She just pulled him inside closed the door and kissed him. Right there in the entrance hall. Under the chandelier that Desmond had bought.
On the floor where Desmond had carried Monica over the threshold on their wedding day. The kiss was long and passionate. Nothing like the cold, quick pecks Monica used to give Desmond.
When they finally pulled apart, Elijah looked around the mansion with approval. So this is all yours now? He asked. Ours? Monica corrected with a smile.
Everything here is ours baby. The house, the cars, the money, all of it. Elijah grinned.
I have to admit when we first started planning this, I wasn’t sure it would actually work. But you were right. Desmond was so predictable.
So trusting. Planning this, there was again, confirmation that they had planned for Desmond to die. I told you, Monica said, leading Elijah into the living room.
I’ve been studying him for years. He followed the same routine every single day. I knew exactly how to make it look like an accident.
Desmond’s blood ran cold. Make it look like an accident? What did that mean? They sat on the couch, Desmond’s couch, and Elijah poured wine into two glasses. Tell me again, Elijah said with a smile.
Tell me how you planned it. Monica laughed and took a sip of wine. You want to hear the story again? You’re terrible.
I just love hearing how smart you are, Elijah said kissing her neck. Monica giggled, actually giggled, and began talking. Okay so, Desmond always drove himself on long business trips.
He liked the quiet time to think. So I knew that if something happened on one of those drives, it would look natural. An accident.
No one would question it. Desmond leaned closer to his phone, his heart pounding. I started researching car accidents, Monica continued.
How they happen. What causes them. And then I found someone who could help.
Who? Elijah asked. A mechanic. Someone who owed me a favor.
I had him check Desmond’s car a few weeks ago. Just a routine maintenance or so Desmond thought. But really the mechanic was, adjusting things.
Adjusting things? Elijah repeated fascinated. The brakes? Monica said simply. He made it so they would fail after a certain amount of driving.
Not immediately, that would be too suspicious. But after about two hours on the highway the brake fluid would leak out completely. Desmond wouldn’t be able to stop the car.
Desmond felt like he couldn’t breathe. His wife had tampered with his car. She had tried to kill him.
If he had actually driven that car on a real business trip, he would have crashed. He would have died. The fake death had saved his real life.
That’s brilliant, Elijah said clearly impressed. And when the accident happened no one would suspect anything. Just a tragic accident.
A widow left behind with a fortune. Exactly, Monica said proudly. And the best part? Desmond had no idea.
He trusted me completely. He never checked his car. He never questioned anything.
So when the police called and said there was an accident, Elijah said slowly, you must have been shocked that it actually happened so soon. Monica nodded enthusiastically. I was.
I thought it would take another week or two. But when they called and said his car crashed and burned on the highway I couldn’t believe our luck. Everything worked out perfectly.
She raised her glass. To perfect accidents. Elijah clinked his glass against hers.
To perfect accidents. And to us. They drank and then Elijah set down his glass and looked at Monica seriously.
So when can we start moving the money, he asked. 60 days, Monica said with a sigh. His stupid lawyer said the will has some kind of freeze on it.
Everything is locked for 60 days. Desmond must have added that clause recently. Maybe he was getting paranoid.
Can we break the freeze? Elijah asked. I don’t think so. Not without raising suspicion.
But it’s fine. 60 days will go by fast. And in the meantime, Monica smiled wickedly.
We can start planning our new life together. Where do you want to go? Elijah asked pulling her closer. Somewhere far away.
Maybe Europe. Paris maybe. Or Italy.
Somewhere we can live in luxury and never think about this boring city again. What about Desmond’s sister? Grace. Elijah asked.
Won’t she be suspicious if you leave the country so soon? Monica waved her hand dismissively. Grace is easy to handle. I’ll tell her I need time to heal.
That being in this house is too painful. She’ll understand. She might even encourage me to travel.
You’re so smart, Elijah said admiringly. I know, Monica replied with a confident smile. Desmond wanted to throw his phone across the room.
He wanted to scream. His wife hadn’t just been unfaithful. She hadn’t just waited for him to die.
She had actively tried to murder him. She had sabotaged his car. She had planned his death.
And now she was sitting in his house drinking his wine celebrating with her lover. There’s one more thing we need to discuss, Elijah said, his tone becoming more serious. What? Monica asked.
The company. Desmond’s company. It’s worth millions.
But you can’t run it alone. You don’t know anything about business. Monica frowned.
I know. I’ve been thinking about that. I have a solution, Elijah said smoothly.
Sell it. Sell the whole company. There are plenty of people who would pay top dollar for a successful business like Desmond’s.
We could make at least 30 or 40 million from the sale alone. Sell the company Desmond built? Monica said thoughtfully. That feels final.
That’s the point, Elijah said. We need to close this chapter completely. Sell everything.
The company this house the cars. Turn it all into cash. Then we disappear and start fresh somewhere else.
New names new lives. No connections to Desmond Adams at all. Monica thought about this for a moment then slowly smiled.
You’re right. Let’s burn it all down and start over. That’s my girl, Elijah said kissing her.
They talked for another hour about their plans. Where they would live. What they would buy.
How they would spend Desmond’s money. They talked about Desmond like he was nothing. Like he had been just an obstacle in their path.
A problem they had solved. Finally around 11 o’clock, Monica stood up and took Elijah’s hand. Come on, she said with a playful smile.
Let me show you the bedroom. Desmond closed the app immediately. He couldn’t watch that.
He wouldn’t. He sat in the dark apartment shaking with rage and pain. His wife had tried to kill him.
She had sabotaged his car hoping he would crash and die. And when she thought her plan had worked, she invited her lover into their home to celebrate. But there was something Monica didn’t know.
Something that would change everything. The mechanic she mentioned. The one who supposedly adjusted his brakes.
Desmond knew all his mechanics. He knew everyone who touched his cars. And he knew for a fact that no one had tampered with them.
Which meant Monica had paid someone to sabotage a car. But because Desmond had switched to a different car for his fake death plan, the sabotaged car was probably still sitting in his garage. Evidence.
Physical evidence of attempted murder. Desmond grabbed his phone and called Grace immediately. Grace, he said urgently when she answered.
I need you to do something. Tonight. Right now.
What is it? Grace asked hearing the intensity in his voice. Go to the mansion. But don’t go to the front door.
Monica has… company. Go to the garage. My silver car, the one I usually drive for long trips.
I need you to take pictures of the brake system. Every angle. Close up.
Everything. What? What’s going on? Monica admitted she hired someone to sabotage my brakes. She tried to kill me Grace.
She thought the fake accident was her plan working. That car in the garage is evidence of attempted murder. Grace was quiet for a moment.
Oh my god Desmond. She really tried to… she actually… I know. Can you do it? Can you get those pictures tonight? Yes.
Yes I’ll go right now. I’ll be careful. Monica won’t even know I was there.
Thank you. And Grace? Record everything. If you can get into the house somehow set up more cameras.
I need to document everything she does. I’ll handle it. You just… please take care of yourself.
This is getting dangerous. After hanging up, Desmond sat back and took a deep breath. The test was revealing more than he ever imagined.
Monica wasn’t just disloyal. She wasn’t just greedy. She was a murderer.
Or at least she had tried to be. And now Desmond had to decide how far would he let this go before he revealed himself. How much more could he watch before he broke? He looked at his phone.
The camera app was still there ready to show him whatever else Monica and Elijah were doing. But Desmond couldn’t bring himself to look. Not tonight.
Tonight he just sat in the darkness mourning the woman he thought he had married. Mourning the love that had never been real. Tomorrow he would watch again.
He would gather more evidence. He would wait for the perfect moment to reveal the truth. But tonight Desmond just grieved for the life he had lost.
Even though he was still alive. Grace moved quickly through the dark streets her heart pounding. It was past midnight now and the city was quiet.
She drove to the Addams mansion with her headlights off as she got closer. Not wanting to attract attention. She parked a block away and walked the rest of the distance staying in the shadows…
