6
I floated around the room, bored.
The reaper was busy messing with his ledger.
Soon, Sarah and Mark came home.
They immediately started telling my parents
about the wedding plans.
My parents perked up, all smiles and good
cheer.
<
My dad poured tea.
My mom made a fruit platter.
The four of them got along great.
Sarah said the wedding was too expensive.
After they put a down payment on the house,
they only had twenty grand left.
My dad hesitated, then handed over his car
keys, told her to drive his car for three years
and then sell it.
My mom hesitated, too, but she let Sarah put
the house on the market.
Sarah and Mark thanked my parents
profusely.
L
The two of them took the keys and the deed
and went upstairs.
The second they were gone, my mom started
crying.
“We gave them everything. Where are we
gonna live?”
My dad put his arms around her. “We’ll rent.
We can take the subway. We have two million
from Jake’s death, right? We can’t give them
that money. We need that for our retirement,
so we can live with Song.”
The reaper whispered in my ear, “Two million.
And they expect to retire and take care of
you? Those two must want you to retire so
they can use your disability checks”
I didn’t say anything.
My heart was already dead.
When Sarah and Mark got to their room.
They immediately put the house and car up
for sale.
After listing with an agency.
The car would get them about ten grand.
The house would get them a million.
They were thrilled.
Mark, who was used to living a simple life,
was surprised. “Those old folks really like
L
Sarah tossed her head. “Of course. I’m the
woman their precious son loved.”
Mark touched Sarah’s chin and smiled. “If
Jake loved you so much, why did you two get
a divorce? I saw the divorce papers in your
desk.”
I gasped.
Jake and Sarah got divorced?
Why?
Jake loved her so much!
What happened?
Sarah pushed Mark’s hand away. “Don’t
blame me for that. He was never home. I was
く
always alone. It was lonely.”
Now I knew what Sarah had been up to.
Sarah was cheating.
The baby she lost wasn’t Jake’s.
Jake calmly divorced Sarah, but Sarah didn’t
want to give up this meal ticket.
She saw Jake as an ATM.
She did everything she could to betray him.
The night before Jake went on the mission to
catch the drug lord…
She’d leaked his plans in a local bar chat
group!
L
Jake was shot without knowing about it!
I was shaking all over.
I could feel the rage building inside me.
And Sarah and Mark were still talking.
“Blame those two old fools downstairs. They
believe all those fake screenshots I made.
You think they really care about me? They
just don’t want their daughter going to court,
so they’ll do anything I say.”
“So, now that we’ve sucked them dry, we can
kick them out, right?”
Sarah shook her head. “Not yet. There’s still
that insurance money from Jake’s death. And
་་༦་
ཕ, t“༦y 9༦་ ་
It’s good to have them, do us as
housekeepers and chauffeurs, all their income
pays for us.
Mark nodded. “True. And when they die, we
get a payout too. You’re so smart.”
They laughed.
I floated in the air, turning red with rage.
My eyes were wide, and I was screaming.
I wanted to kill Sarah!
