I Personally Cremated My Husband Chapter 06
The second I stepped out the door, Petra, Marco, and Rosalia were on me.
“Where is my son? If you did anything to him, I swear you’ll pay for it,” Petra snarled, getting right in my face and jabbing a finger at me. “I always knew you were a piece of work, you bitch. We never should’ve let you marry into this family.”
Marco just glared, radiating that same old arrogance. “You’ve caused enough trouble. Stop pushing for more than you deserve.”
My voice was dead flat. “Maybe the dosage was too high. Galen fell into a very deep sleep.”
Rosalia’s head snapped up, her eyes rimmed with red. “Impossible! I timed it perfectly—”
She caught herself the second the words slipped out, but the damage was done.
“Timed it perfectly?” I echoed. “Timed exactly when he’d wake up before the cremation? Or timed it so you could intercept the hearse?”
Marco immediately tried to backpedal. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Do you want to know what Galen confessed to me in there? He told me everything. He begged me to spare his life. But unfortunately for him, I finally saw exactly who you people really are. Here. Take your son.”
I shoved the urn into her chest. Petra caught it purely on reflex, but when it finally registered what she was holding, she lost her mind. “You murderer!” she screamed. “You killed my son! You’ll rot in hell!”
I watched their meltdown completely unfazed, just shaking my head. “To the rest of the world, I’m just a grieving widow burying her hero of a husband. But you? No one is going to believe a single word you say.
“Hold on to your son. A decorated hero. His death was completely justified.”
“I’ll kill you! I’ll avenge my son!” Petra and Marco lunged at me in a blind rage.
I just glanced over my shoulder. The officials and their staff were already heading our way.
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell them the grief has driven you insane?” I asked. “I could have you committed to a psych ward right now.”
Petra and Marco froze. The aggression drained out of their faces in an instant, replaced by stark terror. Petra dropped heavily to her knees, clamping her arms around my legs. “Delia, please, Galen is dead. You’re all we have left to rely on! You won’t abandon us, will you? Do it for Galen’s sake.”
I yanked my leg out of her grip. “The survivor benefits will hit your account on schedule. As for everything else…”
I gave a tight little smile as they stared up at me, hanging on my every word. “I have zero ties to the Hickson family anymore. If you need someone to take care of you in your old age, go ask Dr. Lytton. She and Galen kept up a secret affair for years, so I’m sure she’ll be absolutely thrilled to step up and play the dutiful child.”
Petra froze, her head snapping toward Rosalia—the woman she’d completely forgotten in all the chaos. Marco slapped Rosalia hard across the face. “This is on you, you homewrecker!” he yelled. “This was your brilliant plan!”
“You’re blaming me?” Rosalia shrieked, clutching her cheek. “You’re the ones who said if we got rid of her, you’d get all the money!”
“You swore nothing would go wrong! Why else would I have let my son take a risk like that? You killed him!”
“It was Galen’s idea! If you hadn’t been so greedy—”
All three of them lunged at each other.
Petra grabbed a fistful of Rosalia’s hair, while Marco swung wildly at both women. Rosalia fought back, clawing at their faces until they bled.
“Give me back my son!”
“You killed him!”
“Bitch!”
My superiors frowned, giving a curt nod. A few of my coworkers stepped in to pry them apart, but even then, they kept thrashing and screaming curses, completely unhinged.
I turned and walked away, not looking back at the mess unfolding behind me.
I managed to transfer out of my department and relocate to a new city.
Once I was settled, I video-called my dad. He was taking a beach vacation, but even though he was retired from the military, his face was as stony as ever.
“Are you adjusting to the new place?” he asked.
“Everything’s fine,” I said. “It’s quiet here.”
He was quiet for a beat. “I heard what happened with the Hicksons. You handled it well.”
I murmured my agreement.
“Remember, you’re a Sheffield first, and everything else comes second. Never let anyone take away your freedom.” His expression softened, the hard edge bleeding out of his voice. “Stop dwelling on the past and focus on living your life. I’ve always got your back.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
My new posting was in a rainy city down South. I spent my downtime learning to brew coffee and grow flowers, and I wandered through art museums on the weekends.
“Thanks, Dad.”
My new posting was in a rainy city down South. I spent my downtime learning to brew coffee and grow flowers, and I wandered through art museums on the weekends.
A few months later, I bumped into a former colleague. As we caught up, he filled me in on what I’d missed.
“Things got a lot worse with your ex-in-laws,” he said. “Petra and Marco kept showing up at the hospital to harass Dr. Lytton. They swore she was the one who killed their son.
“The last time they went, Petra threw sulfuric acid in the doctor’s face. Word is, it permanently disfigured her.”
He shook his head, taking a sip of his coffee. “The cops arrested Petra and Marco right there on the spot. They’re probably looking at years in prison. As for Dr. Lytton, she lost her job and had a really hard time dealing with the physical trauma. Less than two months later, she killed herself in her home.”
I listened quietly. None of that old drama touched me anymore.
I had finally outlived the danger that once threatened my life.
My future was going to be safe, and it was going to be full of promise.