003
1320 Words
MY WAY IN FOR JUSTICE
Julie’s knees buckled beneath her. Everyone looked up, and began to run away.
As Ariana walked slowly down the aisle, the church filled with gasps and frightened murmurs. Faces turned pale, hands trembled, and some of the mourners rushed for the doors.
“Ghost!” someone cried. “Please, don’t come any closer!”
Panic spread like wildfire.
Julie, rooted in place, shook her head violently, her voice breaking. “It’s her… it’s really her!”
Adrian, however, stood frozen. His body stiffened, his eyes unblinking as he stared at the woman who looked exactly like his dead wife. He forced a hollow laugh. “That’s impossible.”
The moment Ariana stepped fully into the church, her voice rang out, calm yet cutting through the noise. “Long time no see, hubby.”
The room went silent again.
Adrian’s chest rose and fell sharply. His voice turned harsh. “Is this some kind of sick joke?”
From the side, Ms. Lucy stumbled forward, tears filling her eyes. “Ms. Anna… is that really you?”
Ariana tilted her head, her eyes locked on Adrian as she smiled softly. She spoke with confidence, though her heart pounded beneath her ribs. “Take a closer look, hubby. It’s me, Anna Caldwell, your wife.”
Her gaze shifted toward Julie. “Julie, my husband doesn’t recognize me. How about you, my best friend?”
Julie’s hands shook violently, her entire body trembling as if the earth had vanished beneath her feet. She backed away, clutching her chest. “Get away… go away!”
Ariana turned slowly to the mourners, her voice dripping with mockery. “Strange… moments ago you were all crying in my grave. And yet now that I’m back, not one of you looks sad to see me.”
The crowd exchanged nervous whispers, their faces filled with confusion and dread.
Adrian clenched his fists. “Anna Caldwell is dead. I don’t know who the f**k you are, but you’re not her.”
Ariana’s lips curved into a cold smile. Inside her mind, her thoughts sharpened like a blade: Only Anna’s killer could be so certain she’s dead.
She stepped closer, her voice trembling with emotion, yet layered with steel. “Adrian, don’t you want me to be alive?”
His eyes narrowed, his words low and bitter. “I would give up anything for my Anna to be with me… but the only thing you share with my wife is a face.”
The crowd gasped, their whispers louder now, but Ariana held her ground.
Adrian’s voice rose with anger. “What kind of cruel hoax is this?”
Ariana knew she had to push harder, to plant doubt in his mind and in everyone else’s. She drew a deep breath and began to speak, her words striking like arrows.
“April 15th, 2019, the first time we met. You pretended to ask for directions to an exhibit, and I ended up joining you.”
Adrian’s jaw tightened, his nostrils flaring.
“February 1st, 2020, you proposed to me in Times Square, and all the billboards lit up with images of our love.”
The crowd stirred, gasps rippling through the pews.
“And two weeks ago, on our anniversary…”
“Enough!” Adrian roared, his voice echoing off the church walls.
But Ariana didn’t flinch. She looked at him with piercing eyes. “Hubby, between the two of us, I know it all too well.”
The tension in the church snapped like a whip. One of the board members rose from his seat, pointing an accusing finger. “So this funeral… it’s one big farce? If Ms. Anna is alive, then there’s no need to transfer power to Adrian William.”
More whispers filled the air, some in disbelief, others in outrage.
Ariana turned to the crowd with confidence. “Transfer of power? That’s ridiculous. I’m the CEO. I’m not dead.”
The crowd erupted with murmurs again, half in shock, half in applause.
Adrian stepped forward, his voice sharp, his face twisting with frustration. “Listen, lady. You may resemble my wife and know a little bit about my past, but you can’t just swagger in here and cheat your way into the Caldwell Company.”
He glared at her, his voice dropping lower, filled with venom. “You said you remember everything… then what about your attempted suicide at Lovers Point?”
Ariana knew he was lying. Her sister would never take her own life. She pressed her hand against the side of her head and pretended to wince in pain.
“It’s so painful… it hurts so bad,” she said, her voice trembling. “I woke up on a riverbank and I don’t know how I got there. My memory… it’s in bits and pieces.” She paused, watching Adrian carefully. “Adrian… Did someone try to push me off?”
Adrian’s expression darkened, a flicker of confusion crossing his eyes. If she truly survived, then she would remember nothing of that night. He wanted to know what game Ariana was playing, so he decided to play along.
“Darling, there’s no way you could’ve been pushed,” Adrian said smoothly. “You were the only one at Lover’s Point that night. Julie and I didn’t arrive until after we heard the news.”
He forced a gentle smile and reached for her hand. “I’m so relieved you’re back. I’ll take good care of you from now on.”
Ariana tilted her head slightly, masking her thoughts behind a soft smile. “Hubby, shall we go home now?”
“Of course, darling,” Adrian replied warmly, though his eyes glinted with suspicion.
Ariana turned toward the board members, who were still frozen with shock. “The Caldwell company must be in turmoil over my two weeks’ absence. As CEO, I’m calling an emergency board meeting tomorrow. I look forward to seeing all of you there.”
The board members hesitantly nodded, agreeing to her command.
The moment Ariana left with Adrian, Julie’s face twisted with disbelief. She tugged at Adrian’s sleeve. “There’s no way that’s Anna Caldwell. She’s not… she’s not all bossy like that.”
Adrian’s lips curved into a sharp smile. “I have a sure-fire way to expose her.”
He pulled out his phone and dialed a number. “Have the Striker guard the entrance to the estate,” he ordered coldly. “I’m bringing a special guest.”
Meanwhile, Ariana walked through the grand Caldwell estate, her eyes scanning every corner. A whisper slipped from her lips. “Little sister… so this is where you grew up without me.”
Beside her, Ms. Lucy, the nursemaid who had known Anna since childhood, studied Ariana carefully. Her face softened with old memories. “Ms. Anna,” Lucy said, her voice thick with emotion, “You were always sweet and kind, so protected by your late father. Then Mr. William came along, and your father was so impressed by him.”
Ariana froze for a second, her mind racing. Where is she going with this? Is she testing me?
“I don’t know what you mean, Ms. Lucy,” Ariana said carefully.
Lucy’s eyes narrowed, her voice shaking but firm. “You’re not Anna, are you?”
Ariana blinked, feigning confusion. “I… I don’t understand.”
Lucy’s hands trembled as she grabbed Ariana by the arm. “I watched Anna grow from a scared six-year-old girl into the woman she became. She was like a daughter to me. And I remember, in the early days, she would cry for her big sister… Ariana. That’s you, isn’t it?”
Her grip tightened, eyes burning with accusation. “Tell me, what have you done with Anna? Where did you hide her?”
Before Ariana could respond, footsteps echoed sharply in the hall.
- Writer
