His perfect lie

HIS PERFECT LIE CHP1 : The perfect wife The ocean was as glittery as a sheet of diamonds in the morning sun. Annie Hartwell could see the waves gently roll towards her private beach, which was the sole property of the Hartwell estate, from the floor to ceiling windows of her mansion. Palm trees danced in the wind, luxury yachts lined the water's edge and below gardeners tended their hedges. It was the view, the marriage and the kind of life any woman would dream of. But Annie felt imprisoned in that. She was looking at herself in the mirror in her bedroom; the floor was marble. She had long hair which hung loose over her shoulders in waves of chestnut color. Her eyes were emerald green, and they glistened without applying any make-up. She was thirty-two then and beautiful enough to turn heads wherever she went. Beauty, however, could do little to cover up the unhappiness. Years ago, her true smile was long stolen from her. The woman who was looking at her was tired, broken and lonely. She had her cell phone buzzing in her pocket and that interrupted her thoughts. She glanced down. A message from her best friend Sophia. « Lunch today? » It's been forever. Annie smiled faintly. Sophia had been trying to get her to come out of the house for months . But the truth was, these days, Annie avoided most people that was easier for her. Less acting and less lying. It was while she was still thinking of what to her respond, that she received another notification. A celebrity news site. Her chest tightened. There was a photograph close to the headline. James Hartwell, her husband, Leaving a fancy restaurant with a blonde woman after kissing her. The article noted that they were« madly in love. » Annie laughed bitterly. « Madly in love ? ! » If only they knew. A shower noise turned off. After a moment or two, James came out of the bathroom. Tall, handsome and Perfectly sculpted. The type of guy that would pop up on magazine covers. He wrapped his waist with a towel and looked at Annie. "Morning." His tone cold. As if she did not see pictures of him kissing another girl. As if their marriage was not falling apart. Annie raised her cell phone. “Your date made the news, you didn't mention it.” James studied the picture. Then casually said, «I didn't know that there were photographers there. » He was so indifferent and that hurt her so badly that she wished he showed some anger instead. « I guess you are already used to it, so no bad feelings. » James ran towards the closet. "Used to what?" "Being used to you humiliating me ?." He chose an expensive suit and started dressing. « You're making it sound like I'm doing something new. » Annie stared at him in real shock. For a moment she wondered if he genuinely believed his own lies. "We're married." "And?" The word felt like a slap. Annie's chest tightened. "Now how many women are there?" James buttoned his shirt. “I have no idea how many, I have lost count.” He meaningfully chose every word to cut her through, and he took pleasure in that. It had taken her years to come to terms with that realization. At one time she thought he was in love with her. She knew better now. Quietly she asked, "Why are you doing this? James took his cufflinks out of place. "Because I can." Everyone fell silent. Annie was on the verge of tears. She didn't let them fall. James did like it when she cried because it was just fun for him. One day," she whispered, "You're going to push me too far. This was the first time that morning James looked her directly in the eye. His eyes darkened dangerously. “Is this a discussion you really want to have?” She was suddenly filled with fear. The familiar fear, the one that he used all the time. The only secret that bound her to him. Annie looked away. James smiled. He knew. He always knew. « This was my thought also. » He took his watch out of his pocket. «Don’t ruin your make-up today. » Then he walked out. The door to the bedroom was shut. Annie stood frozen. The hush that descended upon him seemed to be intolerable. Gradually she sat down at the side of the bed. Her hands trembled. The memory was as it was before. Sudden, violent, rain, darkness, headlights, a scream then impact. Five years had passed, and the world was much the same. Five years but she could never forget each dreadful minute. At least that's what she remembered. It was a night that had changed everything. She had been to a friend's birthday party. Over-indulged with champagne! Ignored her instincts and took the wheel off. The last memories were only in fragments. Rain on windshield with the wind. Blurred vision mixed with fear. After that, the terrible noise. The sound of something hitting her car. A human body. She thought that at least that's what it was. She went outside and found blood and a shoe. A portrait of a person standing in a still position near the road. Panic consumed her and she ran. Later that morning she woke up shivering. She knew for sure, she had killed someone. It was a time when James was her boyfriend. It was he who found her crying, he was the one there for her and the one who comforted her. The one who made a promise to protect her. He helped her clean the car and disposed of evidence. Made phone calls that she never questioned. And, ultimately, he persuaded her that she could only survive in one way. Silence ! There was never an end to her guilt nor to her fear. James used that fear as a weapon years later. All arguments concluded in the same way. All threats stemmed from that night. All efforts for liberation ended under the same reminder. « You killed someone » Annie sometimes wondered if prison would be easier. Walls she could see at least. She was interrupted in her thoughts by a knock. "Mrs. Hartwell?" It was Maria, the housekeeper. "Come in." Maria carried a silver tray into the house. Coffee, fresh fruit, croissants. Everything arranged perfectly. The elderly woman gave a kind smile. "Good morning." "Morning." Maria hesitated. "Everything okay?" Annie made every effort to smile. "Of course." Neither of these women believed it. The family had employed Maria for several years. She saw so much more than Annie knew. But she didn't ask questions. Which was a blessing for Annie. When Maria left, Annie went down the stairs. It was a huge mansion. Too eno The dining room was large enough for twenty people to sit around. The overhead chandelier was worth more than a luxury car. Each piece of furniture had been specially constructed. Nothing of it gave any relief, however. The luxury home felt empty because there was no happiness in it. Her phone rang. Sophia. Annie answered. « Hey. » “Please let me know you’re coming to lunch.” Annie couldn’t help but smile. Sophia was always a go-getter. « I don’t know. » “You always have to say that.” « I’m busy. » « Doing what ? » Annie looked all around the empty mansion. Nothing. She was totally inactive. « Fine,» Sophia continued. « In that case, I’ll ask the true question. Annie sighed. « What question ? » So why don’t you get rid of him ? The words were like a knife. The line was silent. Sophia realized that she had just asked a stupid question. « I’m sorry. » « No. » Annie looked out the window. « It’s okay. » « You deserve better. » At long last, the tears came down. This time she couldn’t stop them ! « I know. » « Then leave. » But it’s not so easy. Annie closed her eyes. Her secret weighed on her chest like a thousand pounds of concrete. « I can’t. » Sophia’s voice softened. « Why ? » « Because I’m a killer. » She screamed in her own mind. Her words were stuck in her throat. She had never shared with anyone. Not even Sophia. If the truth came out, then all of this would be over. Her reputation, freedom and life. « I’m just not ready, »Annie lied. Sophia sighed. « Some day you’ll discover that you’re as strong as you would like to be,» and hung the call. Then Annie sat down quietly and waited. The words rang in her head. « Stronger than you think. » Was she ? Right now she feels weak, pathetic and broken. A prisoner within a palace. How did her life take this turn ? She used to fantasize about a family, children, Love and a future. Rather, she worked her days away from home seeing her husband switch from one mistress to the next. The front door suddenly opened. Annie frowned. James was not to return until evening. Moments later she heard laughter. A woman's laughter. Her stomach dropped. No, surely not ! She went downstairs and suddenly froze. A beautiful blonde woman was standing by James. The same woman as in the photographs. The woman of the restaurant, the lady from the hotel. The mistress. The blonde lady greeted her politely. «Hi ! » Her eyes widened. « I didn’t know that your wife was at home. » Annie looked at James. A sense of disbelief turned to anger. “You’ve brought her here ?” James was totally unconcerned. "My house too !" The blonde felt so awkward. She even appeared to be embarrassed. James was not in the slightest. « It’s Vanessa,» he said. « As if I care. » Vanessa got red in the face. James chuckled. Annie was barely able to breathe. It was too humiliating ! He couldn’t deny it any longer. He wanted her to suffer greatly. Desired to remind her of her helplessness. « Now, you’ve gone too far. » James took a step closer. His voice lowered dangerously calm. « No, Annie. » His gaze fixed on her eyes. “Just know something that no one else knows. Her blood drained from her face. There it was a reminder of the daily threat. « You wouldn’t. » « Try me. » The feeling of being shrunk was beginning to creep up on Annie. Just as he planned. The minute dragged on. Time seemed to hang. Then James smiled, satisfied, victorious. “So, if you don’t mind,” she said, “I’d like to get some rest. He placed his hand on Vanessa’s back and led her on up to the stairs. Into their home, Into her sanctuary, Into her marriage. Annie remained in the parlor in a frozen state well after they were gone. She felt her heart break apart. For years, she told herself she did stay for a reason. It was because she couldn’t help it. Due to the accident. Due to guilt ,due to the secret There she was, however, hearing another woman’s laughter in her house, and she realized something terrible. James was not only ruining her marriage, but his job, too. He was killing her. If things didn’t change now, then nothing would remain to be saved.