Chapter 24: The Player

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I descended the grand staircase slowly, the hem of my long white dress trailing along the steps. I didn't bother to lift it, my focus fixed solely on the man slouched on the couch, a glass of whiskey in his hand. His face was flushed from endless drinking, his hair disheveled as if birds had been nesting in it, and his eyes sunken from countless sleepless nights.

"You should rest, Enzo," I said and sat beside him, my gaze drifting to the scattered bottles of liquor on the table before us.

He shook his head and drained his glass in one go. "This is the only way I can keep breathing."

A smirk tugged at the corner of my lips, one I made no effort to hide because he wasn't even looking at me. His attention was elsewhere, staring at the bottles with his gloomy dark eyes.

It was strangely satisfying to see him so wrecked. But, unfortunately, this would be the last time—if my plan succeeded. If it worked, his misery would finally come to an end, and I could move on to the next step.

It was basically hitting two birds with one stone. So, I hoped my husband had good aim—because today, he was my chosen player. Once he found what I planted in his phone, this whole place would explode—not literally, but it wasn't entirely impossible either.

"Don't blame yourself too much, Enzo," I told the man beside me, my voice laced with sympathy. But inside, I was rolling my eyes and gagging.

"I-I killed my wife.." he whispered, voice cracking as tears began to stream down his face.

Sighing, I caressed his back in an attempt for comfort. "It's her fault that she's dead."

His gaze shot up to me, his brows furrowed and a slight glare in his eyes.

I quickly pulled my hand away from his back and nervously swallowed as my eyes darted around, searching for an excuse.

"I-I mean... it's in the Bible. The 7th Commandment of the Lord: Exodus 20:14—You shall not commit adultery," I recited. "But she did. That's a grave sin. And while it's the Lord who should deliver punishment, there are times when we must take matters into our own hands."

"Is this how you used to evangelize at the church when you were still a nun?" he asked, chuckling a little.

I softly chuckled as well while nodding my head. "I should leave you now, Enzo. See you," in hell...

He merely nodded at me, pouring another shot into his glass without giving me his full attention.

As I stood up, I smoothed the wrinkles on my dress before walking away. "Let's go, Scarlette," I called to the little girl descending the grand staircase, her tiny hands rubbing at her eyes as she yawned from her late afternoon nap.

Grabbing her hand, I quickened our pace to leave this behind. I knew I had left something—a piece of myself—sitting there on the couch where I had been, but I didn't look back to retrieve it.

My diary rested where I had been sitting on the couch, its reflection catching the scene behind me through the golden statue across my path. I watched as Enzo picked it up and began flipping through the pages. A smirk crossed my face—just as I'd hoped, everything was falling into place.

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