MoniqueWhen I was done with dinner, I cleaned up everything and even washed the dishes.Yeah, don’t judge me. I just... I don’t know. Maybe I wanted to make a crazy impression or maybe I just felt bad. Whatever it was, I washed the dishes.I went back to my room, drank my medicine. I knew the timing for taking them was off, but yeah, what else could I do?Then I stood there, wondering. What next?Should I text Marcus?Should I go to his bedroom?Was he even there?He was probably still in his office. He told me if I needed him, I could just go to his office. So, that’s where I go. I walk downstairs, quietly, to where he showed me his office earlier. It’s dark. The entire hallway has that soft eerie silence houses get in the middle of the night. I knock, lightly at first. Nothing.I try the handle. It’s locked.So I turn around and walk toward the last door in the hallway, the one with the double doors. There’s a little sliver of light spilling out from beneath it, warm and inviting.
Monique (Two Weeks Ago.)I woke up and found that it was dark inside the room. I didn’t know what time we had gotten here or what time it was now, but I knew it must have been nighttime.I stretched, feeling the pull of my muscles, realising I hadn’t known how tired I really was. It had been such a long time since I’d slept this well. A long time since I’d slept without wondering if people were plotting against me… without the fear that someone might rush into my room in the middle of the night.I sat near the edge of the bed, my eyes adjusting to the soft light. I didn’t remember switching on a bedside lamp, but there it was—already lit for me. The small, calming glow helped me take in the room properly for the first time.I got off the bed and went toward the bathroom to do my business. I ended up taking a shower too. I was still feeling the weight of exhaustion clinging to me, like my body was finally beginning to realise how much it had been running on empty.When I stepped out o
The BennettsIt seemed like the Bennetts thought they knew Monique. They thought they had her all figured out, her mind, her moves, her motivations. But now… now it appeared their control had flipped. Or worse, maybe they never really had control to begin with.The unsettling possibility lingered among them like smoke: that some powerful force was working behind Monique, or maybe even with her. A force they hadn’t anticipated, hadn’t planned for. And so, the week after her disappearance became a blur of tension, searching for her, speaking of her, dissecting every conversation they’d had, trying to get into her head.Where could she be?What was she thinking?Was there something they missed?Even the police had posed a terrifying possibility—that maybe she didn’t run. Maybe she was kidnapped.They warned the Bennetts to stay alert. Wait for a phone call. Wait for a ransom demand. Monique Moffat was no ordinary woman, after all. She came from a powerful, influential family. And her hus
The Benetts“Ryan!” Mr. Bennett’s voice cut through the room like a blade.Silence fell instantly.“Enough,” he said, standing up and walking toward them. “Take a step back. Take a breath. Just do what your mother said. Look for her. Find her. Then and only then, you can start pointing fingers and asking who failed and who didn’t.”He stopped a foot from Ryan and looked him square in the eye.“Because I can assure you... Monique was clueless. As clueless about everything going on around her as she has been for the past ten years. The girl didn’t even know what kind of house she was married into. She didn’t know anything.”No one spoke. The air was thick with tension, bitter and sharp.Ryan finally turned his back on them again, jaw flexing, fists clenched. He didn’t say another word.He took out his phone, his fingers flying furiously across the screen. His parents stood behind him, watching his back in silence, both of them knowing better than to interrupt him when he was in this sta
The Bennetts“What the hell? What the hell?” Ryan snapped, pacing the floor like a madman.Mrs. Bennett’s eyes were wide, her voice sharp with demand. “Where did she go?”“I don’t know!” Mr. Bennett answered. “As we all know, the security cameras are only on the outside. That’s how I saw her leaving.... on foot.”“What the fuck?” Ryan cursed again, his voice cracking with disbelief as he ran a hand through his hair and turned back to pace, muttering under his breath.While everyone in the room stood frozen with tension, Lydia rolled her eyes and leaned back in her chair. “I told you she left. Nobody wanted to listen to me.” She sighed like she was bored with the chaos. “Honestly, this is good. Now we can relax, be a family again. She decided to go off on her own anyway. Why are you all acting like....”Smack!The sound echoed through the room like a thunderclap. Lydia gasped, her hand flying to her cheek as she stared at her mother in complete shock. “You slapped me,” she said, almo
The BennettsWhen Mrs. Bennett returned, the look on her face said it all. Angry. Disappointed. No... furious.Ryan sat up straighter. “What happened? What did she want?”His mother didn’t sit down. She stood by the door, arms crossed tightly over her chest. “Apparently, your wife just packed her bag and decided she was leaving.”“Leaving?” Ryan blinked, caught off guard. “Going where?”“That’s the same question I had.” Her eyes glinted coldly. “But don’t worry. She’s not leaving anymore.”Something about the way she said it made Ryan pause. There was a wicked gleam in her eyes now. Something calculated. “Not the place she thought she was going anyway.”Ryan narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?”Mrs. Bennett gave a little shrug. “Your wife told me you were the one who suggested she go somewhere. Relax. Clear her head before committing again.” Mrs Benett rolled her eyes.Ryan shifted in his seat, glancing toward his mother. “And?” he asked cautiously.“So,” she said with a smirk, “sh