That week felt like hell. He drugged me, he shocked me, and he used every twisted trick in his book. He knew how to hurt without leaving marks, how to make pain crawl under my skin until I wished I was dead. Every time I woke, it was to more pain. I begged God to just let me die in my sleep, but my body kept dragging me back.
When Wilbert finally came, I was so weak I couldn’t even stand straight. I looked like a ghost.
He frowned at me like I was some puzzle he couldn’t figure out. “Why do you look so pale?” he asked. His tone wasn’t worry. It was annoyance, like I had embarrassed him.
I stayed quiet. What was the point of talking?
Nivianne got out of the car, smiling like a cat that had just eaten the bird. “What else could it be? She’s pretending. She just wants to make you worry.”
He looked like he was about to say something, but then his phone buzzed. He checked it, and I saw his face change. He didn’t even hesitate. “Tonight is Nivianne’s birthday. Get ready. You’re coming with me.” He grabbed my arm and pulled me into the car before I could say a word.
I didn’t fight. My father and my brother were already safe, thanks to Wilbert’s grandfather. All that was left was my last step.
That night, we went to her yacht party. Music and laughter filled the air, but all I felt was hollow. I hadn’t even stepped far when Nivianne blocked me at the stairs.
She leaned close and whispered with a smirk. “Strange. Why aren’t you cured yet? I told the doctor to shock you harder. Or maybe the drugs he used on you expired? Tell me, how did it feel? Like ants crawling inside your veins? Like bee stings tearing your skin? Was it fun?”
I didn’t even look at her. I just kept texting Wilbert’s father about the plan. Tonight was the night.
She slapped my phone out of my hand, and it cracked against the floor. Her eyes glittered with triumph.
I laughed. “You’re very proud, aren’t you?” I leaned against the railing and looked her dead in the eye. “Do you really think you’ve won? You risked everything, schemed day and night, and still—Wilbert hasn’t divorced me. You know what he told me? He said he only keeps you around out of gratitude for helping him when he was younger. But his heart has always been mine. Once your usefulness is over, he’ll let you go.”
Her face turned white, then red.