Jekyll's Wife

Chapter Thirty Three - Cool Revenge

"I hate you." She promised, darting to the right as he tried to change direction so that he could grab her. His face was twisting with anger, his frame becoming stiffer. "I know you say that he is evil, but you are wrong. You are no gentleman, you are the monster. He has done nothing but care for me, where as you have beaten me and even raped me." She spat, her hands slamming onto the table top for effect.

He went to talk but she spoke over him, "enough." She spat, "I have had enough of you. For weeks I thought that somehow I had my husband back - that you'd finally woken up and realised that you loved me, but it was never true. I was never enough. It's typical that the only way I ever had you, was when science had forced a part of you to recognise me as your wife. You know all through those weeks of him visiting me at night, I had the strangest feeling that I was cheating on you, but I wasn't. He was the man who I'd loved, he was the parts of you that I needed. If anything I've cheated on him, with you. I know about Rollins. I know about the experiment. I know that you are not split good and evil."

Shock caused him to pause in his game of cat and mouse with her around the table. His eyes were wide as saucers and his fists, which had been clenched and no doubt ready to hurt her, lost their grip. "I know you killed Mrs Moore and I don't know why. I don't know why you killed her children either, but it was nothing to do with good or bad, and everything to do with the monster that you have become." Her voice became hoarse and her throats burned. "How did you see this playing out, Jonathon? Did you think that he'd go to prison and we'd move away to live happily ever after? Do you really think I'd leave him to rot in there? You know as well as I do that I have only every truly loved one of you. And it most definitely isn't you."

He growled, "Maria. You should watch your tongue." He shifted direction and went to grab her, but Maria darted back and avoided his hands. Just.

"No I shouldn't. It's about time we were honest. I've been playing the good little wife to a murderer, a monster." She spat, as she grabbed a discarded glass from the table and threw it at his head. As he cursed and ducked, she turned and ran through the house, eager to get a weapon - something to end this with.

As she tripped into his office and began frantically searching his desk for the gun she was convinced he kept there, she could hear him storming down the corridor.

As he entered the office her fingers gripped the hilt of a blade and she grasped and pulled it from the draw, panic seeping through her as she held the letter opener up at an angle.

"Maria." He reasoned, as he stood opposite the desk and watched her, as though trying to calm a wild animal.

"There is no need for this. If you stop now, I will forgive you for everything you've said. He's gone now, which means that we can move on from this place and be together. He's dead Maria. There is nothing left for you here."

He's gone now? Anger burned within her again. He was gone because he'd taken him from her.

Maria screamed and moved round the desk, ready to stab him, but he moved and kept the desk between them. "Maria. I mean it." He grounded out, she could see the anger building within him, but it was clear that we was trying to at least pretend that he could forgive her.

"Maria if you stop now, I will not even punish you. Give me the letter opener." He commanded, holding out his palm across the desk.

Forgive her? He thought she wanted his forgiveness? Anger hummed within Maria, she didn't want his forgiveness, she wanted him dead.

Maria's mouth twisted into a smile as she jammed the letter opener down and through his hand. Her strength wasn't enough to force it right through, but it was enough to make him cry out in pain.

She laughed as he roared and pulled his hand away, taking the letter opener with it, making her mirth falter. "You shouldn't have done that." He growled as he dived over the desk for her.

She screamed, turned and ran, putting distance between them. Her lungs burned as she ran towards kitchen, but she skidded to a halt as a loud knock rapped against the front door. She could hear him chasing her up the corridor, but he too paused, as the person knocked again.

She spared a wild glance at him, to see him waiting in the shadows, a dangerous glint in his eye. "Maria Lantmore. This is the Police. Open the door." She froze, her head flicking back to him.

He shook his head, his eyes narrowing on her. She witness the moment he'd decided to stop her; to silence her anyway he could.

She sucked in a lungful of air and darted to the door, ripping it open, relief flooding through her as the detectives stood on her doorstep went to speak.

A loud bang had her spinning around to find that her husband had run out the back door.