Chapter 11

The estate was sold.Though the price was well below market value, the cash was more than enough for April and me to leave New York and live a quiet life for a very long time.Our last night before moving out was a hurricane night.April was fast asleep. The storm raged outside.I wandered slowly through the somewhat empty mansion, mapping out our future.My phone chimed. An encrypted email alert.I picked it up casually, then instantly froze.The sender was Silas.My eyes widened. Trembling, I opened it:[Leonora, if you are receiving this email, it means I haven't logged in for a month and triggered the scheduled send. It means something has happened to me.Leonora, I love you, but I need to apologize. I have a secret. Unfortunately, I can never tell you. It's too bloody, too brutal. It's a secret I am destined to take to my grave.Because of this secret, on one hand, I love you like a devoted husband. On the other, I live like a ghost, constantly paranoid that an enemy will come for

Chapter 12

The hurricane howled outside. I sat on the edge of the thermal pool, lost in thought for a long time.Half an hour later, I slowly stood up.First, I went to check on April. She was sleeping soundly. I leaned down and kissed her forehead.Then I grabbed my car keys, opened the door, and walked out of the estate.I drove through the raging hurricane, through roads littered with debris, until I reached Martha's motel.The front desk was empty. I headed straight upstairs.I walked unhurriedly down the dim hallway and arrived at Martha's door.It was unlocked. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, a yellowed desk lamp turned on, her back to me as she looked at her phone.I walked in and stood behind her.Martha whipped around.When she saw my face, she actually calmed down."I knew you would come."I murmured an acknowledgment and sat in the room's only chair.Martha stood up, glanced out the window, and frowned slightly."Ten minutes before you got here, I forwarded the email to the FBI

Chapter 13

Six months ago, I overheard Silas dealing with the traitor who set up that ambush on us.He said, "Force-feed him the drugs. Make it look like a suicide."The name of the drug he mentioned was the exact same one my father supposedly took before he died."Impossible!"In the quiet room, Martha slammed her hand on the table, her face flushed red as she screamed at me."You're just twisting the facts to fit your narrative! How could you decide Silas was a murderer based on that one thing?!"I looked at her numbly."Of course I didn't. So, I started verifying.""I used every excuse to cross-check his whereabouts during the time those homeless men died. They all matched.""I suggested setting up a charity foundation for the homeless. The flash of disgust and repulsion on his face was unmistakable."Martha's furious roar tore through the long night."What does that prove?! You're working backward from the conclusion! You only saw what you wanted to see!"I nodded slowly."You're right. Those

Chapter 14

It was a foggy day.I brought April to the private airfield to see Martha off.She was still wearing that old shirt, hooking the leather bag on one arm and clutching the cowboy hat in the other.Only now, her posture seemed much more hunched than when she arrived.April was playing nearby on a waiting room chair.Martha looked at me indifferently."I did it for April's sake."That morning, she had ultimately deleted the email and didn't hand over the evidence.She told the agents she had tried to record me confessing but failed to get anything useful.The agents scolded her harshly and left.Now, she looked at me from under her drooping eyelids."That night, you braved the hurricane to come see me. You guessed I hadn't looked at the cameras? You guessed I hadn't given the email to the FBI yet, so you came for one last desperate gamble?"I nodded, admitting it."Before, you couldn't even step into the pool room, let alone look at the water. That's a mother's natural fragility. So yes, I

All Chapters of He Was the Perfect Husband. Did I Kill Him？: Chapter 11 - Chapter 14

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14