Chapter 98 05: I Can’t Wait to Kill the Both of You
Her brow furrowed, confusion flashing across her face. “Ava, what are you saying?”
I saw it then. In her eyes.
Fear.
Shock.
“Stop calling me that,” I whispered, leaning closer, my smile fading into something colder. “I’m not Ava. My name is Emily.”
The words hit her like a blow. She recoiled instantly, leaning back, her spine slamming against the driver’s door. Her breath caught, her lips parted, trembling.
And I knew then— I had said too much.
My expression changed immediately.
My eyebrows lifted in confusion.
“Mommy?” I said softly.
Her lips parted but no words came out.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, tilting my head slightly.
My voice turned innocent.
“Are you okay?”
She kept staring at me.
Her breathing uneven.
But she didn’t answer.
The rest of the drive home passed in silence.
A thick, suffocating silence.
The Mercedes rolled through the iron gates of the estate and into the long driveway leading toward the massive mansion.
The car stopped.
Before I could even unbuckle my seatbelt—
Maggie threw open the driver’s door.
She rushed out of the car.
Her heels clacked rapidly against the pavement as she ran toward the house.
She didn’t look back.
Not once.
I calmly opened my own door.
Stepped out.
Closed it.
Then walked toward the mansion.
The front door was still swinging slightly from the force of her entry.
Inside, the house was quiet.
Too quiet.
I climbed the grand staircase slowly, my hand gliding along the polished wooden railing.
Step.
Step.
Step.
At the top of the stairs I turned down the long hallway.
My bedroom door stood at the far end.
I pushed it open and stepped inside.
Then shut it behind me.
I sat down on the edge of my bed.
Waiting.
Patient.
Just as I predicted—
Voices erupted down the hallway.
Maggie’s voice.
Loud.
Panicked.
Terrified.
I couldn’t hear every word, but the fear in her tone was unmistakable.
Another voice answered her.
Toby.
My father.
Her husband.
The conversation went on for several minutes.
Then—
Footsteps approached.
They stopped outside my door.
Knock. Knock.
“Ava,” Toby's voice called gently.
The door creaked open as he pushed it inward.
“Honey, can I come in?”
“Yes, daddy,” I replied sweetly.
Toby stepped inside smiling.
He walked over and sat down beside me on the bed.
“How was school today?” he asked casually.
I brightened immediately.
“It was great, dad!” I said excitedly. “I made two new friends today. Emma and Freya.”
His eyebrows lifted.
“Oh really?”
“Yes!” I nodded eagerly. “Emma one of the new friends I made, brought this huge Lego set to school and we built it together during lunch.”
Toby chuckled softly.
“That sounds fun.”
Then his expression shifted slightly.
“Ava,” he said carefully, “your mom mentioned something.”
I tilted my head.
“What did she say?”
“She said you called yourself someone else,” he continued, watching my face closely. “And that you said some… strange things.”
“Like what?”
He hesitated.
“She said you called yourself Emily.”
I blinked.
“Who’s Emily?”
Toby's shoulders relaxed a little.
“She’s no one you need to worry about, sweetheart.”
I looked down at my hands.
Then back up at him.
“Is mommy sick?”
His eyelid twitched slightly.
“Why do you ask that?”
I shrugged.
“I’ve been seeing her take drugs,” I said quietly.
His gaze sharpened.
“And today she suddenly got really agitated. She started yelling at me.”
My lips trembled slightly.
“She even grabbed my tablet and threw it out of the car while we were driving.”
My voice grew smaller.
“I was really scared.”
Toby immediately pulled me into his arms.
“I’m sorry you had to experience that,” he murmured, rubbing my back gently.
“Mom takes medication for her anxiety. She must have forgotten today.”
We stayed like that for a full minute.
Then he stood.
“Is she going to be okay?” I asked softly.
“She will,” he said reassuringly.
He turned and walked out of the room.
The door clicked shut behind him.
Silence returned.
I stared at the closed door for several seconds.
Then slowly—
A smile crept across my face.
I leaned back against the bed and whispered quietly to myself.
“This is just the beginning.”
My fingers curled slightly into the sheets.
“I can’t wait to kill the both of you.”