"—leste. Run! Now!"
· · ·
"We're here, ma'am."
Roseanne blinked her eyes open and turned to look out the window.
The mansion loomed just as it always did; big and intimidating, guarded by a few men in dark suits who looked like they had long forgotten how to smile.
"Thank you, Isaac." She reached for the bouquet of flowers and the gift bag she had prepared earlier, stepping out of the car as Isaac opened the passenger door.
Today marked her second wedding anniversary.
Galen had never been a doting husband, but he was a decent man, considering her family had practically sold her off to him.
He rarely spoke more than necessary and it was never easy to tell what he was thinking, but he was respectful in his own detached way.
It was funny, in a bitter sort of way. She ended up married to Galen Cavalier of the Cavalier family, despite being the least favored daughter, simply because her sister had been reserved for someone more important. Someone bigger.
Love didn't exactly get a warm welcome in this social circle. If anything, the door was barely cracked open and only to let in a few chosen people. Marriages were more strategy than sentiment, often arranged long before the babies were even born.
The rich married the rich.
Roseanne should be more grateful she ended up with a quiet man instead of one with a violent temper. But after spending her whole life in this world, she learned one thing: never trust billionaires.
They don't become billionaires by being good people.
With Galen, she could start with the gun she found taped under his desk. And maybe followed by the night he walked through the door at two in the morning, his coat reeking of blood.
Click.
She opened the door a little quickly as she wasn't sure why tonight felt colder than usual. Her coat offered nothing against the chill.
Roseanne stepped inside softly, eyes scanning for any sign of her husband. Instead, on the living room table, a neat bouquet of red roses caught her attention. She couldn't help the bitter curl of her lips when she saw the card: "Happy anniversary, darling."
What a joke.
The words were typed in a bland computer font. He had never called her that. With how busy he was, she couldn't even remember the last time they had a proper conversation.
Or, had they ever really had one?
Her steps carried her closer to the bedroom. She figured Galen was probably lying down after another exhausting day at work. That was the thought in her head, right before she stopped dead in her tracks.
"Galen! My sister—ah! Aah~!"
The voice sliced through the air.
Roseanne felt her heart seize in her chest, confusion crashing into her like a sudden wave. Her brain struggled to make sense of what her ears had just heard.
Why would she hear her sister's voice—moaning, of all things—coming from her bedroom?
The door was half-open.
She took one small shaking step forward. And there it was, the image unfolded before her eyes, painfully vivid and impossible to unsee.
Brielle's bare body was angled directly toward the door, bouncing in wild and rhythmic thrusts as Galen took her from behind. His hand roamed her body before settling possessively at her throat.
He hadn't even bothered to undress properly. Still in his tailored work slacks, belt undone, shirt discarded somewhere out of sight.
Roseanne couldn't think. Her mind went blank, her body stiff with shock. Her hands clenched into trembling fists at her sides. It took everything in her not to collapse right there and then, to not let her legs betray what little dignity she had left.
Almost immediately, Galen noticed her standing in the doorway.
Their eyes met.
But instead of stopping or even pretending to be surprised, he made sure he finished his business. Only when he was done did he let Brielle's body slump onto the bed.
There was no shame on his face. Not a flicker of guilt.
The quiet husband she once thought was charming and a little bit adorable in his own way, casually ran a hand through his golden hair and stared right into her eyes.
"Wife," he said smoothly. "You're home."
Brielle was still high but that girl had the audacity to giggle. "Rose?"
For two whole years, Roseanne had been in the dark about things like the gun hidden under Galen's desk or the faint smell of blood lingering on his coat. Details she never fully understood, but knew enough to suspect something.
Still, she wasn't stupid enough to think Galen was some clueless fool.
Outside, his bodyguards lingered, all knowing exactly who was in the house and what was happening. Yet none of them stopped her from coming in.
If Galen had truly wanted to keep this hidden, she wouldn't be standing here now, staring straight into those piercing blue eyes.
This was planned.
For reasons she couldn't fathom, he wanted her to see.
Without giving herself time to overthink, despite her family's expectation for her to 'behave' around his husband, and ignoring every warning sign urging her to not do something reckless, Roseanne stepped into the bedroom with determined feet, fueled by a courage she barely recognized in herself.
In one swift motion, she reached out and grabbed the flower vase they had received as a wedding gift from one of Galen's business associates.
With all the strength she could muster, she brought it crashing down on her golden-haired husband's head.
THUD!
The vase shattered with a sharp crack against his skull. Galen's body dropped onto the bed, so much blood pouring from his wound.
He didn't pass out, but the dazed look in his eyes said he was barely holding on.
"AAAAHHHH!!!!" Brielle's scream cut through the room, seething with fear and disbelief. "BITCH!! ARE YOU CRAZY?!!"
Roseanne slowly turned her head and met the frightened girl's eyes without so much as a blink. "I am."
Then she looked back at Galen.
"Happy anniversary, darling."