Dead By Now : A Murder Mystery [COMPLETED]

Chapter Eleven: Subtly Cruel

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Ophelia did not have to keep blackmailing Layla for long, they had become quite good friends within only a few months of their arrangement. Layla eventually started visiting Ophelia's mother and taking care of her needs sincerely out of genuine concern for her. She felt bad for Ophelia after having gotten to know her better and she herself ended her affair with Ophelia's husband, over a letter that would later cause Ophelia a great deal of trouble.

They always kind of knew, however, that their arrangement had an expiration date. It couldn't go on forever. But what they didn't know was that it would come so soon.

Ophelia realized that it was very close, when she first heard that Layla's parents were looking for a husband for her. It didn't take them long to find one either, and Layla was supposed to get married within the next three to four months.

Ophelia was too scared of Elwood to ever even try to visit her mother behind his back. And now she was going to have no one to do it for her.

Evelyn would do it for her in a heartbeat, Ophelia thought. But she could not ask her, she knew, because if Elwood ever found out she couldn't even imagine the things he'd do to her. She had already always blamed herself for Nicholas's murder, she couldn't bear to be responsible for another innocent person's death.

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There was nothing else she would think of for the days that were to come except for the promise she had once made to her mother, "I would never let anything bad happen to you as long as I am alive," with tears in her eyes. It was in those moments that she learned what it really meant to be truly alone, helpless, and hopeless. She wouldn't have had anyone to live for had she lost her mother.

At the moment, she did not know how or if she was even ever going to be able to do it, but she promised herself one thing, she wasn't going to let anything happen to her mother. She would keep her promise and protect her, no matter what it took.

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