My Husband Wants To Kill Me

Chapter 8 In the Bathtub

Outside Sorella Cafe, the sky was overcast. A gust of autumn wind made James shiver as he pulled up his collar.

"Mrs. Claude, remember to delete messages and call logs—every day, don't forget," he said, turning to leave.

"Mr. Connolly!" My voice suddenly broke, a tear slipping down my cheek. "Can I really trust you?" I was at the point where I needed something—anything—to hold onto.

He placed a hand on his forehead, his expression softening. "Don't worry, Mrs. Claude."

"Please, call me Isabelle. I won't be Mrs. Claude much longer."

*****

That night, as usual, Eddy poured me a glass of milk, stroking my hair. "Honey, drink this and then brush your teeth before bed."

I nodded. "My stomach's a little off right now. I'll drink it in a bit."

He stared at me for a moment and then suddenly smiled, kissing my forehead. "All right, I'm going to take a shower. Don't forget to drink it."

As soon as he walked away, I pulled out the sealed vial from under my pillow, my heart racing. Not yet, I needed to be sure.

I listened closely to make sure Eddy was actually in the shower.

Soon, the sound of running water came from the bathroom.

I picked up the glass of milk, but then the water stopped! The entire bedroom instantly fell silent.

I quickly hid the vial again and crept towards the bathroom door, pressing my ear against it. Still, there was no sound.

Suddenly, the curtain fluttered as a gust of night wind blew in, startling me.

I had to be certain, leaving no room for doubt. My hand trembled as I gently pushed the door open.

I glanced to the left—there was no shadow behind the frosted glass of the shower stall! My heart skipped a beat. Was Eddy pretending to shower to throw me off? Did he suspect me?

Swallowing hard, I quickly turned my head to the right—no one in the toilet stall either! Eddy had vanished! My heart was pounding like the beat of a hip-hop drum, and my legs were starting to feel weak.

Suddenly, Eddy rose from the bathtub, stark naked. I screamed, slipping and grabbing onto the side cabinet for support.

"D-Darling, what are you doing in the bathtub?"

"I was trying to fill it for you but noticed the drain was clogged. It's fixed now. Let me test it again." He stepped out of the tub and turned on the faucet.

The rush of water drowned out my heavy breathing.

"Thank you, darling."

He looked at me curiously. "Why did you come in here?"

I struggled to keep my expression calm. "Oh, I spilled some milk on the floor and came to grab a towel to clean it up."

No way, I couldn't give him time to think or let him suspect anything! The next second, I closed the distance between us, wearing nothing but a silk slip. Then, I wrapped one arm around his neck and placed the other on his chest.

"Wow, handsome, who's lucky enough to have a hottie like you? It's me!" I pressed my chest against him, feeling the hardness below and smirking inwardly.

He bent down to kiss me passionately, but all I felt was disgust. I forced myself to play along.

"Honey, you don't know how much I love you! Don't forget to drink the milk!"

Smiling, I gently pushed him away. "Go finish your shower."

How disgusting!

As the water resumed, I pulled the vial from under my pillow and quickly filled it with my milk, screwing the cap tight and hiding it in the deepest drawer of my lingerie closet.

Then, I poured most of the milk down the sink.

When he emerged from the bathroom, he caught me tipping back the last sip.

He wiped the corner of my mouth and smiled, "Good girl! Now go take your bath. The water's ready."

I lay in the round bathtub motionlessly like a dead fish. And that was exactly what I was—a dead fish, lying on the chopping block, waiting for Eddy and his mistress to gut me. They were out there in the darkness, wrapped up in each other, plotting how to cook me.

Five years of love and two years of marriage had turned him into a real-life “Fatal Husband.”

I was tormented by depression, unable to recover from the loss of my child, trapped inside the house, reduced to a puppet on Eddy’s strings. But the most unforgivable, the most enraging thing, was that they had killed my child! Tears slipped down my cheeks, disappearing into the bathwater’s foam. My child! How foolish I had been, so blind to his true nature.

They wanted freedom? I could give them that. They wanted my money? They could have it, if it meant I could get my child back!

I held my breath and slowly sank under the water, letting the warmth wash away my tears and the feeling of suffocation numb my mind.

*****

In the middle of the night, my mind was clearer than it had been in weeks. Without that "sleep-inducing" milk, I was wide awake!

Eddy walked into the bedroom barefoot. I kept my eyes closed, slightly parted my lips, and focused on breathing evenly.

The soft rustling of the carpet stopped right beside my bed!

A flicker of fear shot through me, making my eyelashes tremble involuntarily.

Was he watching me? Testing me? Had he noticed something off?

"Baby? Do you want some water?" he whispered.

I felt sweat forming on my back.

Why was he mentioning water? Was he testing whether I believed I was sleepwalking? Should I pretend to sleepwalk tonight?

As I wrestled with these thoughts, a gentle kiss landed on my forehead. "Sleeping so soundly."

I listened to his footsteps retreat, finally letting out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

It was a long time before I heard his soft snoring. I turned over to face my husband. The curtain fluttered again, and the moonlight streamed into the room. His high-bridged nose cast a shadow on his face.

How could someone so cunning and murderous, someone with such deep schemes, sleep so peacefully? I shook my head with a bitter smile. 'I have to hand it to you, Edmond Claude. I swear, I will avenge my daughter!'