ManyWriters

Darling is a fanatic of mystery novels.
Murder, dismemberment - the gorier, the better.
She always reads a bit before bed.
To be honest, watching her devour those books with such relish every night kind of freaks me out.
One evening, she was at it again.
Curiously, I asked her if those books were really that interesting.
Or if she had any... thoughts.
She posed a question to me:
"What do you think is the hardest part about killing someone?"
"Erasing the evidence?"
"Wrong."
"Disposing of the body?"
"Wrong."
After I guessed incorrectly a few times, she told me what she thought was the toughest part of murder:
"Choosing the victim."

My Bedmate

Looking at his grandmother lying in the hospital bed, cancer had ravaged her body, leaving her nothing but skin and bones.


However, his uncles were unwilling to pay for her treatment, leaving her to wait for death.


At that moment, Blaine remembered that woman.


Blaine's father died when Blaine was five, and his mother ran away when he was six.


It was his grandmother who single-handedly raised him.


And now, his grandmother was only sixty-eight years old.


She still had twenty years until eighty-eight, and thirty-two years until a hundred.


He asked his two uncles to take his grandmother to the hospital, saying he'd figure out how to pay for it.


The first thing he did when he got back was to give up his rented apartment and return to his old job as a delivery driver.


You might wonder, where did he live after giving up his apartment?


He didn't go anywhere, just camped out in the woman's neighborhood.


Ten days later, he finally caught sight of her.


Only, the delivery didn't contain food, but a few photographs.


Unfortunately, the doctors didn't recommend treatment but instead told him that with that money, it would be better to take his grandmother out to enjoy life, eating and drinking.


Two months later, Blaine's grandmother passed away.


After his grandmother's death, Blaine decided to wash his hands of illegal activities. The grandmother's passing deeply affected him.


Before she died, he promised her he would live a good life, marry, and have children.


On Blaine's first day back in New York, he was arrested.


"I'll tell you tomorrow night. It's almost 2 AM, and we have work tomorrow."


I looked at my wife's closed eyes and had to let it go.


To be honest, I found this story rather ordinary, but I'm an impatient person by nature.


I always want quick results for everything.


As a child, I wanted to know test results immediately.


I'd flip to the last page of books I read at first.


Hearing only half the story was truly frustrating.


The next day at noon, my wife called to say she had a week-long business trip, leaving that very day.


I didn't think much of it; my wife travels often for work, and I'm used to it.


In the late afternoon, as work was winding down, I tried calling my wife but got no answer.


After a moment's thought, I took out a phone from my office drawer and opened the location tracker.


I watched the motionless red dot on the map.


The address showed Pennsylvania Prison.


My family used to live in that area when I was young, before we relocated due to demolition.


My mom often took me there, where we'd stand for hours. Let me study hard, or I'd be sent there if I didn't do well.


Later, I found out that the people there were just petty thieves and small-time crooks.


But what was my wife doing at Pennsylvania Prison?


Why did she lie to me, saying she was going on a business trip?


Chapter 4