Murderer

Chapter 2: Murderer

AURORA

Bryan’s mother looked even more devastated than I was. Her eyes were swollen and red. She rushed toward me and grabbed my shirt. My mom tried to stop her, but she shoved her away.

“You killed my son, didn’t you?” she screamed, yanking me closer. I tried to turn away, but she dragged me back, gripping my shirt and shaking me violently.

“You murderer! You killed my son because you wanted to take his property, didn’t you? You and your mother planned this!”

“Please, my daughter is in so much shock especially after finding out through the television. Nobody thought it was wise to tell her?” my mom intervened, pulling me away from her. My clothes were torn, and I quickly covered my chest with my hands.

“Why should we tell her? Of course, she already knew because she killed him ,” Bryan’s mother spat.

She was accusing me of killing my husband? It felt like i was in a movie and i forgot my script , i couldn’t bring myself to give her a suitable reply , what was i going to say ?

“ I uhmm…” i stuttered, i felt a lump in my throat, i took a deep breath and tried to reply her again but i couldn’t, it felt like my chest was so heavy , it made even my body and my mouth heavy .

“ Please …Gracie , give her time to process this , you can’t just accuse my daughter , it’s not the right time “

There was no right time , i thought to myself, Was she saying she could leave and come back to accuse me another time , i turned to my mom and she gave me a reassuring nod that she knew what she was doing but honestly it felt like even her didn’t know what she was doing.

“ Please…Can you leave ?” i muttered under my breath.

“ Oh wow …This was your plan all along, not less than 48 hours my son’s death was announced, you are trying to claim what he owns? You are sending me out of his house !”

“ I didn’t say that…it’s just i need my own space to think and you are making it very difficult to me “

Before my mom could hold her back, she slapped me hard across the face.

“ You bastard!”

I fell onto the couch, clutching my ear, my body trembling uncontrollably. I was terrified not just because of the slap but because this wasn’t the first time she had hit me.

It had happened before at Jake’s second birthday party. She didn’t want me to greet the guests. When I went out anyway, she struck me with her purse. Bryan had tried to cover it up, saying she was under the influence of alcohol. That was a bloody lie .

“I will make sure you get locked up. You will rot and die in jail! Rosa! Bring Jake, I’m taking him home!”

“What?!” I muttered sniffing in my tears .

“ Why should she bring jake ?” i asked helplessly and she stepped closer like she wanted to silence me, i flinched and my mom stepped in between us .

“ Gracie …Relax”

“You heard me! I’m taking Jake. He’s not safe around a murderer like you!”

“Mummy is not a murderer…” Jake’s little voice came from behind. I rushed to him and covered his ears with my hands. I didn’t want him to hear any of this poison.

“Rosa! Why did you bring him out? Take him inside!” My Mom ordered.

“Madam Gracie asked me to bring him out…”

“Do you work for her or me? I said take Jake back inside!” I yelled. Rosa grabbed Jake and took him back inside. I turned back to Bryan’s mother.

“Please… I just turned into a widow. Don’t do this.”

I broke down in tears, but my tears didn’t move her. She didn’t care. She pushed me aside and leaned closer.

“After my son is buried, I’ll make sure you rot in jail. Watch me!” she hissed and stormed out.

I couldn’t stop the tears streaming down my cheeks. Why was life so cruel to me? How could I endure this pain with such a fragile heart?

I sat there for minutes, trying to process everything. Then I let out a piercing scream so loud my mom covered her ears.

“Arghhhhhhhhhh!! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!” I kept screaming, hitting and slapping myself. My mom rushed to hold my hands, stopping me from hurting myself.

“Leave me alone! Did you hear what she said? Mother! She said I killed my husband! She called me a murderer in front of Jake! And worse, she threatened to take him away from me, Why ? Why ? Why ?”

“I heard it all. It’s okay,” my mom cut in, pulling me into her arms and stroking my hair as I wept uncontrollably.

“Shhhh… we’ll figure this out together.”

One Week Later…

It’s been one week, and we never figured it out together. In fact, things got worse. The Wolfe family took turns coming to my home to humiliate me while I was mourning my husband and so did the police. Soon, my face was all over the internet as the prime suspect in my husband’s murder.

The headline read:

“Wife of Deceased Tech Mogul Bryan Liam Named Prime Suspect by Family, Failed Marriage and Greed Behind Motive.”

My heart broke. The Wolfe family was so influential they twisted the story against me in just one week. I couldn’t leave my house because of the paparazzi everywhere. My life had turned into a nightmare in just two weeks.

I stood in front of the bathroom mirror, staring at my reflection. I looked horrible. My face was black from smeared mascara. I couldn’t stop crying. I hadn’t taken a proper bath. My hair was a mess. I had completely neglected myself not just because I was in shock, but because I was now a prime suspect in my own husband’s murder.

“Good Lord, please… save me from this. I have no idea what I’m going to do,” I whispered through tears.

The doorbell rang. I took a deep breath and opened the door. It was my best friend, Amara.

“Rora…” she whispered and pulled me into a tight hug. I broke down instantly.

“Amara… I’m in so much pain. I’ve never felt so scared in my whole life. I don’t want to go to jail…”

“Rora, you’re not alone. I’ve spoken to my lawyer, we will get you the best and make sure this scandal is solved ”

“This isn’t just a scandal! I’m a prime suspect! I might even go to jail. The Wolfe family has so much influence they can throw me in jail anytime!”

“Nobody is throwing you in jail, but Rora ”

“Yes?”

“Did you do it?”

I froze. A single tear slipped down my cheek. Even my best friend thought I was a killer. I gave a bitter smile. She noticed the tears and rushed to wipe them away.

“No, no, please don’t cry. I’m sorry, i didn’t mean it like that, I swear”

“You think I killed him too? I didn’t kill my husband.”

“I didn’t kill my husband.”

“I didn’t kill my husband.”

“I didn’t kill my husband!”

I kept tapping the chair like I was losing my mind. Amara didn’t know how to handle me. I stood up and started screaming it over and over. She rushed to grab my hands, pleading but how could i explain that the Wolfe family could ruin my life within a blink of an eye .