My husband made dinner, and soon after my son and i collapsed. as i pretended to be unconscious, i heard him whisper, βitβs done, they wonβt last long.β when he walked away, i told my son quietly, βdonβt move yet.β what happened next changed everything.
I couldn’t move. Beside me, my son, Eli, lay motionless. And then I heard it. My husband, Jaredβs, voice, a cold, final whisper that sliced through the fog in my mind.
“It’s done. They won’t last long.”
They. He meant us. I wasn’t supposed to hear that. I was supposed to be de:ad.
As his footsteps faded, a primal scream rose in my throat, but I choked it back. Instead, I leaned close to Eli’s ear and whispered, “Don’t move yet.”
Just hours before, Jared had announced he was cooking dinnerβa rare event. The steak smelled a little off, his smile a little too wide. I took a few bites. So did Eli. Thatβs when the first wave of dizziness hit.
“Mom,” Eli whispered, “my tummy hurts.”
I knew then. This wasn’t food poisoning. I collapsed, pulling Eli to the floor with me, and did the only thing I could: I pretended. And thatβs when I heard the death sentence from my own husband.
The soft click of the front door. He was gone.
“Bathroom,” I hissed, my voice a raw croak. “Spit it out. Throw up if you can.”
I followed him, dragging my legs like sandbags. I turned on the tap, the sound a flimsy shield. I forced my fingers down my throat, desperate to purge the poison. Eli did the same, tears of pain and confusion streaming down his face.
My phone was dead. The landline, too. He had planned this meticulously.
I grabbed a flashlight and led Eli through the garage. “Go,” I whispered. “To Mrs. Leverne’s. Now!”
We survived. But that was just the beginning. The most horrifying truth was yet to come: the reason why. Why would the man I loved want to erase his own family from existence? Watch: [in comment] – Made with AI