AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘No,’ he said, hisvoice hollow. ‘She never got the chance.’
Gail leaned forwardslightly. ‘Never got the chance?'
He hesitated, the nextwords clinging to his throat like thorns. It was the moment of revelation hedreaded, yet craved. With a heave of his chest, he let the truth spill forth.
‘I made herdisappear,’ he confessed. His eyes sought hers, searching for the glimmer offear, craving the validation that his monstrous nature could still elicit sucha primal reaction.
But Gail remainedcomposed. ‘Can you elaborate on that for me?’
His heart pounded,threatening to break free from his chest. This was the precipice, the point ofno return where he laid bare the darkest chapter of his life.
‘I couldn't hold backanymore,’ he admitted. ‘I killed my own mother.’
The admission hunglike a shroud, a confession that should have shattered the calm façade of anyrational human being.
But Gail, with herunwavering gaze and steady composure, did not seem rattled.
Did she hear himproperly?
'Are you telling thetruth?' Gail asked. ‘Or are you playing some kind of game?’
'Yes. I can give youher name. I can show you how I did it, where I did it.' He looked up at Gailand saw a mirror image of the woman who had once been his anchor in a sea ofmadness. Her ability to remain collected both infuriated and intrigued him. Sheseemed to have that air of natural compassion, much like his mother hadbeen—the one who could talk him down from the ledge, time after time, until theday she couldn't.
For a moment, the roomseemed suspended in time, the only sound the distant tick of a clock, markingthe passage of seconds like a heartbeat in the silence. Simon watched Gailclosely, searching for any sign of revulsion or horror, any indication that hiswords had pierced the calm exterior she presented.
‘Simon, I appreciateyour honesty. It's important that we address this truthfully. But first, I needto ask, have you told anyone else about this?’
Her serenity wasunsettling; it was as if she had peered into the abyss of his soul withoutflinching. As she maintained her poise, he felt a twinge of disquiet ripplethrough him. The same uncanny calmness that his mother had exuded was nowreflected in this stranger's eyes—could it be a prelude to betrayal? Hisfingers involuntarily traced patterns on the leather couch as his mind churnedwith paranoia.
No. You're the first.I killed her, and I've regretted it every moment since.'
Gail's expressiondidn't waver, but something shifted imperceptibly behind her eyes. He sensed achange, a fracture in the calm. She looked into his eyes, a silent exchangethat felt like an unspoken acknowledgment of the horror he had confessed to.
Suddenly, Gail moved—aswift, unexpected dart to her desk drawer that shattered the illusion oftranquility.
For a heartbeat, timestalled, then Gail lurched forward as she withdraw a pistol from within.
But he was quicker,fueled by a rush of adrenaline and survival instinct. He lunged toward Gail,their hands meeting in a struggle for control. He grabbed her wrist, twistedand prized the pistol out of her grip, straight into his own palm.
He turned the gun onher.
The metal in his handwas an alien sensation. He'd only held a gun once before, but it didn't take amarksman to put a bullet in someone from two feet away.
Gail threw her handsup in surrender, all of her authority dissolving in one gesture.
‘Are you...' Gailstammered.
'Am I what?' he asked,pointing the barrel of the gun at her temple.
‘The man who killedthe other therapist?’
'The other therapist?There's more than one,’ he said.
A breathy gasp escapedGail's lips. She recoiled, but he stepped closer, cutting her off.
‘Listen to me,’ Gailpleaded. ‘I can help you. You don't have to do this.’
He searched Gail'sexpression, hunting for deceit. He wanted to believe her, to trust in herpromise of peace, but doubts gnawed at him with relentless hunger. His fingertightened around the trigger, the pressure building like a volcano threateningto overflow.
