2: Please let her come back.
1587 Words
The silence that followed her confession felt like a heavy blanket over the room.
It was like the air itself had become solid, making each breath she took feel wrong, like she was disturbing the quiet.
The silence pressed in from all sides, making her feel trapped and alone.
But then Sebastian did something she didn't expect. He laughed.
Not a chuckle or a smirk, but a full-blown laugh that echoed throughout the house.
His laughter was mocking and cruel, filling the entire space.
His disgusted gaze slowly traveled down her body and back up.
"You really think you're pregnant, don't you? You couldn't get pregnant for the past five years, and now you suddenly are? And you expect me to fall for that?" he scoffed at her.
She pulled back like he'd slapped her. Her body tensed up so much she was shaking.
"It's true. When I went to the hospital last week for my monthly checkup, the doctor told me I was pregnant. That's why I made all these preparations - to surprise you," she choked out, shaking her head.
She still remembered how he smiled at her on their wedding night, telling her he'd protect her for the rest of her life. Now it was like looking at a complete stranger.
"You really are pathetic, you know that?" He sneered, but it was the contempt and disgust in his eyes that really broke her heart.
"And why would I want a child from you when I already have a son?" He chuckled.
"What?" she cried out, shocked.
She wasn't sure what was happening. She blinked rapidly, her eyes looking down as she tried to understand what he was saying.
She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Only silence.
"What do you mean you have a son?" she whispered, her heart pounding loudly.
"Exactly what I said, Louisa. Did you really think I'd sit around waiting for you to get pregnant and not want an heir of my own to take over when I'm old? What in the world goes on in that head of yours?" he replied coldly.
"How could you do this to me? I loved you, Sebastian, and you do this to me? I sacrificed so much for you," she cried out.
Her eyes were wide and filled with tears. She squeezed them shut, trying to force the tears back. The corners of her mouth pulled down, shaking as she tried to control the overwhelming emotions she was feeling.
His lips twisted into a cruel smirk as he looked at her.
"Sacrificed? You really are dumb. Do you want to know something funny? It's about your sickness," he sneered coldly.
Adrenaline shot through her veins, preparing her to fight or run. "What about it?"
"Your heart disease. It isn't cardiomyopathy. I've been giving you small doses of arsenic and thallium for the past three years," he smirked.
Every hair on her body stood up. She froze, rigid with terror, too overwhelmed to move.
A prickling sensation shot up her spine. "I don't believe you. How come the doctors didn't detect it? They can't be wrong," she said carefully.
"Oh, but they are wrong. It causes fatigue, fainting spells, and all the symptoms of cardiomyopathy, which made it hard for the doctors to detect," he replied.
Her knees trembled and shook, threatening to give out underneath her.
Her breath came out in shallow gasps. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as the weight of what he just said threatened to suffocate her.
Her eyes darted around the room, pupils wide, searching for an escape route. Her entire being was on high alert as panic set her nerves on fire.
"Why... why tell... tell me now?" her voice quivered, each word stumbling out in broken fragments.
Fear had tied her tongue in knots, making it impossible to speak properly.
His laughter was sharp and mocking, echoing in the air with disdain.
"Because I've changed my mind. I don't need you to sign the divorce papers," he sneered.
She immediately backed away from him, warning bells going off in her head. "Why?"
"You, my dear wife, will die today, your heart finally giving up. And I, being the devoted husband, will be pitied by everyone. So you see, there's no need for you to sign the divorce papers anymore," he replied.
He threw the divorce papers into the fireplace and she watched as they went up in flames.
Her thoughts raced through worst-case scenarios, each possibility more terrifying than the last as panic took over her rational thinking.
Everything in her was telling her to run, but she couldn't. Not because she didn't want to, but because her legs wouldn't move.
"What... what... do you... you plan on doing to me?" she asked, her voice shaking.
His eyes burned with fierce, unyielding hatred that made her shiver and cower away from him.
"The obvious. Do I have to explain every single detail to you? What I'm trying to say, Louisa, is that you're going to die tonight and I will be the one to kill you," he said cruelly.
Her mouth opened but no words came out.
A knot of fear tightened in her chest, making it hard to breathe and think clearly. Her thoughts crashed against each other.
A sickening wave of terror rose in her stomach. Her heart hammered against her ribs like thunder echoing through her body. Her pulse throbbed in her ears, drowning out all other sounds.
"No," she choked out.
She clamped her hands over her mouth, stifling a scream. Her eyes were wide with terror as Sebastian approached her with deliberate steps and a small bottle he'd just pulled out of his pocket.
The cake knife on the table clattered to the floor, icing smeared like blood across the tiles.
Just like her father's company... stolen by the man she loved and thought loved her too.
No matter how hard she fought him, he overpowered her and poured all the contents of the bottle down her throat.
She tried to claw at her neck to cough out the substance, but it seemed impossible.
"What... what did you... you just give me?" she screamed.
"Just something to finish you off early. A triple dose of arsenic and thallium - the same stuff I usually put in your food," Sebastian said, laughing.
His laugh was harsh and bitter, with no humor in it.
But right in the middle of it all, a phone rang through the room with a sharp sound that made her flinch.
Sebastian smiled at the caller's name on the screen before picking up the call.
She couldn't hear what the caller was saying because she was on the ground in pain, but she could swear it was a woman's voice.
What really shocked her was how his face changed to that of a lovesick fool when he saw the caller's name.
"You'll have to wait a little, my love," she heard him say into the phone. "No, she hasn't signed the divorce papers yet, but I'll make sure she does before the end of today."
He went silent for a minute, probably listening to whatever his mistress was telling him. "If she refuses? Then we'll go ahead with your plan of finally finishing her off."
His eyes squinted with disgust, like he didn't even want to see her face. "I'll be there soon. Give my kisses to Noah. Bye."
He hung up the call, his eyebrows arched with disdain.
But what he didn't know was that she saw the name on the phone screen before he ended the call.
The TV in the background was playing, showing Sebastian's public face.
A news reporter was calling him a "devoted husband to his terminally ill wife." The sick irony.
If only they knew that the same husband had been slowly killing her over the years and was standing over her at that very moment, waiting for her to take her last breath.
She placed a gentle hand on her belly. The light behind her eyes dimmed, leaving behind only shadows of the person she once was. Her lips were as pale as winter frost, drained of color, reflecting the numbness that had settled over her.
She felt sorry for the baby, who was innocent in all this. This was all her fault because she'd been too stupid to notice all the signs that Sebastian never really loved her.
If there's anyone listening, any god, any devil, she would give anything for one more chance.
Just one more chance to fix all the horrible mistakes she'd made in life. Let her come back... and she swore, she'd never beg for love again and she'd make Sebastian pay a hundred times over for what he did to her.
Her lips quivered. She didn't want to die. At least not yet.
She had so much she wanted to do. Number one being experiencing motherhood.
Her vision blurred, but she was still clinging to life.
She tried crawling toward the door, but her vision was fading slowly, making it hard to see. With effort, her hands finally reached the door handle.
Her heart raced and her breath came out faster. Maybe she could get out of here and get help. Maybe she could really survive.
But she never got to get out the door.
Her hand fell limp on the floor and the last thing she saw was Sebastian smirking down at her before her world went completely black.
- Writer
