Chapter 5
I picked up my bag and took out my phone. “I’m calling the police!”
Knowing that Zane would try to stop me, I sat on the far edge of the seat, ready to jump out of the car at any moment’s notice.
However, he remained motionless. “You can call the police. It’s your right. However, I want you to think about this carefully. What do you plan to do after you call the cops?”
“I want a divorce because you’re abusing me. On those grounds, you’re not getting anything in the divorce!
“Oh, really?” He grinned slyly, raising his left arm. “You slashed my arm, so how am I the one abusing you?”
I yelled furiously, “You hit me first!”
“You stabbed me first!” He chuckled. “Law enforcement can’t resolve family disputes. Are you sure you can convince the police?”
At that moment, I learned how shameless Zane could be!
It was true. He and I both had light injuries. When the time came, it would be hard to justify who was at fault.
“Honey, in the end, the basement is the cause of all our fights. You’re suspicious, aren’t you?” he asked, shrugging. “Why don’t I take you downstairs and let you take a good look? Wouldn’t that solve things?”
I stared him down, suspecting that he had a trick up his sleeve.
“Let’s first agree on two things. What would happen if your suspicions about the basement are true, and what would happen if your suspicions are false?” He winked at me. “We have to agree on these two matters first. What do you think?”
His words did sound reasonable. After a moment’s thought, I answered, “Let’s put it in writing.”
“No problem. What are the terms?”
“If my suspicions are true, then you will divorce me unconditionally and leave without a penny. If my suspicions are false, I will apologize to you, and we will put this matter behind us for the rest of our lives.”
“No problem!”
Having come to an agreement, I grabbed a pen and paper. I put the terms into writing, and we both signed it. For safety, I also sent my mother a copy, even making sure that Zane saw me do it.
“Let’s go. I’ll take you down to the basement now.” He opened the car door and got down.
At that moment, my heart began to race wildly.
What if he locked me in the basement and beat me up?
What if he locked me in the basement, and I never got to see the light of day again?
On the news, there had been reports of people locking their spouses up for an extended period of time.
1/3
Chapter 5
+25 BONUS
“Let’s go!” Zane urged. “We’ve already formalized the agreement. Are you scared to go down there?”
He was most likely trying to provoke me. I wasn’t going to fall for that. “Wait, I’ll ask two people to come with me!”
I asked Jane and another good friend, Monica Wright, to come along. With them by my side, I wasn’t afraid anymore.
When Jane arrived at the house, she noticed that my face didn’t look right. “Chloe, what happened to your face?”
I shook my head and said that it was nothing.
Realizing something, Jane regarded Zane coldly. Monica also reached the same understanding. She hugged me, gently patting my shoulder.
“Come on, let’s go to the basement,” Zane said politely to my friends as he led us downstairs. He walked so quickly that by the time we reached the basement, he had already unlocked the door and switched on the lights.
The basement had four rooms–a store room, a gym, and two lounge areas for guests. I took them inside to get a better look.
It was clean and tidy like before. Every room looked untouched; not only had nothing been added, but nothing had been taken either.
I checked each room thoroughly, shocked to find nothing amiss. There weren’t even any strange smells.
Jane and Monica used their phones to take photos and videos, but they didn’t spot anything problematic
either.
This was strange! There was clearly something wrong with the basement, so why was everything fine now? I couldn’t believe it.
“Honey, you’ve seen for yourself now, haven’t you? Well, what do you say?” Zane said gleefully. “You owe me an apology.”
Since I couldn’t find anything wrong right now, I couldn’t say anything. I had to hold up my end of the
agreement.
“Dear, I’m sorry for misunderstanding you,” I apologized.
“It’s all good!” He waved his hand benevolently. “We don’t have to bring up the past anymore. Now, go and whip up a meal for your two good friends!”
Seeing that Zane and I had made up, Jane and Monica broke into smiles. They yanked me upstairs.
However, I couldn’t help but feel a chill run down my back. Looking over my shoulder, I still didn’t notice anything odd.
No! I knew that something wasn’t right!
Could Zane have done something before this?
23
Chapter 5
I was going to wait till tonight and see!
