"Where are my parents?"
Back when Kathleen's company went bankrupt, I'd tried to reach out to my parents for help.
But I couldn't get through to them.
Kathleen told me they'd been caught in a landslide on their way back. Both of them—gone.
She said the bodies were never recovered. I spent three years searching. But just two days ago, I finally learned the truth.
They weren't dead at all.
Kathleen had tricked them into going abroad.
Three whole years.
For three years, Kathleen had been using my phone to send them messages, telling them I was fine—while I rotted away in that hellhole, and they had no idea.
"Kathleen."
I looked into her eyes and decided to give her one last chance.
"Is there anything you've been hiding from me?"
She blinked, then reached over to ruffle my hair.
"Silly. How could I ever hide anything from you?"
I lowered my gaze, my eyes dimming.
"Good."
After a pause, I said, "I miss my parents."
"First thing tomorrow, I'll take you to visit their graves."
I asked about my parents' estate—surely they would have left me something.
But Kathleen's answer came out halting, evasive.
"Everything happened so suddenly. Before I could even sort through their affairs, I was framed and thrown in prison."
"But now I have plenty of time to investigate what really happened back then."
Her gaze flickered. She took my hand.
"Abner, maybe your parents aren't really dead. Maybe there's still hope."
Ha.
The three-year mark was almost here. She'd lied to me about my parents' deaths, and now she couldn't keep the story straight anymore.
So she pivoted—claimed there might be hope after all.
Too bad. She'd already squandered her last chance.
A few days later, Kathleen made an excuse about a business meeting. In reality, she was going to see Nathan.
I watched the clock hands creep toward midnight, then scattered sleeping pills across the floor.
The doctor called. "Everything's ready."
I nodded and sent Kathleen a message.
"Kathleen, your punishment won. You wanted to back Nathan up? Fine. Take everything."
"Take my life too."
At that same moment, a phone buzzed frantically.
