Buried Truths, Burning Desires

Chapter2

Cassy's POV - The Plot

When I had dropped Malissa at the hospital, I sat beside her as she slept, watching her dream. She had no idea her nightmare was just beginning.

I stayed with her throughout her test while she slept. I was the first person to receive the news of her pregnancy. I was glad and excited for her in front of the doctors, but deep down, something inside me twisted.

Malissa was my younger sister and she's been married for 5 years, and now she is pregnant with her husband while I'm still single. She gets everything. Always.

Our whole lives, she was the one who shined. Malissa is the perfect daughter. Malissa, the loving wife. Malissa, the woman adored by a man who barely even looked my way.

My mum told me that I would rather adopt children since I would never get married again. Those words were hurtful coupled with the fact that anytime I visited Malissa and her husband, they made my feelings worse.

I kept regretting my existence and kept wishing I would get a man like George who takes care of his wife and doesn't cheat. He was my ideal man.

It wasn't a great deal but I started thinking of having George to myself. It would be wonderful to be married to such a man who would pamper and treat you like a queen. I stared at my sister as she lay there, smiling in her dreams probably because she was dreaming of George. Why not? He was the man of every woman's dream, including me.

I wanted George to myself; I wanted him to love me and no one else. I wanted to be the one who would wake up beside him, the one who would smile at him always. I desired the things my sister enjoyed from him.

She never stopped talking about him, he was always on her lips. They could never leave each other alone. All these desires and it just boils down to the fact that I wanted George to and for myself, only.

I clenched my hands into fists, nails digging into my palm as the doctor babbled on about how "wonderful" this news was. My smile remained perfectly in place. Years of pretending had made me an expert.

Malissa had no idea. No idea that the person sitting beside her, holding her hand, was the one who was about to destroy her.

I walked out of the hospital with a purpose, my mind whirling with possibilities. George would never love me as long as Malissa existed. That had been made clear. I had tried everything, acting sweet, and helpful, and cooking for him, but I was nothing more than his wife's sister. A shadow in their perfect love story.

Not anymore.

"I'm leaving," I told the doctor at work.

"Might it be said that you will wait, so you break the news to her?"

"You can do the honor, doctor. I have significant things I want to break as well." I sneered at the doctor and he grinned back. He must have thought that I said something about preparing a surprise for her.

Well, what I had for her was a surprise, not a good one though but can still be called a surprise. I only wanted to be chosen and not settled for, is that too much to ask?

I had planned this moment for a long time. I just needed the perfect moment to execute it.

I picked up my phone and dialed Nancy. She was reluctant at first, but I reminded her of the favor she owed me, the secret she never wanted to come to light. That was enough.

"You want me to fake a cancer report for your sister? Are you insane?" Nancy hissed.

"I'm not insane," I said calmly. "I'm just making sure things work out the way they should."

"And if someone finds out?"

"They won't. You and I both know secrets only come out when people are careless. And I'm never careless."

Silence. Then, a slow exhale. "Fine. I'll do it. But this is the last time."

I smirked. "Of course."

When I got home, I made sure everything was in place. The voice recordings, the phone calls, the carefully constructed narrative. I had to make Malissa think George was cheating. Not just a suspicion, but undeniable proof.

Malissa was emotional, too emotional. It was her greatest weakness. If she truly believed George had betrayed her, she wouldn't stop to think. She would react.

She would run.

And when she ran, my plan would be complete.

The night of the betrayal played out exactly as I had imagined. I sat in the kitchen, phone in hand, the recorded voices echoing in my ears. George's voice, stolen from old conversations. A woman's moans, carefully extracted from elsewhere.

It was a masterpiece of deception.

I called Malissa and made sure she would hear it the moment she walked into the house. The moment she was filled with excitement to tell George about her pregnancy.

I positioned myself carefully, making sure I wasn't in the way but close enough to witness it all unfold.

Malissa froze outside their bedroom door. I could see the way her shoulders tensed, the way her breathing hitched. I watched as her fingers trembled while pressing against the doorknob. Then, she let go.

She didn't open it.

She didn't need to. The recording had done its job. Her whole body shook, her face a mask of devastation.

And then she ran.

A victorious thrill rushed through me. It was done.

Or so I thought.

I had planned for Malissa to leave the house in a state of heartbreak, to disappear into the night where the real trap awaited. But I hadn't expected her to run so blindly into danger.

From the upstairs window, I watched the car speed toward her. Too fast. Faster than I had intended.

My breath caught as the sickening sound of impact filled the air. Malissa's body crumpled like a rag doll, then disappeared into the river below.

A second of silence.

I expected to feel triumph. Relief. Instead, my stomach twisted. I had wanted her gone, but seeing her lifeless form sinking into the water...

This was real.

I backed away from the window, my heart pounding. No. This was good. This was what I had wanted.

And yet, for the first time, doubt clawed at the edges of my mind.

When the police arrived, I had to pull myself together. I was the grieving sister now. I had to play my part.

Tears came easily. "She ran away! She found out she had stomach cancer, and she just... she couldn't handle it!" I sobbed, shoving the fake medical report into their hands. "She was so heartbroken. I tried to help her, but she just left!"

George stormed into the room, his face pale. "Where is she?!"

"They saw her... they saw her get hit by a car," I whispered, my voice barely above a breath.

George went still. Completely still. Then, before anyone could stop him, he was running out the door, into the rain, screaming Malissa's name.

I followed, but not for the same reasons.

He would grieve. And then, he would move on.

And when he did, I would be the only person left beside him. Waiting.