Chapter 3

I forced myself to swallow the bitter pain and kept listening.

I couldn't miss a single detail. I needed every bit of evidence to see Carter for the monster he truly was.

"Chloe is utterly useless. I'm exhausted from playing prince charming every single day. I have to clean, cook, and cater to her every whim like she’s some royal highness."

"But man, it was hilarious the other day. She had her period and leaked. I intentionally gave her a pair of stained pants to wear out. She actually thought I was being sweet and caring! I led her out for a walk, and she blindly followed me like an idiot."

I remembered that day. I had felt so embarrassed and helpless. Carter had brought me what he claimed were clean clothes and insisted on taking me out, saying that walking would help with my cramps.

I had been deeply touched by his gesture. Now... I realized how pathetic I was for believing him.

Carter kept boasting to his friends.

He even described our intimate moments in vulgar detail, prompting loud, disgusting laughter from the crowd.

Someone suddenly asked, "Hey Carter, you better be careful. Don't go falling in love with her for real."

Carter scoffed loudly. "Are you trying to gross me out? Fall in love with her? I only love her money."

Hearing this, I was absolutely certain that the car crash was his doing.

Rage surged through my chest. I wanted to smash the door open, confront him, and break a bottle over his head.

But a cold, rational voice in my head stopped me. That would be too easy on him. I had to make him pay dearly.

I quietly backed away, already plotting my revenge.

Carter came home around five in the afternoon, looking completely drained.

Well, of course he was. Spending a whole day partying must be exhausting.

"You're back? Get some rest," I said "warmly."

He tossed his phone onto the sofa and collapsed into my lap, acting like a needy puppy.

I took the opportunity to repeatedly press my finger against his phone's fingerprint scanner until it locked him out, forcing him to use his passcode.

When he finally unlocked it manually, I memorized his passcode from behind my sunglasses.

As he scrolled through his phone, I asked casually, "Carter, you're all I have left. You'll never leave me, right?"

Carter froze for a split second, an unnatural look flitting across his face, but he quickly recovered.

"Of course not, Chloe. I’ll protect you and take care of you for the rest of my life."

He said it so smoothly, with such convincing sincerity. If I hadn't heard him at the club, I would have been deeply moved.

When he went to take a shower, I picked up his phone, unlocked it with his passcode, and opened Snapchat.

I hoped to find some hard evidence. I knew his accomplice must be someone close, otherwise he wouldn't have shared his murder plan with them.

As I scrolled, my suspicions were confirmed. Carter was seeing another woman named Vanessa Croft.

Their chat history was nauseating. Carter would lie right next to me while sexting Vanessa, openly discussing how to get rid of me.

Carter wrote: "Once we get the marriage certificate, I’ll take her on a honeymoon. I'll drive the car down a steep cliff and jump out right before it goes over. I'll make sure she doesn't survive."

Vanessa replied: "Sounds perfect, babe. Just make sure you stay safe. I can't wait to marry you."

I forwarded the entire chat log to my own phone and quickly deleted the sent messages.

Carter, you won't get away with it this time.