Snippets of Time

12. Assassin

This story is dedicated to mellimack who was my first ever reader and has been constantly supportive throughout my writing journey. It's been one year since I met you and I am so lucky to have you as a friend! She is also a great writer herself and writes beautiful pieces with powerful messages so do check out her work! Thank you for always being there for me, Melli! ♥️

***

It's been three months since I started manipulating Melli.

And today might be the last day if I can finally get her to kill her husband.

"I've heard rumours about him," I whisper, hoping she'll take the bait.

She abruptly stops stirring her hot chocolate and turns to face me. "W-what kind of rumours?"

Perfect. She's falling straight into my trap.

"Oh, you know... I don't know how true they are but it's just stuff I've heard..." I mumble, perfectly aware that she already knows what I'm talking about.

She slams her mug on the table and seizes my wrist with a surprisingly firm hold, "Tell me what rumours!"

"Melli, it's..." I sigh and shake my head convincingly. "Okay, I'll tell you. I... I heard that he cheats. He has another mistress or a wife or someone... But look, Melli, don't believe everything you hear, okay. It might just be fake or—"

"I knew it!" Melli screeches, leaping off the sofa, her hands shaking uncontrollably. "I always knew he was cheating on me! I'm going to kill him. I swear I'm going to kill him!"

"Melli, wait!" I call out, feigning empathy in my voice. "It's probably just rumours. I know he goes away for days on end and gives you excuses all the time for his absence, but that's just what men are like! My husband acts the same, it might not mean he's cheating. There might be another explanation. You—"

"I don't want to hear any more," she snarls before her voice collapses into a heavy sob. "I know he's cheating on me. I've been noticing the signs for months. And now there are rumours too... I'm going to kill him."

And this time, I know she's serious. This time, I know the job is done.

With tears pricking her eyes and a three month old raging fire I had ignited brewing in her heart, Melli storms out of the door, almost splintering the wood with the force she slams it.

I place my own mug onto the table, the heat from the coffee gradually draining out of my hands.

Well, I think to myself as a smile creeps up onto my lips. Another man dead. Another job done. I'm doing pretty well, aren't I?

I send a text to my boss, saying the job is complete. She replies almost immediately, congratulating me. The payment will be through as soon as the woman kills her husband.

Which she will. Definitely.

It's a mysterious job, being an assassin. I don't know who my boss is, I don't know who my victim is. All I get is a name and I have to make acquaintance with the wife, befriend her and make her fall into my trap by manipulating her into taking her husband's life. I don't even get to meet the guy. But I guess it's safer that way—I don't need any sort of connection with someone who's about to be murdered.

Stifling a yawn, I realise it's almost twelve and head up to my bedroom. My own husband is usually back by now but there might have been traffic—he should be arriving soon. I want to wait for him before I go to bed but my eyes refuse to cooperate with my brain and the comfort of the blanket envelopes me into its enticing warmth. Within moments, I drift off into a soundless sleep.

When I wake up the next morning, the bed is still empty.

"Babe?" I call out to my husband but there is no reply from the quiet, empty house. I check my phone and there are no messages or calls from him either.

Where is he?

Maybe he's staying at a friend's house for the night. Maybe something came up and he couldn't make it home. Maybe...

My body shivers as I wrap the blanket around me tighter, but the warmth from before is all but gone.

Where is he?

***

A/N:
I posted this story on Reddit first, got a lot of mixed reviews where some people were saying the ending was clear and made sense but others didn't understand it until I had explained it and felt like it should have been more clear.
Please can I get some honest feedback on what you think so I can make any changes/improvements if necessary?
Thank you! ♥️

***

This story was written using the following prompt:
A female assassin kills her marks by seducing their wives and convincing them to murder their husbands.

This prompt can be found here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/omj3xf/wp_a_female_assassin_kills_her_marks_by_seducing/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

***

Written in Jul 2021