The tip of the glass was cold when I brought it to my lips. With a small twilt, I emptied the vodka into my mouth. As it slid down my throat, it burned, and I could not help but cough lightly for a few seconds. You see, this was why I did not drink. Alcohol tasted like crap to me. Plus it made me lose control. And I liked to be in control. I liked to plan and know exactly what I going to do next. Alcohol stole that from me every time I drank it, so I stayed away from it. “That’s much better.” My mom chuckled lightly. “How do you feel?” She took the glass from me and placed it on the coffee table next to her empty glass. “I feel like I want more answers. I want to know why you did what you did. And you still have not bluntly said what you did. I need to hear you say it. I need to hear you take responsibility for once in your life.” I kept my eyes on her. Her smile faded and she began to pour herself another glass of vodka. “You want to hear me say it? Okay, fine. I had Patty killed
My feet hit the pavement with each step I took. I had just walked out of the hotel and was heading to the parking area. From a small distance, I could see the car parked. Sterling and Samuel had their backs against it as they talked. They did not notice me and I did not call for their attention either. I just kept walking in their direction. My heart was still racing a bit from what my mother said to me about Summer or her threatening Samuel; all for the sake of her grand plan. Did I do it? Did I do what I was thinking? And what was I even thinking? Oh yeah, I wanted to choke the life out of my mom. I wanted to smother her. I wanted to kill her right there in the hotel suite. And maybe then later stage it as a suicide? How hard could that be? I had watched a lot of crime shows, it could not be that hard, could it? And even if it was, I had money and some power. I was a Smith. I could have gotten someone to do it. But I didn’t. I did not lay a finger on her. I left her drunk behind
While headed our way back to the mansion, it was already approaching evening hours so we had to drop Samuel off at his hotel. Their parents had other properties but I guess he did not want to stay there since he could not stay in the mansion. I kissed and embraced him before he was dropped off. So now, it was only Sterling and me in the car. He drove us in silence until we reached the mansion. There was hardly any traffic, and I was grateful for that because I just wanted to get home. Home. I can’t believe that I was now calling the mansion home. The car came to a stop in the compound next to the other fancy cars. As soon as the engine shut off, I opened my side of the car and got out. I headed for the huge building and when I reached the porch, one of the guards opened the front door, allowing me to walk in. “Thank you.” I flashed him a smile when I walked in. I glanced back, curious as to what Sterling was doing. But I saw that he was right on my tail; not far from me. Each tim
I chuckled lightly. “What do you mean by the plan has changed?” I asked Sterling. He stood to his feet and was now almost fully dressed. “We were supposed to go to the office together.” I folded my arms on my chest. He fastened his shirt button and put on his jacket before running his hand through his hair. “Heather, your mom threatened to kill Samuel, might I remind you? Don’t you think that she would expect us all to be in the same car heading to the office?” He walked close to me. I did not like the idea. I had a bad feeling about it. “I mean, yeah. But to me, it makes more sense if we go together. My mom wouldn’t hurt me, so I think we would save if I was with you two.” He gave me a look and then touched my arm gently. “You really believe your mom won’t hurt you to get what she wants?” He scoffed softly. “She already has; just not physically.” He pressed his lips into a straight line. He did have a good point. I took a few seconds to take in his words and actually consider his
I broke. Something deep inside me broke. It felt like my soul was ripped from my body; like I did not have all enough time to process what I had just heard. It had to be a lie. She had to be joking or pranking me. “Where is Sammy, mom?” I asked her in a breathy voice. She was crying and it made me annoyed. “You need to come over before the police take the body away. We’re at the mansion. It happened at the mansion.” “Okay.” I sniffled as tears escaped my eyes freely. “Know that if I meet you there, I will kill you with my bare hands.” ‘Look, Heather. I didn’t do anything. I swear to you!” I dropped the call and placed the phone in my purse. I looked at Gabe and caught him staring at me. He did not even flinch, but I saw that his eyes were filled with an emotion that I could not decipher. Maybe sadness, maybe pity. But it was clear that he felt sorry for me. “Let’s head home, I will deal with the lawyers later,” I told him and he nodded. He led the way back to the car and wh
I was now back at home. It had officially been three days since I saw the lifeless eyes of Samuel, the love of my life. My heart kept bleeding and no matter how hard I tried to get it to stop, it didn’t.The more I tried to forget or feel better, the worse I felt. Life looked meaningless, and everything seemed so random. What was the purpose of life? Why was I even walking around on this planet if I was going to eventually die?We have such brief times living before we die, and why we live, we have no idea what purpose we were given when we were brought into this world. “You need to eat, honey,” My dad begged me. He was sitting by my side on the unmade bed. He had really been there for me for the past few days. Sterling had also tried to be a rock for me but I either ended up snapping at him or throwing something at him in anger or pain. When I saw him, it was like I was seeing Samuel. He literally was an identical twin to his brother. And he reminded me of the fact that it all may
I ignored him. I ignored my dad’s talk about getting a therapist even though I knew that he was right. But I just did not have the energy in me right now to face that. I just wanted to see my Sammy. One more time before he was on display for a bunch of people to cry over at the funeral. I lay on Sterling’s lap and curled myself in a ball. I closed my eyes and pretended that it was his brother. It was easier when I was looking at him, but with my eyes closed, I knew that it was not him. I could not feel that connection while laying on his lap. I could not smell the cologne that I had fallen in love with and made Samuel buy every month. I could not feel his actual presence. Because…just because. He was gone. He was ripped out of this life and all we had left of him was a rotting corpse and memories. “Dad? How long till we reach the funeral home?” I asked while my eyes remained closed. “We’re already here, baby. We’re already here,” he replied, and then the car came to a stop. I ope
After spending an hour talking to Samuel as if he was alive, I decided that it was time to leave. Believe it or not, after the time I had spent with him even though he was dead and I was mostly crying, I actually felt better and lighter. I turned away from the casket and walked towards Bob. “I’m ready to go,” I told him, and he nodded. His eyes were red and it appeared like he had been crying. “Okay, okay, good.” He walked past me and closed the casket. When he walked back to me so we could get out of the room, he said, “You know, I thought it would have been easy for me by now, considering that I see people do this every single day. But each time hits just as hard.” He chuckled lightly. I could not help but smile. We walked out and back to the first hallway. “I guess it’s time to part ways, huh?” He shrugged lightly. “I guess,” he replied softly. But he stopped me before I could leave. “Um…would it be okay if I come to the funeral tomorrow? Just to be there for you.” He smiled ne