I Should Have Seen it Coming

My name is Mikhail. I don't see a point in hiding it now, because it won't be mine for much longer. It's not that I hate it or anything, it's just that it brings back memories. Too many memories. Of my life, my love, and my passion, all rolled into one. I'll just spill. I don't have anyone who cares anyway.

I'll just jump on in. It was around the 5th year she had been here, in the middle of Summer. We had been married for about a year at the time, and Lillian and I were just happy. She was very loving, beautiful, and musically talented. Just perfect for me, as I was for her. It was one day though, I was having trouble figuring out what to write next for my piece for the music festival. If there is one thing I hate the most, it's writers block (Or composer's block in my case), and I was just so irritated.

Lily came bouncing on in as cheery as ever, carrying a plate of tofu. She knows how much I love tofu. She came over to where I was sitting, kneeled next to me, and spoke to me softly, seeing as she could sense my anger.

"Honey," she whispered, looking me in the eye, "Maybe you need a break."

I turned from her angrily. "No! I need to finish this part. I'm so close."

She took the papers from my hands and hid them behind her back. She then handed me the plate of tofu.

"Break first. Your mind needs to rest every once in a while." She turned around and began to walk out the door. That was when I got furious. Slamming the tofu on the floor, I stopped her dead in her tracks. She turned quickly, only to see me walking towards her.

I snatched the papers from her. "Don't you tell me what to do," I said in a chilling voice. "Now, clean up this mess and leave me alone."

She cleaned it up and left, tears in her eyes. I sat down before recomposing myself. I suddenly felt awful. I had just spoken to my WIFE that way. The way HE had to me! I shook my head and ran out the door, trying to find Lillian, to fix what I had done. I found her in the barn and apologized. She accepted and hugged me, but seemed a bit different after that.

For weeks, she and I rarely spoke. After about 2 weeks of this, she started coming into my office again. Each day she would come in and I would smile and say hello, still looking deep into my music. I was working hard, and I rarely left my office at all. She would come in, forced smile on her face, and say the same thing:

"Honey, we need to talk. Do you have a minute?"

I would brush her off. "Sweetie, I'm working. Later."

And I would return to my work, and I could feel her staring at me as she left with heavy footsteps. This is how it went for the next few weeks up until the Music Festival.

The month passed and we had no sex. At all. You don't realize how significant that was. I didn't realize it then, but now that I do, I know that should have been my sign. I loved Lillian, and she reciprocated, but this was odd. Very odd. It was a full month, and then the Music Festival arrived. I was so excited, I could not contain myself. I woke up earlier than Lily and gave her a kiss on the cheek before going to prepare. I had the Town Hall to myself that whole morning, and I knew I needed to use all the time I could. I got ready as soon as possible and practiced all day until the sun began to set and the audience came.

I was pacing in another room when Lillian came in to see me. Her beautiful hair held by a white headband. She was wearing a blue dress with a blue vest over it and a simple white bowtie. Blue stockings covered her legs and black shoes covered her feet. She looked stunning. I went over to her, arms wide open.

"Lily, it's so good to see you-"

She turned her head from me and put her hand out.

"Stop, just stop." She muttered. My face fell with worry. Why was she acting like this?

"Honey? Are you ok?" I gently held her arm.

She jerked away from me. "I'm fine. Just listen to me."

She looked into my eyes, hers brimming with tears. "Look, I've been meaning to tell you this, but-"

The door was suddenly open and Ina hopped in.

"Come along Meek-ale." She said, pulling me away. "It is time for the concert."

I took one last look at Lily, who seemed unable to meet my eyes. "Look, we'll talk about this later-"

"It's always later isn't it? Can it never be now?" she scoffed, looking miserable. Her eyes refused to meet mine as I left.

The concert went well, but I didn't see Lillian in the audience. It worried me. She always came to watch me play. As soon as I was allowed to go back to my room, I did. When I walked in, I didn't find Lillian there, but a note. I gathered the note and my other items and ran home. Once there, I was surprised not to see Lily there either, but I found another note. It was open, saying she had gone for a walk. I was extremely concerned then. She was only ever out this late in the Summer to look for beetles. Only the Summer.

I quickly changed before running to the barn to find her horse Willow still there. I mounted her before riding into the mountains to look for Lillian. Calling her name, it echoed amongst the trees and rocks. It took me an hour to get to the mountaintop, where I found a path of what looked like mud. It led me back down the mountain from the way I came. I must not have noticed it on my way up. It stopped at the bridge where the waterfall was.

I dismounted Willow before making my way down to under the bridge. It was dark and I could barely see, so I tripped over something. The ground was hard and rocky, and it took me a moment to get up. I felt what I had tripped over with my hand. I felt a very soft, silk-like texture. Confused, I pulled whatever it was out into the moonlight. As soon as I saw, my throat choked up as if I could no longer breathe. A bloody figure lay in front of me. Arms broken, legs in awkward angles, and a bloody knife wound in the chest. Her hair splayed across her face as I sobbed into her lifeless eyed body.

"Lillian," I sobbed. "Lillian…"

Dirk found me the next morning. The rest of it is just a blur. I remember being taken to the clinic where I was checked over and she was taken from me. I was inquired about what I was doing with Lillian's dead body and why I was out that late. I answered the best I could, considering I was sleep deprived and grieving, and then they let me sleep. I must have slept for days before I woke to herbal tea and tofu.

Doctor Ayame then sat me down and told me everything. Lillian's wounds were made by a knife and were mortal, but what really killed her was when she was thrown over the bridge. She told me a lot of stuff I don't remember about what they could do and stuff, and then she laid two bombs on me.

"Mikhail. Were you aware of your wife's pregnancy?"

Pregnancy? I thought to myself. What?

She went on to tell me that the baby was only at 3 weeks, but I was still confused. There was no way it could be mine. Considering we didn't, you know.

"Also, we found her murderer. He hasn't given us any answers yet, but we caught him."

"Who was it?"

She pursed her lips. "Kana."

Kana. Why? How did it all fit? What happened?

That was when I remembered the note. I begged Hiro to go get it for me, and he did. When he brought it to me, I finally read it. Then it all fit. I understood. That was earlier today. Now I sit here, getting dizzy from the bottle of pills I downed earlier, wondering how my life might be different. I could be a daddy, even if it wasn't mine. But that's over now. I'm not going to be Mikhail for much longer. It'll be over soon. I may have just enough time to staple the letter to this, but that's it. Goodbye, my friends, and good luck to you all.

Letter that was attached:

Mikhail,

If you are reading this, it means I have given up hope. Hopes of you loving me, understanding me, or listening to me. Since you won't listen now, I don't think you ever will. I'm just going to tell you what I've tried to tell you for the past month. I've had an affair with Kana. At first, it was just an affair, but turned into something more. When I got pregnant, I realized I had a choice. Tell you and hope you understand, or elope with Kana. At first, I hoped you would let me tell you and listen, but I was wrong. All you cared about was your stupid violin. I'm leaving tonight. I've taken $20,000 and am going away with Kana. We will start a family somewhere else, so don't bother trying to find me. I hope you'll be happier now, just you and your work.

-Lillian

Hey y'all! I'm so glad so many of you responded and I will try to at least write one horror story per month! Thank all of you who responded and I hope you had a great Halloween! Please, check out my other stories and review this one too! If you have any questions, PM or review. I love to know what y'all think. Thanks- Beetle