With only theillumination from a small lamp in the living room guiding my path, I walk down the short hall to his kitchen. The ecstasy filling my heart is so palpable that it gives me chills. When we arrived back at his house from the wedding, we spent the hours wrapped in each other’s arms, letting our bodies convey our feelings even more deeply than our spoken words could express.
Ian loves me.
And I love him.
Standing in the kitchen alone, my smile makes my cheeks hurt. Ian wanted to take a quick shower, so I told him I would make us a snack. Glancing at the clock above the oven, I see it’s a little past one in the morning.
I pick up my phone from the counter.
Five missed calls.
That’s odd.
I raise my phone to listen to one of the voicemails from a number I don’t know.
“Miss Smith, this is Connie from the State’s Attorney’s Office of Chicago-”
Rancid breath tickles my cheek as the voice that haunts every waking, and lately every sleeping, moment of the last six years rings in my ears. “My dearest Maggie, I’ve missed you so much.”
My chest heaves as my breathing accelerates. My skin crawls. Tears well in my eyes, immediately slipping down my cheeks. “Reese,” is all I get out.
Something cold touches my chest right above my tank top, and I shift my eyes down. Terror ripples through my body as the blunt side of a knife slides along my skin.
“What…what do you want?” I stammer, knowing I need to tamp down the panic so I can figure out how to get away from him.
A humorless laugh fills the air as Reese’s body presses against my back. “What I want is for you to pay.” The knife flips, so the sharp edge is against me now. I close my eyes and freeze. “You betrayed me, you little bitch.”
I hiss as the blade slices my skin. The cut isn’t deep, but it hurts like hell. Warmth runs down my chest. My eyes open to find the top edge of my yellow tank top now stained red.
Reese’s lips touch my ear as he murmurs, “I would’ve preferred a gun. Quicker. More precise…but this seemed much more satisfying and…intimate.” He cuts another line next to the other. More tears spill down my cheeks. “I don’t hate this.”
I whimper as he presses his groin against me, his hardness digging in. His arm wraps around me tightly when we hear a faint voice call my name.
Ian.
My head turns slightly toward the hall. It’ll only bemoments until he comes out here. I’m panicking, trying to figure out what to do. Part of me hopes Ian will save me, but an even bigger part wants Ian to stay as far away from Reese as possible. Even if that means there’s no saving me. He can’t be hurt because of me. Not ever, but definitely not after the night we had.
When Reese and I hear the click of the bathroom door opening and the sound of heavy footsteps echoing loudly in the stillness of the house, my mind races with different scenarios.
“Guess our fun’s over.” With those simple words, he plunges the knife into my stomach three times in quick succession. Releasing me, I drop heavily to the floor, landing on my side. A pain that takes my breath away explodes through my body. My eyes slam shut in a useless attempt to get the searing sensation to stop.
To try to ease the throbbing, I roll onto my back as the front door closes almost silently. My hands hold my stomach. Within seconds, they’re warm with liquid as blood flows through my fingers.
There’s so much blood.
“Maggie!” Ian is next to me suddenly, his face filled with terror. He leans over me and picks up my phone. Holding it up to my face, he quickly unlocks it. I can hear him saying that we need an ambulance and that they need to hurry. His voice seems so far away.
Seconds later, he moves my hands so he can put pressure on my stomach. He’s calling my name over and over, telling me I’m going to be okay.
I wish, with every fiber of my being, that were true.
“Ian,” I say weakly. His distraught face hovers above mine.Are those tears running down his face?I try to shake my head to get myself to focus. “Ian, please listen to me.”
He nods, so I continue. “Reese did this. He’s here.” My inhale feels like my insides are being ripped apart. “I’m so sorry that I’m going to leave you. I wish more than anything I didn’t have to. But I would never trade my time with you for more time here. I’m so incredibly lucky to have been loved by you.” Breathing and talking hurt so much, but I need him to know. “Please don’t let this ruin the rest of your life. You have to live for me. For us. And most importantly, for you.”
“Maggie, stop. You’re going to be fine. They’ll be here soon, baby.” His voice cracks.
“No, Ian. I won’t be. I love you so much.”
