The Unholy Bride: In God's Name, I Kill

Chapter 23: Who Is She?

I rolled down my car window, letting the fresh air rush against my face as my scarf danced in the breeze. The wind carried the scent of freshly cut grass and wildflowers—cool and earthy, yet bitter at the same time. A soothing calm washed over me, and I found myself humming my wedding song, a sharp contrast to the chaos unfolding in my life.

When Roman and Enzo buried Catherine and Mason, they also dug their own graves. They didn't know it yet, but they would soon. A day or two from now, perhaps? I mentally shrugged. Who knows?

Taking a bite of the Snickers bar in my hand, I couldn't help but chuckle at the memory of what I'd done this morning—handing out flyers to literlly anyone who crossed my path. Roman and his brother-in-law had completely lost it, making the entire family to search for Catherine and Mason when we all knew they were already dead. We even filed a missing persons report with the police to make it all seem plausible.

I had to admit, it was a clever move to divert suspicion in the wrong direction.

Rumors were already spreading through the neighborhood, claiming that Catherine and Mason had been having an affair and ran away together. While the affair was true, the running away part wasn't—unless, of course, they rose from the dead.

After almost an hour of driving, I reached my destination. I pulled over, stepped out of the car, and stared at the old building in front of me, which looked as if it had been standing there since the '70s. It sat alone in the vast field, with wild bushes and vines creeping up its walls. The sign near the roof had almost completely faded, its paint clinging to the surface beneath the faint glow of a flickering bulb.

I read the faded letters aloud in my mind: Havenleaf Psychiatric Hospital.

My curiosity had been tormenting me ever since I heard about this place from the woman who answered the call using the digits I had unraveled from the figurine's shadow. Something whispered that I needed to feed the questions in my head, so I decided to visit.

I was unaware of who or what might greet me inside the hospital, but determination pushed me to take steps forward. My breath and footsteps echoed through the empty halls as my eyes scanned the surroundings, only to find myself alone in the corridor—no patients, no staff. The place felt abandoned, yet I was certain something was waiting for me.

"Hi!"

My soul nearly left my body when someone suddenly appeared from the dark and flashed a smile right in front of my face, which faded when she saw my reaction.

"Did I startle you?" the nurse asked. "I'm sorry, ma'am."

I took a deep breath and licked my lower lip. "It's fine. I-I was just..."

"I'm Erica," she interrupted, offering her hand with another smile. "The nurse who talked to you on the phone. Remember me?"

I nodded my head. "Yes. I'm here to visit–"

"Right!" she exclaimed, cutting me off again. "This way, ma'am."

She didn't wait for my response and quickly turned her back to escort me, so I followed her, until she stopped on the last door at the right side of the hallway.

"I've been her nurse for ten years, but in all that time, she's only spoken to me once—when she slapped me because I accidentally spilled milk on her," Erica said, wincing at the memory. "She's grumpy, always zoning out, and doesn't talk. No one ever visits her, so I'm glad you're here!"

I nodded without looking at her face because my attention was focused on the doorknob as I grew impatient for her to twist it. So when she finally did, I didn't waste a second to step in, only to be greeted by someone's back.