislinn said she was back, my expression shifted into one of pure irritation. I knew it wasn’t fair—I owed it to her to at least listen to her side of the story. But my emotions got the best of me. Nevertheless, I replied, “Wrong number!” and hung up. Marianne was staring at me intently, her eyes studying my face, and I knew she could tell my mood had been completely ruined by the call. The pain in my arm, which I had momentarily stopped feeling thanks to being so immersed in our conversation, suddenly resurfaced and began to sting, only adding to my frustration. “Where were we?” I asked, trying to mask the anger and physical discomfort that gnawed at me. She held my gaze for a few moments before offering a small, knowing smile. “Well, we were talking about Tony. He’s currently having sex with Mildred, and you mentioned that he is enjoying himself." Her voice grew colder, more calculated. “In reality, this is just part of the disaster I’m about to throw him
MARIANNE I opened my eyes in the morning and rolled off my bed, stretching as I took in the light filtering through the curtains. It had been a while since I slept so soundly. Perhaps it was because I had gone to bed earlier than usual, or maybe it was the sense of purpose I felt knowing what I had planned for the day. After brushing my teeth and washing my face, I stepped out of my room in search of Troy. It was strange how much I now craved the attention he used to give me, the playful teasing that once felt intrusive had become something I unconsciously longed for. I had been the one who insisted he stop flirting and saying things that made me blush. I told him to keep it professional, to focus on the mission. Yet now, as he respected my wishes, I realized how much I had enjoyed his seduction. Without even realizing it, I had grown fond of the way he looked at me, the sly comments that would make me smirk despite myself. Yesterday, I had even asked an unbelievable question—
MARIANNE With a sigh, I dropped my bag on the floor and changed into more comfortable clothes. I then checked online and bought the exact same outfit I had worn on the night I attacked Britney and Tony, down to the specific brand of cologne I had used. I also purchased the correct size for Mildred, making sure every detail was perfect for what I had in mind. Afterward, I contacted Bob—a reliable guy who had been handling errands for me for quite some time. We had never met in person. I communicated with him exclusively through a burner phone and paid him in Bitcoin. This way, he could never trace me, although I knew every detail about him, right down to where he ate his lunch. Once the purchase was complete, I forwarded the receipt to Bob and instructed him to collect the clothes, spray them with the cologne, and wrap them up neatly. “Who should I deliver this to?” Bob asked once he had finished packing the items. “Before you make the delivery, there’s something else I need
MARIANNE I clutched my stomach as it grumbled more loudly. "I'm so hungry," I whispered to myself, feeling the emptiness gnaw at me. Suddenly, a thought lit up in my mind. "Wait... we have a refrigerator in the living room too." Hope surged within me, and I scrambled to my feet, rushing toward it with newfound energy. As I opened the fridge, I was astonished to find three neatly packed meals, all beautifully arranged. My heart skipped a beat when I saw the note attached to one of the containers. It read, "I figured you'd be hungry and it would be risky to order breakfast. That's why I made this for you. Microwave and eat as much as you want, whenever you feel hungry—Your husband, Troy." Tears filled my eyes as I read the note. How could a man be so thoughtful, so attentive, and so irresistibly attractive all at once? I couldn't help but smile. The fridge in the kitchen only held fresh ingredients, nothing ready to eat. Troy must have anticipated that I wouldn’t want to step into t
SHARONTWENTY-FOUR HOURS EARLIERI woke up to the soft glow of morning light filtering through the curtains and stretched my arms, letting out a small yawn. My eyes wandered to Britney, and to my surprise, I saw tears streaming down her face. She was crying—quietly, yet intensely. I sat by her bedside, staring at her. Her eyes were red and puffy, swollen from what seemed like hours of weeping. A sense of unease crept into me as I watched her, but I pushed it aside.I didn’t understand why her tears stirred something complicated inside me. Perhaps it was a reminder of the fragility of life, or maybe it was the quiet suffering reflected in her sobs. Still, I couldn’t afford to dwell on that now. No matter how her pain tugged at my conscience, I had been hired to do a job, and I was determined to see it through to the end. Compassion would not serve me here.“Take it from someone who has been through a lot in life,” I said coldly, my voice devoid of the empathy she sought. “Crying solve
SHARON I made my way to the bed and threw myself onto it, the weight of my thoughts pressing down like an invisible burden. Closing my eyes, I tried to imagine what my life would be like once I was done with my mission. Freedom. Money. No more going hungry. I was going to walk away with more money than I'd ever dreamed of, more than all the money I had made while being an escort combined. My brother, the only family I had left, was still in high school, and he was never going to want for anything again. I would give him the very best—the education, the life, the opportunities I never had. I would ensure he didn’t have to struggle like I did, didn’t have to fight for survival every single day the way I had since I was his age. I didn’t know how long I slept, but when I opened my eyes, the warm glow of the evening sun filtered through the curtains. Britney was still in her wheelchair, exactly where I'd left her. Of course, where else could she go? I yawned, stretching lazily a
SHARON Britney once again became agitated and began struggling to speak. I chuckled lightly, "Relax! Can't you take a joke? Why are you getting so worked up over a man who is making plans with his mistress to get you out of his life? You must love him so much. That’s the only logical explanation. I bet his ex-wife, Marianne, loved him just as much, while you enjoyed his attention as his mistress, just like Mildred is doing right now. Do you feel hurt by your husband's actions? How dare a hypocrite like you harbor such feelings?" The sound of the door opening told me that Tony was back. I quickly left the room and went to the kitchen, returning the plate I had used and pouring myself a glass of juice. Afterward, I left the kitchen and headed to the living room. I looked around, but there was no sign of Tony. "I guess he has gone to bed," I thought, heading back to check on Britney. I took Britney to the bathroom, brushed her teeth, bathed her, and dressed her in her pajama
MARIANNE HOURS EARLIER My dream lingered as I woke, the soft voice of a little girl calling me "Mommy" fading into the morning haze. My chest felt tight, as though her voice had reached into the very core of my being and left an imprint I couldn’t erase. I washed my face, staring at my reflection, trying to shake the dream off. The face staring back at me seemed foreign—cold, calculated, and so far removed from the woman I used to be. I had to make a decision. I couldn’t delay anymore. Dr. Raymond was waiting for my answer, and I knew I needed to face him today. But as I dried my face with the towel, a nagging thought struck me. There was something I had ignored earlier—a file I hadn’t bothered to open. Curious, I grabbed my phone and opened it. My brows furrowed as I noticed it was an audio file from Sharon. I pressed play. The voices that came through made me lift my brows. Aislinn. Sharon. I listened intently as Aislinn spoke with venom, her words sharp and deliberat
MARIANNE When I arrived at my old apartment, I paused outside, scanning my surroundings with a cautious eye. The air felt heavy, as if it carried an unspoken warning. It was still my house though. With a deep breath, I approached the keypad, and entered the code. As the door clicked open, I stepped into silence. The house was eerily still, void of the warmth and familiarity it once held. “Sharon?” I called out, my voice echoing in the empty space. No answer. I fished out my phone and dialed her number, only to be met with a dead line. The same number that had called me earlier was suddenly unreachable. I didn't need a soothsayer to tell me that something terrible was about to happen, but not to me. Determined to figure out what was going on, I began searching the house. My steps were quick and purposeful, the creak of the wooden floors beneath me the only sound. As I ascended the stairs two at a time, a faint noise stopped me in my tracks. It was coming from the CCTV room. I
MARIANNE “What!” Doctor Raymond exclaimed, his voice a mix of shock and concern. “What are you saying, Marianne? I know you wanted to be a mother before and…” “No,” I interrupted, my voice firm but my heart unsteady. “I am not ready to be a mother. Not right now.” He hesitated, studying my expression before speaking. “I need to tell you something. There’s a high chance you’ll never conceive again.” The words hit me like a punch to the gut, but I kept my composure. I nodded slowly, swallowing the lump forming in my throat. “Okay, I can live with that. There are so many motherless children out there who need someone to look after them. When I’m ready to be a mother, I’ll fill that gap. I’ll adopt a few children and love them as my own.” “Are you sure?” he asked, his voice softer now, almost hesitant. “Yes,” I replied, but the resolve in my voice didn’t match the storm brewing inside me. He sighed deeply, almost as if he could sense my inner turmoil. “Alright, if you’ve mad
MARIANNE After Aislinn left, I got into my car and sat there, the echo of her words swirling in my mind, tightening the knot of anger in my chest. My hands trembled slightly as I gripped the steering wheel."I can't let Troy stay in my house anymore," I muttered, the words barely audible over the roar of my emotions. "He's out. Tonight."I started the car and drove towards my apartment on the outskirts of town, my jaw clenched and my heart pounding against my ribs. Every mile I covered only amplified my frustration. When I finally pulled into the driveway, his car wasn’t there.The silence when I stepped inside was deafening, but his presence lingered. His cologne still clung to the air, an irritating reminder of him. I sighed heavily and sank into the living room couch, my mind spiraling back to Aislinn’s threats."Interesting, Aislinn," I murmured with a bitter smile. "Don’t you just love to talk? Let’s see how much you’ll love it when you can’t hear or speak anymore."The thought
SHARON As I watched everything unfold before me, I felt a profound sense of satisfaction. Every detail had fallen into place, every move executed flawlessly. For the first time in a long while, I allowed myself to exhale deeply. My job was done, and it had gone exactly as planned. Yet, as the euphoria faded, unease crept in, wrapping around me like an unwelcome shadow. The discovery hit me like a lightning bolt: the woman I had loyally called Aislinn, my enigmatic boss, was none other than Marianne. The very same Marianne she had claimed was her late sister. At first, I dismissed the similarities as coincidence. But then, little things began to stand out—the way she spoke about her “sister,” often slipping into first person as if she were Marianne, the way her eyes gleamed with a depth of knowledge only someone who had lived through such betrayal could possess. And now, looking at her partially obscured face, there was no denying the truth. Marianne had survived. She had retur
MARIANNE “This court finds the accused, Mr. Tony Vane, guilty of four counts of complicity in perjury, unlawful imprisonment leading to death, attempted murder, and embezzlement of company funds, and sentences him to life imprisonment with hard labor in the Norwegian island prison.” “The court also finds the accused, Mrs. Britney Vane, guilty of five counts of kidnapping, bestickning and hot, bribery, Perjury, and unlawful imprisonment leading to death, and sentences her to life imprisonment with hard labor in the Norwegian island prison.” As I listened to the judge’s final verdict, I exhaled slowly, a quiet sigh of relief escaping my lips. It was over. Tony, Britney, and Mildred had been brought to justice. Mildred received eight years in prison for perjury and complicity in embezzlement, which I believed was adequate punishment. Yet, as the gavel struck, signaling the conclusion, an unexpected emptiness welled up inside me. This was everything I had fought for—justice for my
TROY The sharp sting of Marianne’s slap echoed through the courtroom and reverberated deep in my chest. My hand instinctively flew to my cheek, as if trying to confirm what had just happened. I stared at her in stunned silence, my breath caught somewhere between shock and disbelief. “How dare you touch me!” she spat, her voice laced with anger and an emotion I couldn’t quite place. “What happened to you?” I managed, my voice barely above a whisper. She met my gaze, her eyes like ice, sharp and unyielding. “Listen to me, and listen carefully. Stay away from me and anything that has to do with me.” Her words hit harder than the slap. There was a cold finality to her tone that made my stomach twist. “Initially, I thought of sending you the divorce papers,” she continued, her voice steady but trembling at the edges, “but then it occurred to me that I married you as Aislinn. Everything—the identity I used—was a fake one. Hence, there’s no need for a divorce. You can go be with your A
TROY As the days dragged on painfully, I remained rooted at Marianne's apartment, unwilling to leave, despite her absence. I kept hoping she would return, but day after day passed—one, two, three days, then four—and still, there was no sign of her. The empty silence grew louder with each passing moment, filling me with a gnawing emptiness. My mind was clouded with fear, frustration, and an ache that wouldn’t let me rest. I searched for her tirelessly, refusing to give up. I went to her company every morning, visited the police station, and scoured every place I thought she might be. I was haunted by her absence, by the need to see her, to know she was safe. And with each fruitless attempt, the weight of despair only grew heavier, crushing my resolve bit by bit. Still, there was no sign of her. My phone chimed occasionally, and each time, my heart would leap with a flicker of hope—only to realize it was another call or message from Aislinn, whose persistence grated on my last ner
TROY I felt a tremor of shock ripple through me at what unfolded before my eyes. The turn of events was staggering, like a tidal wave crashing over my heart. When I first heard a female voice call out to me while I was still in the kitchen, I knew something was wrong. The person certainly didn't sound like Marianne. It was clear now—Aislinn was doing everything possible to provoke Marianne, to disrupt the fragile peace I’d worked so hard to establish. I just wished, more than anything, that Marianne would calm down, take a breath, and allow me a chance to speak. But she was stubborn, fiercely so, and that stubbornness was as much a part of her as the pulse in her veins. I loved her for it, yet sometimes, it drove a wedge between us. I tried to explain, tried to reach her through the wall she’d put up, but it was like trying to catch the wind. Watching her walk away felt like watching my world shatter, as if each step she took was ripping something vital from me. It was like a