Chapter 4
The sky was clear on the day we got on the cruise.
Jacob and Sadie walked next to each other, chatting happily, while Allison felt like she was an outsider.
The cruise looked incredibly fancy, as if it were hosting some grand celebration.
Later that evening, Jacob really arranged a candlelight dinner. Allison sat across from him and took a slow breath.
“This is a nice moment. Let’s use it to talk things through.”
Jacob gave a cheerful look and said, “Sure, have a taste of this red wine steak. I had it made just for you:
He looked thoughtful. “I still remember our first date. We had steak, too. You didn’t like it medium–rare, so the waiter cooked it well–done. I can. still remember the look on his face.”
Allison cut the meat without emotion, put a piece in her mouth, and forced a small smile.
She said in a low voice, “Yeah, I remember that day. You promised you’d always keep me safe and never let me get hurt.”
Jacob didn’t notice the pain in her voice. She pulled herself together quickly.
“I need to tell you something…”
Chapter 4
But before she could finish, everything started spinning.
She saw Jacob rush over to hold her and gently say, “Allison, you are drunk.”
Allison suddenly felt cold inside.
The wine in the meat wasn’t strong enough to make her drunk. Had he maybe added something?
Before she could figure it out, everything went black.
Later, Allison slowly regained consciousness. Her head felt heavy, and as the memories came flooding back, a surge of fury rose within her.
“Jacob had actually drugged me!”
She realized she was still on the cruise. After taking a minute to steady herself, she stumbled toward the door. As soon as she reached the deck, she heard people cheering.
Not far away, the deck was glowing with lights and candles. A group of guests stood in a circle, and many familiar faces from the police department were there, focused on the two people in the center.
Behind the group was a giant lighted sign that said, “Happy Birthday, Sadie!”
Allison felt a chill run through her body.
Everyone clapped and cheered. Jacob handed Sadie a present. Then they sang the birthday song, toasted each other, and looked like they were having the time of their lives.
She could clearly see Jacob’s lips moving, “Make a wish. No matter what it is, I’ll make it come true.”
Chapter 4
Allison slowly stepped back, her legs weak, as coldness filled her chest.
So that was it. Jacob had rented out the entire cruise–not to celebrate their anniversary, but to throw a birthday party for Sadie!
He even drugged her just to keep her out of the way.
She returned to her room, listening to the sound of people laughing and talking outside until it finally faded late into the night. A little while later, someone knocked on the door.
The quiet footsteps weren’t Jacob’s, and when she looked up, she saw Sadie come in holding a small piece of cake.
“I knew you were awake. I saw you earlier when you stepped out,” Sadie said with a smug smile, setting the cake on the table. “Here, have some. It bet you’re feeling pretty awful right now.”
She expected to see some anger or sadness in Allison’s expression, but the woman sitting by the bed just sat upright and looked back with cold, emotionless eyes.
“Take your cake and get out.”
Sadie’s face darkened. She responded sharply, “Your husband threw a big party for my birthday. Don’t you get what that says?”
“I get it. So what?” Allison motioned toward the door. “Don’t bother me. I need rest. What happens to you has nothing to do with me. And don’t act like you’ve won something. I have nothing to do with Jacob anymore.”
She pushed the frowning Sadie out and lay back down in bed.
She thought sleep wouldn’t come, but the medicine must still have been in effect. She drifted off fast and began dreaming. In the dream, she remembered the first birthday she celebrated after getting married.
Chapter 4
Jacob had covered her eyes and brought her to an island.
He told her, “This island is my present for you. We’ll be in love forever,
until the end of time.”
Allison cried in her sleep.
Making promises was easy, but staying in love? That was the hard part.
The next morning, when Allison woke up, Jacob had already.
breakfast. A bouquet of roses sat on the table. When he saw her awake, he gave her a soft smile.
‘Allison, you got drunk just from eating red wine steak. You scared me back there,”
Allison didn’t respond. She couldn’t even bring herself to fake a smile.
Later, she visited the county clerk’s office to get a single status affidavit, then headed home to quickly pack her things.
There wasn’t much she could take, and nearly everything held some memory of him–memories she didn’t want to keep.
While digging through the drawers, she came across an old phone buried deep at the back. It was the one she’d used before getting a new one.
The phone still worked when she powered it on. Feeling puzzled, she looked through it and found a text that had been sent from the phone.
The number looked familiar. It belonged to her eldest brother, Rafael Eslinger, someone she hadn’t spoken to in years.
The message read, “Stay away from me and Jacob. Just seeing you makes me feel sick.”
Chapter 4
Her chest tightened, as if her heart had dropped into freezing water.
She hadn’t written that message.
