Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 119152 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119152 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Ben moves closer, stepping on a loose board in the floor. A creak sounds, and Rebecca turns. Christopher speaks up, grabbing her attention before she discovers him. “Rebecca—honey, look at me.” She brings her attention back to Christopher. “I do see. But this is not you. The woman I know would never hurt someone.”
“I didn’t want to, but you wouldn’t listen to me.”
“You’re right.” He takes another slow step forward. “This is on me.” He moves in front of me. “I know why you came here.”
“You do?”
“You love this place. The time we spent here. It was just us. The only time I felt alive was with you. It’s always been you, honey. Never her.” He looks at me, his expression cold as if hoping to show Rebecca he’s choosing her. That fails when our eyes collide. His facade slips. Remorse shines through, and he swallows down his emotions, knowing he has to keep going to appease her.
“This should have been our house,” she says, bringing her envious glare to me.
He turns back to her. “Just let her go. This isn’t about her anymore. It’s about us.” He grabs for her, but she brushes him off.
“No. She doesn’t get to walk away from this one.”
“What do you mean?” Christopher asks, his voice starting to sound panicked.
“I mean, if we don’t do something now, she’ll always be in the way. You told me yourself you don’t love her. Why does it matter?”
Even in this life-or-death moment, her words sting. I wish they didn’t. I wish he didn’t affect me. But she’s claiming years of our life were all fake. Memories and emotions that were just. . . lies.
“He never loved me, see? Let me go.” I tug at the zip tie. The fresh wave of betrayal fuels my anger. This is on him. He did this to us.
Christopher turns to me, his tone pleading. “Makayla, that’s not true.” His voice cracks. “Baby, please—”
“How dare you call her that in front of me,” Rebeca hisses.
He turns back to her. “Well, you’ve gone completely mad. I’m not going to let you hurt her.” Rebecca moves in on me, but Christopher steps closer, blocking her view. “What you’re doing is wrong. She’s innocent in all this. Put the gun down. We can talk this out.”
Rebecca stands there, darkness filling her eyes. “Not until we deal with her. She’ll always stand in our way.”
“No—I can’t—I won’t let you hurt her. And I refuse to let you fill her with lies. I love my wife. I always have. What you’re doing is only making it worse for yourself.” Christopher looks back at me, his gaze filled with regret. He’s torn between who to be: the savior, the liar, or the cheater. “I’m sorry for what I’ve done to you. To us.”
“Stop! Stop talking to her!” Rebecca jabs the gun in our direction. Her eyes bounce back and forth between us as she chews on her bottom lip.
Christopher shifts back toward her. “No, I can’t do this anymore. I won’t pretend anymore. You need to stop this and let her go.”
What is he doing?
Rebecca’s eyes become impossibly wide before she narrows them. “Done? You can’t be done. Everything I’ve sacrificed. You’re not done.”
“We are. I don’t love you. I never did. You were a mistake.”
“No—you’re just upset. We’ll figure this out—”
“Dammit, stop with this craziness!”
Flames blaze behind her irises. She brings her hard stare to me, her fury burning through me. And then, it disappears, resolve setting in. “Rebecca, please,” I beg. “Just let me go. I’ve only wanted good things for you. You were my friend.”
“And now you’re just in my way.” She looks to Christopher. “You’ll thank me later.” Raising her shaky hand, she steps to the side, getting the perfect angle. She aims the gun at me and pulls the trigger.
Time is a fickle thing. Sometimes, it passes in a flash. Other times, it makes us feel like we’re stuck in it, each second an eternity. I’m not thinking about the present or what’s to come. I think about the past. My mother. Her flowery perfume and smile. Her laughter. I think about an almost stolen kiss on top of a shed with a boy who came back into my life. My thoughts shift to the future. I imagine a life with him. A family. Children and so much happiness. The fulfillment. A vision of what could have been.
Suddenly, time speeds up. A bullet leaves her gun and rips through the air. I hear myself scream and clench my eyes, waiting for the metal to rip through my body.
A cry leaves my lips, and Christopher’s body falls on top of me. Pain erupts from my chest. My arms threaten to dislocate from their sockets from the heavy weight pressing me into the floor.
“Christopher!” Rebecca’s shrill voice breaks me from my fog. Reality punches me in the face, and panic causes my chest to tighten. I’m trapped under Christopher’s body. He’s motionless above me.