Page 25 of Venomous Kiss

Turning the water off, I reach for the towel.

It needs to be done. I’m a smart man. I know better.

And it’s not as if her husband will come looking for her, not after what he saw. Surely.

An easy kill.

Easy disposal.

Maybe I could hunt him?

Wrapping the towel around my waist, I find my bag on the bed and reach in for my knife. Simple but effective. It’s dark when I return to the living room. The glow of the moon is the only light in the apartment, and the fire from earlier burned out.

“Caterpillar!” I call for her, but she doesn’t answer. Walking past the dishwasher, I see it’s open, and the knife I put in there is gone. “Caterpillar,” I call after her again. Her bag is no longer near the door.

Well, well, well, what a sneaky little caterpillar.

How did she know?

Or was that her plan all along?

I grin widely as I walk back to my bedroom. Climbing into bed, I wonder… What should I do about my caterpillar?

Eat her, or watch her transform?

TEN

LILITH

Dear Diary,

I didn’t mean to be so…

What is the correct word? Fucked-up? Maybe.

I’m not even sure that’s the right word.

You see, he instilled an unhealthy obsession in me.

And you know what a little craziness does to obsessions.

It causes fixations.

xox

One Year Later

Signing those papers was like releasing a deep, cleansing breath—one I had been holding for so long. Deven refused to divorce me, even though I told him I wanted nothing. He said that wasn’t acceptable because he wanted me.

But I stopped wanting him a long time ago.

An incredibly long time ago.

And now? I crave a man I run from.

Who I know I’ll run from again when he comes for me.

Though lately, I have seen him with another woman—one who looks nothing like me. She’s a reminder of everything I’m not, and I can’t say it doesn’t sting a little.