Chapter 121 A.... Murderer

Chapter 121 A.... Murderer
“Vince isn't who you think he is. Everything is a setup.” 

My mind slowly began to drift towards Vince’s behaviour during the time of Ken’s death, especially the warning Ken gave me.

“He paid those men, Alyssa. He’s been feeding you lies since the moment you met.”

Ken warned me….

Vince was being blackmailed, always stressed and was having nightmares too.

Back then, I trusted his words blindly.

I embraced all the lies he fed me. 

“He is being blackmailed by one of the men he hired! He’s not your hero, he’s your captor!”

I slapped Ken back then when he tried to tell me the truth.

What if he was right all along?

I chose Vince over the world, chose his manipulation, his lies, his drama and proudly called him my saviour afterwards.

That night I decided to go back to the room, Vince was shocked to find me back but I kept a straight face.

“You’re back?” He asked softly.

“I couldn’t sleep.” 

Giving a short reply, I grabbed a separate blanket and laid on the farthest corner of the bed.

Vince watched me quietly for the next few seconds before lying down on his side with a mutter “At least you are here.” 

We shared the bed that brought nothing but a coldness that settled deep into my bones.

My chest tightened terribly.

That wasn’t what I desired.

That was not the future I had begun to plan for us.

Why did this always happen to me? Why must I lose the man I love?

My head turned slightly, only to find Vince staring at me with a keenness which I had begun to question now.

Was it real? Or another lie?

“Alyssa….”

“Yes?” I whispered in a hoarse voice.

“I am sorry.” He whispered back, a trace of pain lingering in his voice. “But do not hurt yourself for my actions.”

A cold smile adorned my lips, remembering the day Vince promised to be my protector and I wholeheartedly let him.

“Marry me, Alyssa, I am willing to become your safe-shelter. Let me save you,” 

I repeated those words out loud.

“What?” My eyes narrowed, “That is what you said when I was going to kill myself that night, Vince. You saved me.” 

I tilted my head to look at him through the heartache. 

My lips quivering, every moment we shared together flashing before my eyes.

But, the emptiness crushed my very heart.

My lips began to quiver, “What can I do when my very love is my curse?”

“A failed love is not a reason to die.” Vince retorted, turning his head to stare at the ceiling. 

He had locked his emotions perfectly.

Not allowing me to see more than he allowed me to.

“You said you wanted to save me from the same outcome as your sister Lucia.” I spoke up again, vacuously dying to hear more.

“I did.” He paused, adding quietly, but not holding a slightest remorse, “Mixed with my own selfish desire.”

“I don’t think I can ever trust you or anything in this marriage ever again, Vince.” 

“I know.” 

At this point, he had accepted that.

We both had.

Our marriage was ruined, the trust in it had been killed. 

“Nothing can fix what I did.” He took a deep breath, hardening his heart so I won’t be able to reach it and search for reasons.

“Either accept the truth or not. I have nothing to give you anymore.”

Unable to continue the conversation, he turned around and faced the wall.

I closed my eyes in defeat too.

Can this marriage be fixed?

No. It couldn’t. 

But the truth?

I needed the truth. If not myself, but I could provide justice to the soul lost in his game of revenge, I would help.

To gain more information about it, I decided to meet Sadie who was still mourning her husband’s death. 

Sadie shifted her weight, one hand resting protectively over her swollen, pregnant belly.

“I didn't know,” Sadie said, her voice hollow and exhausted.

She kept her gaze fixed on the floorboards of her mother’s cramped living room. 

“When he was alive, I didn't know any of it. I thought he was just… struggling with his contracts.”

I sat across from her, my hands clamped together to hide their trembling. “But you know now. About Vince.”

Sadie finally looked up, her red-rimmed eyes flashing with a sudden, bitter anger. 

“After the funeral, the hospital bills and mortgage threats kept coming. I have a baby on the way, Alyssa. I was desperate, so I tore through his private bank accounts.”

She let out a wet, humorless laugh. 

“That’s when I found the transfers. Thousands and thousands of dollars.”

I swallowed hard. I had seen those transfers before Ken’s death. The threats themselves.

“And the name buried behind the shell accounts? Vince’s primary holding company.”

Hearing the accusation from Arden was one thing. 

Hearing the undeniable proof from the grieving widow of the man who had supposedly loved me was a waking nightmare.

“Before he died... did he say anything?” I whispered.

“I was already furious with him,” Sadie's voice cracked, tears finally spilling over her cheeks. 

“I knew he was keeping secrets. He was hiding something.”

“You dind’t know?” I asked, tilting my head.

She shook her head.

“I had no idea Ken was hired. Ours was a normal love affair. That he loved me more than you. I never knew….” She paused, trying to stay strong.

“But when I suspected something was wrong, I packed my bags and came here to my mother's house.”

The tears began to emerge in her eyes which she desperately tried to hold back.

“I was so incredibly angry that he was giving me and our unborn child a life built on complete lies.”

She wiped her face aggressively, her breathing turning ragged.

“He came here the night before it happened,” she sobbed, pointing a shaking finger toward the front door. 

“He begged me to come home. He swore he was going to cut ties and walk away from the deal. He promised me he wouldn't do it anymore.”

I closed my eyes, the memory of Vince’s hollow, empty confession echoing in my ears.

“And the very next morning, the police called,” Sadie choked out, gripping the armrest. 

“They said he jumped.”

“Sadie…”

“He didn't jump, Alyssa!” 

She leaned forward, her voice dropping into a fierce, venomous hiss that made me shiver.

“I can't prove it. I know his death was not an accident. Vince pushed him off that roof!”

Sadie began to weep, hiding her face in her stand while I was utterly stunned.

“Vince is too powerful, and he owns everyone in this city… A simple woman like me can’t do anything….” 

I sat entirely frozen, staring at the desperate woman before me.

Knowing with a terrifying certainty that she was telling the absolute truth.

And my husband was indeed a…. murderer….