Chapter 10 - Second Sun

"It's not what you think it is!"

I'm appalled. I'm speechless. I'm breathless.

"It's not what you think it is!" Again.

I'm numb. It feels as though I left my own body, like a ghost, floating around, invisible, observing the situation.

'All my work, for this? All my preparation, for this? All along, I hadn't need to do a thing. I was... unnecessary.'

Jill left the room crying, surely waking up whoever had been oblivious to it all in the house.

Chris hurried after her, after getting dressed, of course. And Barry, Barry just looked at me, his eyes distant, as though he wasn't even there.

I decided to go after Chris and Jill, once I recovered from my shock. Meanwhile, I gathered my thoughts on what I'd just witnessed.

At exactly two thirty, Barry left the bedroom he'd be sharing with Kathy, just like always, and moved to the 'office', once there he closed the door and waited. At exactly two thirty-five, the master bedroom's door opened, and whoever left made their way towards the 'office', entering, and closing the door just as quickly.

The two people I hated most in this world, Barry and Jill. Having their secret affair. I was ready, so I made my way towards the office as well.

And then, I nearly died. I nearly died of a heart attack when I saw Jill.

"Hey! D'you see Chirs?" She asked me innocently. If it wasn't dark, I'm sure she would've notice my pale complexion as I panicked.

And then I made a mistake. For a split second my eyes darted toward the door to the 'office'.

She noticed it. She smiled, probably thinking it was some kind of joke, or scary prank.

In one swift motion she jumped in front of the door and swung it open.

Then she saw it. Then I saw it. Then they saw us.

Chris and Barry, half naked, too close for comfort. In the office. In the night.

-/-

"How could you do this to me?" She yelled.

"I already told you it's not wh-"

"Bastard!" She screamed again. "Asshole! You don't deserve to be alive!" She drew a gun.

"Whoa! Calm down!" He'd persist. "Jill, we can work this out, if you just listen to me!"

"I've had enough of your lies!" She said in between sobs. She held the gun with both hands. Her hands were steady. She was well trained. By Barry.

I knew none of this was about Chris. I knew the one she truly loved was Barry. I saw them on their little affair. I could imagine what had happened.

Barry probably got enough of it and decided to end things with her. He chose Chris instead. It was all a jumbled mess of dysfunctional love-struck buffoons. 'That's why I'm single.' Thought I, seemingly proud of myself. At that moment, I truly believed I was superior, for never having fallen to such a despicable emotion.

But things had gotten too out of hand. Now that both men in Jill's life had betrayed her, she had nothing to lose. I was sure she was gonna shoot.

So I took my gun in hand inside my jacket. I just needed one moment of distraction to pull it off.

She noticed me there, watching everything. She looked towards me, then she said: "I'm sorry, Claire." With her gun towards Chris, she pulled the trigger.

But he was faster and rolled to the side, avoiding a bullet to the chest, but instead grazing his left arm.

There was no room for doubt, no time to hesitate. I drew my gun and shot right between her eyes.

I didn't enjoy it. All along I was planning a silent kill. Grab her from behind when she was exiting the room. Throw a gas grenade through the air vents leading up to the 'office'. Poison her food. Push her down the stairs. 'Actually, I had long scrapped that plan.' Anyways, there was too much emotion that night. It didn't feel satisfying. Not to mention Chris watched me gun her down.

And he put it on me. The fucker had the audacity to be mad at me. I saved his life. But he would never recognise that. He convinced himself I was the one true evil. And we never spoke again.

'Had I won? Wasn't this what I wanted? The bitch was dead, wasn't that reward enough?' I felt awful. 'I don't know.' I answered myself. 'I just don't know.'