Tonight, we kill our husbands

CHAPTER FOUR

Kate’s POV

The lights are still on by the time I get home. He stayed up waiting for me, not because he cared, but because his controlling self wouldn’t go to sleep without demanding answers. My stomach starts to knot as I approach the door. The door opens before I can put the key in.

“Where have you been?” James’ voice is sharp, cutting through the halls. I freeze, pretending to fumble with my bag. “I went out,” I mutter. “Out? Out!” He advances towards me. “You don’t tell me where you go! Do you think I don’t care? Do you think I won’t find out?” I try to step back, but he catches my arm and pulls me to himself.

“I said I went out!” I repeat, my voice shaking. He doesn’t answer with his words. His hand strikes my face and I fall to the ground. He picks me up and starts to yell some words in my face. I can’t hear what he is saying anymore. I turn off my senses to what he is doing, like someone who has become numb. He reminds me he is still in charge, and hurls me across the room. I fall to the ground and start to scramble for my keys. “I—I can’t stay here tonight,” I whisper to myself.

I don’t stop until Emily’s house comes into view. My legs give way in relief as I reach her door, fumbling with the handle. She opens it before I can knock.

“Kate?” Emily says, startled, sensing instantly the state I am in.

I try to speak, but I find myself crying. My hands shake as I let her guide me inside. She closes the door behind me and takes my coat, quickly scanning my face for scars.

“Oh… Kate,” she whispers. Her hands linger for a moment on my shoulders. “What happened?”

I collapse onto the couch, pulling my knees to my chest. “He… James… he hit me again,” I manage, my voice breaking. “I… I can’t take it anymore.”

Emily doesn’t flinch. She kneels beside me, gently brushing the wet hair from my face. “I know,” she says. “I’ve seen what they do. I

know how it feels to be trapped, scared, and desperate.”

Tears fill my eyes. “I can’t… I can’t live like this. He… he’s destroying me. Every day, I… I feel smaller, less. I… I don’t know how to fight anymore.”

Emily’s gaze softens, but there’s an intensity in her eyes, the kind that makes you want to listen, even when you aren’t sure you want to hear. “Kate… what if I told you there’s a way to end it? For good?”

I blink, unsure of what she’s talking about. “What… what do you mean?”

She leans closer, her voice lowers like she’s trying to conspire. “Not just leave him, not just escape. But make sure he never touches you again. Neither of them. Andrew… James… gone, for good. No one would be able to hurt us anymore.”

My heart thuds in my chest, but not with relief. Fear. What does Emily mean by this? I wonder. “Emily… you can’t mean… kill them.”

“I do mean it,” she says. “It’s all going to be planned out. We’re smart women, we won’t do things recklessly. You kill my husband, Andrew. And I help you kill James. They will never see it coming.”

I recoil, shaking my head. “What on earth are you talking about, Emily? I… I can’t. I’m not… I’m not a killer. I… I would never do that. I couldn’t live with myself.”

Emily doesn’t waver. She reaches out and holds my hands.“I understand why you’d think that, why you’d hesitate. I wouldn’t ask anyone to do this lightly. But sometimes… sometimes, the only way to survive is to take matters into your own hands.”

I look away, my chest feels tighter. I can’t think of the words to say. “I… I need to think. I… I don’t know if I could…”

She nods. “That’s fine. You don’t have to decide tonight. I just want you to know… you’re not alone, Kate. I know what it’s like to feel trapped and scared. And I won’t let that continue—not if I can help it.”

The silence stretches between us. Outside, the rain has softened to a mist, and I can hear the faint hum of the city beyond her walls. Emily’s words linger on in my mind.

Finally, I whisper, “I… I can’t believe we’re even talking about this.”

Emily gives me a small, sad smile. “I know. But sometimes, talking about it is the first step. Even if you’re scared… even if you think it’s impossible… It’s the first time you feel like you might have control again.”

I nod slowly, though my mind is spinning. Part of me wants to believe her. Part of me wants to push her away. But the fear, the exhaustion, and the bruises reminded me of my reality—of the man who had taken everything from me, even the right to feel safe in my own home.

Emily’s hand squeezes mine lightly. “Get some rest, Kate. That’s all I ask for tonight. Tomorrow… we’ll see where you stand. You can say no, if that’s what you truly want. But you need to know there’s another path. One where you don’t have to live in fear anymore.”

I lie back against the couch, feeling the warmth of the blanket she draped over me. My eyes close, but sleep doesn’t come easily. Thoughts of James, and Emily’s words tangle together in my mind. Can I really do what she suggested? Can I even imagine it?

The room is quiet except for the soft patter of rain against the windows. Emily is in the corner looking outside the window. I whisper into the quiet, “I… I don’t know if I could ever do that.”

Emily doesn’t respond immediately. She just sits beside me, letting me breathe. Finally, she says, softly, “You might be surprised, Kate. Sometimes, the courage you think you don’t have… is already there.”

I want to believe her. I want to believe her with every fiber of my being. But instead, I recoil. I’m no killer and this man won’t turn me into one. For now, I can only rest, wrapped in her blanket, with the storm outside and within me both unrelenting.

And somewhere, deep inside, a seed had been planted—a dangerous, terrifying seed.

But for tonight… I could pretend it wasn’t there.