Chapter 15: What I Became
It’s been six months since that night on the couch.
I still haven’t told Ryan the truth.
And I don’t think I ever will.
Some nights, I lie awake and wonder what kind of person I am. I wonder if I’m a monster. I wonder if Linda was right when she called me evil.
Other nights, I tell myself that she deserved it. That I did what I had to do. That justice doesn’t always come from the law.
But the truth is somewhere in between.
I did something terrible.
I became someone terrible.
And even though I don’t regret protecting myself and avenging my child, I also know that I can never go back to being the person I was before.
Ryan still loves me.
He still believes I’m the perfect wife who took care of his mother until the end.
And I let him believe it.
Because the alternative is losing everything.
Sometimes, when I’m alone, I think about Linda’s final word.
Evil.
She was right.
But she made me this way.
And now I have to live with what I’ve become.
I don’t know if I’ll ever tell Ryan the truth. Maybe one day, when I’m old and have nothing left to lose, I’ll confess. Or maybe I’ll take this secret to my grave.
Either way, I know one thing for certain:
I will never be the same again.
And every night, when I close my eyes, I still see her face.
Not the weak, dying version of her.
But the strong, cruel woman who pushed me when I was pregnant and smiled when I lost my baby.
That woman is gone.
And I killed her.
Slowly.
Patiently.
And with a smile on my face.
May you like
Just like she taught me to do.
End of Story
