Marla’s POV
The next morning, I was already out of the hospital.
I was feeling fine now. It wasn’t that serious, just a high fever that quickly went away.
“Matthew, please take me to the welfare home first. I need to visit the children and the director.”
“Yes, Lady Marla,” he replied, and he immediately took me there.
As expected, Jason didn’t come with me.
What did I even expect from him? Ever since Shane came into our lives, he hardly had time for me anymore.
He always had time for his woman. He didn’t even visit me earlier at the hospital. He only knew I was discharged and that I was heading home today. But that’s not going to happen.
When we got to the welfare home, I got out of the car. I wasn’t surprised when a lot of kids immediately ran up to me.
“Marla!” they all shouted. I was so happy. I knelt down in front of them and hugged each one tightly.
“How are you all?” I asked.
“We’re fine,” they answered in unison. I was so happy to see how cute they all were.
We headed straight to the main building, where we were greeted by the director.
“Marla, how are you? I’m glad you could visit us,” she said.
She walked up to me, and I hugged her tightly. The director was a sweet, 50-year-old woman. She greeted Matthew with a kiss on the cheek. Then, she looked me over from head to toe. Before she could say anything, I spoke up.
“I’m fine. Don’t worry too much about me,” I told her. She just smiled at me.
“Matthew, can you look after the kids for a while? I’ll just have a chat with Marla. It’ll be just the two of us.”
“Sure, kids, let’s go play,” Matthew said as he led the kids away. I saw them happily running off, and then I moved a little further away with Ms. Rose.
Once we were out of earshot, she turned to me. “You need to take care of yourself. I know the truth. You’re not happy. I can see it in your eyes.”
I gave her a small, sad smile. “I’m just going to travel. You don’t need to worry about me. I’m only here to say goodbye. Because… I might not come back.”
She looked at me with concern, but I continued, “But I’ll be okay, so whatever you hear about me, don’t panic, okay?”
She smiled back. “I trust you. You will live a better life.” She hugged me tightly. “Take care, always, Marla. I know you will find your happiness.”
I gave Ms. Rose one last smile before I walked away from her.
I went to see Matthew. “I’ll be leaving first. I already said my goodbye to her.”
We exchanged a look, one that only the two of us understood. He nodded at me. “Okay, Lady Marla. I’ll see you later.”
I looked at the kids. “Goodbye, children. I’ll see you all soon,” I said to them.
“When will you come back, Marla?” they asked, their cute voices echoing in my ears.
“I’ll be traveling,” I replied. I knelt down in front of them, cupped their cheeks, and gently stroked them.
“But I’ll make sure you get the life you deserve.” I stood up straight, turned my back to them, and left. I walked away first. I headed straight for the car that Matthew and I had used earlier.
He’ll use a different car.
When I reached a road where no one could see us, a remote road, I didn’t wait long before I saw Matthew’s car.
He got out, and then I did the same.
“Is the body ready?” I asked him.
“Yes, Lady Marla,” he answered, pulling out the body that looked exactly like mine.
It was a duplicate of my body, the one I’d been planning from the start.
He placed it in the driver’s seat. I was wearing a red dress now, and the duplicate body wore the same outfit. My makeup and even my hairstyle were exactly the same as the body’s.
Once everything was set, Matthew handed me the detonation button. I climbed into his car and, after we had driven a little further, he looked at me.
“Are you ready, Lady Marla?”
I smiled, laughing maniacally.
Then, I pressed the button.
“I’m more than ready,” I said, my voice filled with confidence.
I pulled out the SIM card and threw it out the window.
And in that moment, I knew everything was over, and my plan for escape was finally happening.
