chapter 5

EVELYN'S POV

“Time of death, 9:17 pm,

cause of death: heart failure.

Name of the patient. Linda, with the next of the keen names, Evelyn. Relationship daughter.

I'm sorry, mam, but your daughter is dead.” My heart hammered in my chest, reality dawning on me, my entire world crashing at my feet while I stared at my daughter's lifeless body.

I caused it; it was my fault, but only if I had not kept up with the feigned belief that I could have a happy life of my own with Edward. If I had chosen not to be selfish, if I had kept my emotions at bay and returned her to Sebastian, none of this would have happened.

“Mam! Are you okay, mam?” The doctor asked again, but slowly his words blurred away from my ears, and the only thing I could hear, with a heightened sense, was the loud raindrops and the clicking of the arrows on the wall clock. It was all Sebastian's fault.

He caused it, and Edward led me on; it was both of their faults.

“I think you need some rest, mam. Can you hear me?” the doctor had asked, calling out to me, but I took to my feet; nothing else made sense.

I ran as fast as my legs could carry; the street lights were on, the shops still opened, some closed, and passersby had stared at me.

“She's crazy!”

“What's wrong with her?”

“She needs to be in an asylum.”

“She's really pitiful.“

“Someone call the cops.”

I had heard all their opinions about me—everything they had to bloody say, their opinions about me—and I heard it all. Chill ran down my spine while I headed for my porch. I pushed forward.

I could feel my life getting squeezed out of me. Tears streaked off my cheeks continuously while I pushed open the doors. There was an envelope lying again on the table.

Edward had been in the house. I dragged my feet slowly towards the table pictures and read through the contents.

My headset became heavier with pain, and my muffled cries turned out to be louder cries. I cried out my heart. It was a wedding for Edward. He was having a party tonight; the next would be his wedding.

He has the guts to send me some sort of invitation.

I gritted my teeth, grabbed the kitchen knife that lay fallow on the table, and tucked it beneath my shirt before storming back into the rain.

I hailed a cab, paid, and he drove ahead right after I had given him my descriptions. My cries ceased and turned into sarcastic pain and psychotic laughter. Tears streaked continuously off my cheeks.

I had seen the driver steal glances at me. We had almost run into a truck, seeing how careless he had been staring at me rather than pin his attention back to the road.

But I really don't care anymore; if I ended up dead or not, it could eat me up for all I cared. I was never bothered to begin with; all I needed was one piece of peace.

A loud sigh eased through my lips, and my muscles tensed. I would end up dead tonight either way, but first... I needed to take Edward with me; I was nothing but a bet to him, and it was right about time he also had his pound of flesh.

Problems and worries. Panic and pain coursed through my veins as I highlighted from the cab.

It was true; there was music loud enough, people partying, half looking up and the other half in a drunken state.

It wasn't so hard for me to make my way into the house; the door was open with people sprawled around, the lights were dimmed, and the music kept blasting all around. Good enough, I knew my way around so well.

I pushed my way up the stairs, and finally I was at his entrance. Slowly, I pulled out the knife from my side and took a few mad, gentle strides into the room.

I could hear moans and grunts; it was Edward who was having sex; they both seemed to be too lost in whatever it was that they were doing.

They had not noticed me creeping into the room. I raised the knife, the vague image of Edward rumbling over the stairs flashed through my eyes.The look Sebastian had on me that day, my dead child, on the hospital bed.

No…. No.

I couldn't; I don't want to become a murderer.

Men like this, Simple death wasn't enough; I needed to make him suffer.

I tucked the knife back into my sides before storming out of the room. Tears coded into my eyes while I bumped into someone, causing the knife to toss over to the floor.

“Are you okay, miss?” She asked, and I nodded, but more tears streaked my eyes.

“Common, let's get you out of there, and someone might see this.” She asserted herself and tucked the fallen knife into her bag.

“I'm Claire, by the way; let's get you somewhere safe.”

*****

Three years later, I had become a well known ruthless journalist in town.

The chair was wheeled back and forth. All my focus is pinged again, and my fist typing aggressively. At the keyboards, a grin crawled up to the side of my lips while I pressed the send button.

I rested back in my chair, a triumphant smile on my lips.

“That smile is the one that says another man's life has been ruined, right?” She asked as she approached me, handing me the mail.

“Only the corrupt ones, the liars, the thieves... well, the bad ones, and in an hour the press would be buzzing about the minister's son. And his filthy, corrupt secrets.'' I responded, feeling at ease about wrecking another man's life.

“Well, keep up the good job; you have mail.” She responded before handing it to me and walking back to her desk.

“Thank you, Claire... You know I love you, right?” I teased, and we both erupted into laughter; however, my happiness was short-lived as soon as I saw the name on the mail and the address it had come from.

I unlocked my last drawer, had it thrown into it, and received a total of 34 mail letters from Sebastian over the years. I had no intention of knowing why he mailed me, and I would never read any of them.

I locked the door and pulled closer to my system, my eyes scanning through the files on

my desktop. Wondering whose life I ought to ruin next... I still had lots of unsolved cases.