“I won’t,” I replied. I won’t forget what you did
This second chance wouldn’t be wasted. They
would pay.
I returned from the store. Sarah and Ashley
were out getting manicures.
I rushed to my study and installed the hidden
cameras I’d just bought.
I tested the network connection to my phone.
Everything worked perfectly. I left the study
and started cooking.
Ashley’s party included family, friends,
colleagues, even some faculty from the
university.
I had almost finished cooking when Sarah and
Ashley returned, bubbling with excitement.
They showed off their nails and makeup.
“Dad, you’ve been working so hard. Let me
give you a massage.” She started kneading
my shoulders.
Sarah brought me a glass of iced tea from
the kitchen. “Honey, have some tea.”
To any outsider, we were the perfect family.
I glanced at the tea, pushing it aside. “I just
had some water. I’m not thirsty right now.”
Sarah looked taken aback. It was the first
time I’d ever refused her. She shot Ashley a
look. Ashley picked up the tea and offered it
to me.
“Dad, thank you for everything. For raising
- me. Please, have this tea. Consider it a toast
from your daughter“!
く
“I appreciate the thought, honey, but I’m really
not thirsty. I’ll drink it later.” I pushed the
glass away again. I could see undissolved
white granules at the bottom.
Ashley hesitated, clearly surprised I’d refused
her twice. “Dad, do you hate me? You won’t
even drink the tea I made for you.” She
started to cry, looking utterly heartbroken.
“John, just drink the tea! Don’t upset her. It’s
her birthday,” Sarah urged, but her eyes held
a strange, searching look.
Ashley offered the tea again. “John, drink it,”
Sarah insisted, snatching the glass and
pushing it towards my lips.
I opened my mouth to protest, but she
pinched my nose, forcing me to swallow. I
L
choked. She kept pushing until I’d finished the
entire glass.
I looked at the woman I’d loved for over a
decade, her face contorted in a cruel smirk,
and I felt a surge of bitter amusement.
Almost immediately, I felt dizzy, my eyelids
heavy. “Sarah, I feel lightheaded. I think I’m
coming down with something.”
I tried to stand, but Sarah just smiled. “Maybe
you are. Ashley, help your dad to bed.”
Ashley took my arm. “Come on, Dad, let’s get
you to bed.”
She led me to the small bed in my study.
Sarah insisted I sleep there because my
snoring kept her awake. I’d been sleeping in
く
the study for over thirteen years.
As soon as she laid me down, she gave me a
little shove. “Dad? Are you asleep?”
When I didn’t respond, she called out, “Mom!
The idiot’s finally out. Your plan worked!”
Luckily, I’d taken an antidote before they got
home, anticipating their move.
Sarah came in and kicked me a few times.
Satisfied I was unconscious, she started
talking. “John, it’s all your parents‘ fault. That
stupid will, leaving everything to you. Nothing
for me, their daughter–in–law! Well, don’t
blame me for what happens next.”
Now I understood. It was about my parents‘
inheritance.
I came from an old–money family. My parents
had bought a house downtown years ago. It
was now worth millions. They’d made a will,
leaving everything to me, excluding Sarah.
They hadn’t approved of our marriage. Sarah
was a high school graduate, and I was a
college professor.
