Chapter Ten

“You know you're not going to leave,” Selene heard her mother’s familiar voice say as her hand hovered over the doorknob.

With a shaky breath, she replied, “I am. I will.”

“Then what? What happens afterwards? You go missing, Cole files a report and pretends to be heartbroken while still hanging out with Scarlett. Is that it?” the voice asked, dripping with bitterness.

“I-I... I just… I just need to clear my head,” Selene whispered.

“From what? Don’t you see the truth in front of you? Act on it!” the voice shouted.

Selene whimpered, her breath shaking and tears slipping from her eyes. Her hands dropped from the suitcase and the doorknob, rising instead to cover her mouth as she tried to muffle the sob crawling up her throat.

There was a deep sigh from her mother's figure.

“Fine. Do what you want. I'm done,” the voice said.

Then silence. Selene didn't hear any more words.

Her mother's figure faded. The room fell still, but Selene remained standing there, crying. Her knees gave out slowly until she was seated on the floor, hands still pressed to her mouth.

Her mind spun through the events of the day — the words spoken to her, some wrapped in pity, others dipped in respect. Her breathing grew erratic, and before she could stop herself, she rushed to the bathroom and threw up.

After rinsing her mouth and splashing water on her face, she stood in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection. She looked tired, pale, but no longer naive.

Her eyes darkened. Her jaw clenched. Her fists curled at her sides as she gave a slight shake of her head.

She liked the version of herself staring back. But deep down, she knew she wasn’t strong enough to hold onto it.

So she let it go.

Showered up, changed into something soft, and crawled into bed.

It was three in the morning when it happened.

Selene was deep in sleep when she began to toss and turn beneath the covers, whimpering softly with her brows furrowed in distress.

She was dreaming. No — nightmaring. But this one was different from how it usually was.

She found herself standing inside a church. The same one she’d gotten married in.

To her right stood Cole, dressed in a black suit, grinning from ear to ear. She turned around and saw their friends and family smiling too. On her left was Scarlett, her bridesmaid, beaming in a sky-blue dress. Selene looked at herself and saw that she was wearing her wedding gown.

The officiant’s voice drew her attention to him.

“You may now kiss the bride,” he said gently.

Cole slowly approached her, his smile never fading. As he leaned closer, he pulled a knife from the back of his suit and stabbed Selene square in the chest.

“Die, you motherfucking bitch!” Cole yelled as he twisted the knife, lodging it deeper into Selene's heart.

Hot tears streamed down her face as Selene crumpled to the ground.

Laughter erupted. Loud, cruel, and echoing.

Cole. Scarlett. Yeshua. Robin. Even the officiant. They were all laughing. At her. Every last one of them.

Selene’s body weakened, her vision dimming as the blood in her dream spilled and pooled beneath her on the floor. The sound of their laughter grew louder.

Scarlett walked over, plucked the veil from Selene’s head, and took her place beside Cole.

The officiant, unfazed, repeated the same words again.

“You may now kiss the bride.”

Cole turned to Scarlett, and they kissed while everyone… everyone clapped, hollered, and celebrated as Selene lay dying on the cold, sacred floor.

Cole and Scarlett turned to her and stepped closer.

“Now your company belongs to us, you dead corpse,” Scarlett sneered.

The moment the words left her mouth, Selene found herself transported.

She was in a grave.

Buried.

Dirt covered her body up to her neck. Maggots crawled over her skin, wriggling and nesting inside the folds of her dress. The knife still lodged in her chest.

Scarlett and Cole stood at the edge of the grave, still dressed in their wedding attire. They stared down at her without a trace of emotion, then turned and walked away.

“No… no… no, no, no,” Selene whimpered, her head shaking frantically as the maggots crept across her face. Her body felt bound even though it wasn't. She could only move her head.

“No!” she screamed as they crawled into her mouth.

Selene shot up with a gasp. Her bed was soaked. Her shirt clung to her back, drenched in sweat. It was 4:30 a.m.

She began aggressively dusting her face and hair with trembling hands, her lips trembled as she whispered over and over, “No. No. No.”

She scrubbed at her skin, harder and harder, until her body tipped and she fell off the bed.

Without thinking, she tore off her clothes and ran into the bathroom.

The maggots. They were still on her. She could feel them crawling everywhere.

Cole and Scarlett had done this to her.

She turned on the shower and stood beneath the water, scrubbing at her skin until it turned red. Still, it wasn’t enough.

They had brought it into her home.

The filth. The rot. It was everywhere.

No.

She had to clean it.

Selene quickly got dressed and ran down the stairs, heading straight for the cleaning supplies.

“Everywhere is dirty. Everywhere is dirty. The maggots are everywhere. They’re everywhere,” she whispered to herself as she dropped to her knees and began scrubbing the kitchen floor.

By five in the morning, the sound of clanging utensils jolted Maria awake. She usually rose around this time, but never to noise like this. Alarmed, she got out of bed and hurried toward the kitchen.

There, she found Selene hunched over the sink, whispering the same words under her breath as she scrubbed at the dishes with frantic movements.

Maria’s chest tightened. She took a deep breath and stepped closer.

Selene met her eyes, and in that instant, she let go of the sponge and pan, rushing to grab Maria’s arms with her wet, trembling hands.

“Maria. Oh, thank God you’re here. Everywhere… everywhere is dirty. There… there are maggots all over the dishes, all over the floor. I cleaned them off. Why don’t you clean the house properly?” Selene’s voice came fast and breathless, her eyes wide and panicked.

Maria gently reached up and caressed Selene’s face with one hand.

“Ma’am… there aren’t any maggots here. The house is clean. Take a look,” she said softly.

Selene slowly looked around. Her eyes scanned the kitchen.

It was spotless.

Her face shifted, her brows pulling together as fear, confusion, and sorrow filled her expression. Her lips trembled. Tears welled up and spilled over her lashes.

Maria placed her other hand on Selene’s cheek. “No, no, don’t cry, okay? It’s alright. Did you take your medication last night?”

“Huh?” Selene whimpered, her eyes unfocused.

“I’ll go get it. I always keep an extra bottle in my room, remember? For emergencies,” Maria said gently, already turning.

But Selene reached for her hand, whispering, “Maria… I’m sorry.”

Maria let out a soft chuckle. “Look at you. What are you sorry for? This is my job. I’ve been doing it for over thirty years. I’ll be back, alright?”

Selene nodded and let go.

A few minutes later, Maria returned with the bottle. Selene took the pills without a word, and afterward, they walked to the living room together, sitting side by side in silence until Maria finally spoke.

“Ma’am… tell me what’s going on. You usually clean when you’re stressed, and never like that.” She reached for Selene’s hands, holding them gently.

Selene’s head stayed low as she sniffled. “Cole… he’s cheating on me with Scarlett. And I don’t know how long it’s been going on. I didn’t even know until recently. Do you?”

Maria hesitated, then said quietly, “No. But I suspected.”

Selene slowly lifted her eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t have proof,” Maria replied. “I couldn’t just say something like that. It’s a heavy thing to accuse someone of. I needed to be sure.”

Selene scoffed, pulled one hand free from Maria’s grip, and wiped her face. “Maria… what do I even do now?”

Maria inhaled deeply before speaking. “You know, in my country, there’s a saying—‘Omnia debita solventur.’ It means ‘All debts must be paid.’ What you make of that meaning is your own, but if you ask me… they owe you something. Don’t you want to collect it?”

“I do,” Selene said quietly. “I really do.”

“Then do it. Make them pay,” Maria said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

Selene sniffled again, a faint smile tugging at her lips.

“Can I borrow your phone?” she asked.

“Of course. I’ll go get it,” Maria said, rising to her feet.

She returned a few minutes later, handing Selene the phone. Without hesitation, Selene dialed a number she knew by heart. When the line connected, she held it to her ear.

“Eileen. Clear my schedule for tomorrow. We’re going to the vacation house,” she said, her voice steady.

“Yes, ma’am,” came the reply, and the line went dead.

Maria smiled and wrapped an arm around her. “You did good.”

Selene leaned into her, her smile widening as her mother’s figure appeared in front of her—calm, proud, and smiling right back at her.