The Wife's Murder Loop

"Julian, I-I'm not feeling well. The baby's been restless."My voice trembled. My mind replayed the news alert I'd just seen.When I said that, Julian Lawson's smile fell away, and impatience hardened his tone. "Again with not feeling well? What are you crying over this time?"I froze. Julian never spoke to me like that. He'd never raised his voice before.I opened my mouth to protest, but he lunged forward and gripped my wrist hard. "Are you seeing someone else? Is that why you keep finding excuses so I can't touch you?"A cold breath of panic hit me.A creeping dread rose inside me. Could that news story actually be real?I tried to pull away and climb out of bed, but he was frighteningly strong. He yanked me back and slammed me down. Pain stabbed through my belly.He scanned the room and grabbed the kitchen knife from the nightstand—the one I used to peel apples. The blade pressed against the side of my neck, cold and bright."If you're that unwilling, I'll send you and

I stared at the lock and felt my heart sink a little further."Jayden, why are you doing this? Julian is your brother. I'm your sister-in-law."I tried to stall, my mind racing to find a way out."Brother?" Jayden laughed until he doubled over. "When did he ever treat me like one? Growing up, all the good things were his—our parents' love, the name-brand schools, everything. And now even a beautiful wife like you belongs to him."His voice snapped, his face twisting."What gives him the right? What am I missing that he has it all?""So, you decided to kill me?" I shouted. "You think murdering me will get you those things?""You're right. Killing you won't give me those things," Jayden explained, a cruel edge in his smile. "But he'll lose everything. He'll be smeared as a wife-killer, ruined, left with nothing. And I'll take his life and enjoy what's left of it."Sudden clarity hit me.This wasn't mere revenge. He wanted to replace Julian. Destroy him, then live as him."You'r

At that moment, Jayden's phone buzzed in his pocket.When he saw the caller ID, he sucked in a breath. I didn't have to look to know who it was.He shot me a conflicted glance, then snatched up his phone and hurried out of the bedroom. Worried I might try to run, he locked the door from the outside with the key.I sprang up and rifled through every corner of the room. In the topmost compartment of the closet, I found a small safe. I tried Julian's parents' birthdays, and it opened.Inside lay a personal accident insurance policy. I was the insured; he was the beneficiary.I took the policy out and photographed it with my phone.When I was done, I sat on the bed and waited for Jayden.He came back in rigid, all coiled anger. He barely said a word before lunging at me.I didn't dodge. I let him pin me to the mattress.The knife rose. At that instant, I asked, "Is your brother starting to suspect you?"He froze."Has he been calling you useless, telling you not to get any ideas

Julian's body collapsed like a lifeless heap, crumpling onto the floor.Blood spread quickly beneath him, soaking into the wood until half the room was red.It was over.Jayden stared at the corpse, then at his own hands dripping with blood. He stood frozen, as if his soul had been ripped out.I, on the other hand, once certain that Julian was truly gone, didn't hesitate. I pressed the call button on my phone.The line connected.I drew on every ounce of strength I had left in this life and let out a piercing scream into the receiver."Help! Somebody help! My brother-in-law's gone insane! He just killed my husband!"The police arrived in minutes.The scene was flawless.I curled up in the bathroom corner, blood splattered across my clothes, half-dried and sticky. Only when I heard the knock of authority did I unlock the door.Two officers dragged Jayden out. His body sagged like it had been stripped of bones.When he saw me, his lips trembled, desperate to speak.I beat hi

It felt like a reprieve after surviving a storm.I was staring blankly out the window when Julian walked over, carrying a glass of water and a few capsules from the coffee table."Elena, you're doing better now, but you still need to take your medication on schedule."Sunlight poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows, warm and bright.I nodded obediently and took the glass, swallowing the pills with the water. For a moment, it seemed like everything was back on track.I was well again. My husband hadn't betrayed me. He still loved me.The sudden happiness felt almost unreal, like a fragile dream.Yet, I couldn't shake the faint sense that something was off, like a puzzle finally complete, but one piece was slightly out of place.Julian must have noticed my distraction. He wrapped his arms around me. "What are you thinking about?"I shook my head and forced a smile. "Nothing… It just feels like a dream.""This isn't a dream. We'll never be apart again." He held me closer an