Borrowed Guilt

"Babe, where are you going today?"

Wesley Snyder's eyes flickered with panic the moment he saw me packing. Without thinking, he reached out and grabbed the handle of my suitcase.

"Did you forget what day it is?

"I already bought all the groceries. What kind of stunt is this?"

I slowly lifted my head. Sweat was already beading on Wesley's forehead.

"Our one-year anniversary. I know," I said calmly. "However, the company just called me in for a business trip. I don't have a choice."

He smacked his lips, then tugged on my arm like a kid trying to get his way.

"You have to leave tonight?

"Can't you ask for a day off? Say something came up? This is our first anniversary. It matters..."

"No." I cut him off, my patience gone. I yanked my suitcase free and pulled it past him.

His hand froze in midair. The smile on his face faded, and when he looked at me again, there was something darker in his eyes. Something bitter.

When he spoke again, his voice was hoarse. "You really have to go, don't you?

"Fine. Nevaeh. If you walk out that door today, we're getting divorced."

I turned, disgust curling in my chest, and shot him a glance. "Sure."

Then, I pulled the door open and stepped out. At the same time, my ride-share driver called me.

"You're at the entrance? Okay, I'll be right there." I slammed the door behind me, cutting off Wesley's shouting completely.

The moment I got into the car, my phone rang again: Wesley.

I answered, holding the phone slightly away from my ear as his voice exploded through the speaker. "Our anniversary, and you're going off with someone else? Are you insane?

"Or is there someone else already? Nevaeh, if you don't come back right now, we're getting divorced!"

I moved the phone even farther away, then hung up. Just to be safe, I blocked his number. Then, I blocked every other way he had to contact me.

Only when my phone finally went silent did I let out a long, heavy breath.

I already knew how that day would end.

In my previous life, on that exact day, everything had been arranged by Wesley. We stayed home and celebrated our anniversary together.

That night, just before I fell asleep, I accidentally overheard him on the phone with Lily Baker.

Lily was the one he could never have, the woman he never got over. They had been forced apart by his mother, all because Lily could not have children.

Later, when Wesley married me, he confessed about everything. He told me about Lily. He swore to me, over and over, that he would cut her off completely. That I would be the only one he loved.

"You can relax," he had said on the phone.

"I've already arranged everything.

"Don't be afraid. Just get a good night's sleep. By tomorrow, the police will have her in custody, and everything will be settled."

Hearing those words, an icy unease had crept into my chest. However, I said nothing. I told myself I was overthinking it. I wish I had trusted that feeling.

The next morning, several police officers knocked on my door.

"Are you Nevaeh?"

I nodded, confused. "Yes… Did something happen?"

"You are suspected of involvement in a serious murder case. Please come with us."

As they spoke, they moved to put handcuffs on me. I stumbled back, panic surging through me.

"What are you talking about? When did I kill anyone?"

The way they looked at me turned sharp, almost hostile.

"Last night, you broke into a family's home and kidnapped their newborn baby.

"To silence them, you ran over the parents when they tried to take the child back. You even drove over their bodies multiple times.

"Nevaeh Charlton, you are under arrest."

Before I could react, two officers twisted my arms behind my back.

"I'm innocent!" I shouted. "Last night I was at home with my husband. We were celebrating our anniversary!

"I didn't go anywhere. If you don't believe me, ask my husband!"

Wesley looked at me, a flicker of surprise crossing his face. However, when he spoke, his tone was strange. Detached.

"Nevaeh… I drank too much last night. I don't know where you went.

"I only remember that when you came back, you smelled like blood.

"If you did something wrong, you should just go with the police."

His words slammed into me like a final verdict. Like nails driven into a coffin.

"It was Lily, wasn't it?" I shouted, my voice breaking. "You planned this together. You set me up to take the fall!"