Twenty Years of Marriage Reduced to One and Two Chapter 05

Twenty Years of Marriage Reduced to One and Two Chapter 05

“Maris! Maris! Are you okay?” 

Alaric’s anger shattered in an instant, replaced by overwhelming fear. 

That sickening sound of something piercing through 

flesh. 

The burst of blood. 

It drove straight into his chest like a nail. 

He froze for half a second, then rushed forward and grabbed me, pulling me up from the pool of blood. 

He called my name again and again. 

No response. 

My body was still warm in his arms, but my breathing 

was fading. 

Regret hit him all at once. 

He never meant for this to happen. 

He’d just found out Corinne had come here alone, 

afraid she’d run into me and get hurt, so he rushed 

back. 

But the moment he walked in, he saw his wife–usually 

gentle, quiet–like a stranger. Like a madwoman. 

She was straddling Corinne. 

Straddling the mother of his child. 

Something inside his head snapped. 

He rushed forward and kicked. Hard. 

He never thought that single kick would lead to this. 

“Maris… say something. Please. Just answer me once.” 

He dropped to his knees, afraid to even touch me in 

case he made it worse. 

His voice broke as he called my name over and over. 

Behind him, Corinne moved. 

She walked over in a few quick steps, her tone soft as 

she comforted him while dialing her phone. 

“Hello, St. Aurelius Medical Center? Someone was 

injured in an accident. The address is…” 

She listed the address effortlessly. 

Only after she hung up did she let out a breath and gently pat his shoulder. 

“Relax. That stab won’t kill her.” 

“What we need now is control the narrative. Make 

everyone believe, make her parents believe, that this 

was an accident.” 

“Alaric, you’re a core researcher at Argent National Research Institute. You’re one of their top talents. 

You’re the future for me and the baby.” 

“Your reputation, your career… nothing can go wrong.” 

Looking into her bright, steady eyes, Alaric felt 

something cold spread through his body. 

For the first time. 

A memory he had buried deep began to surface. 

He was fifteen when his parents died in a car accident, 

one the police ruled an accident. 

But Corinne never let it go. She brought a group of 

teenagers and cornered him on the school field. 

They hurled soccer balls at him, cut him with a knife, 

forced him to his knees, then dragged him around the 

field like a dog. 

Laughter rang out all around him. 

Corinne smiled sweetly, stepped on his head, and 

spoke softly. 

“It was just an accident…” 

The memories he’d buried clawed their way back. 

Alaric pressed a hand to his chest. 

He looked at Corinne. 

Then at me, dying in his arms. 

Disbelief filled his eyes. 

And then his body gave out. 

He collapsed.