I love you so much. I love you, too, baby. He held her close, his face buried in her hair. More than you know. But if Allison could have seen Malcolm’s face in that moment, she would have noticed that his eyes were open, staring blankly at the wall behind her, and they were completely empty.
Across town in a sleek high-rise office building overlooking Piedmont Park, Vanessa Cole sat at her desk, her perfectly manicured nails tapping impatiently on her mahogany desk. She was stunning in a way that turned heads on the street with smooth caramel skin, sharp cheekbones, and an hourglass figure she’d worked hard to maintain. At 32, she’d built her PR firm from the ground up.
And she didn’t accept anything less than perfection. Not in her business, and certainly not in her personal life. Her phone bust. Finally. Malcolm, it’s done. Leaving Friday morning. Vanessa’s lips curved into a smile. She typed back quickly and she bought it. Malcolm, hook, line, and sinker. By Sunday night, this will all be over.
Vanessa leaned back in her leather chair, satisfaction warming her chest. Three years. Three long years of being the other woman, of sneaking around, of watching Malcolm play Happy Family with his pregnant wife while she waited in the shadows. But soon, very soon, she would step into the light. She would become Mrs.
Malcolm Taylor, and together they would build an empire that would make his current success look like pocket change. Her assistant knocked on the door. “Miss Cole, your 4:00 is here. Send them in,” Vanessa said, slipping her phone into her drawer. She glanced at her reflection in the glass of her office window.
“Beautiful, powerful, and about to get everything she’d ever wanted. All it would take was one little push. Back at the Taylor mansion, Allison was already upstairs packing for the trip, humming softly to herself. The baby kicked enthusiastically as if sharing her excitement. She folded a soft yellow cardigan into her suitcase, then added the baby book she’d been reading.
Maybe they could talk about names this weekend. She was thinking about Jordan if it was a boy, Maya if it was a girl. She heard Malcolm on the phone downstairs, his voice low and muffled. Probably work, she thought. But at least after this weekend, things would be different. They’d be close again, connected the way they used to be.
She walked to the window and looked out at the Atlanta skyline in the distance. The sun beginning to set behind the buildings, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink. In 2 days, she’d be looking at a different view. Mountains and valleys and endless colors. A new beginning for their family. Allison placed both hands on her belly, feeling the steady rhythm of tiny movements beneath her palms.
It’s going to be okay, little one, she whispered. Daddy’s coming back to us. Everything’s going to be perfect. But she didn’t hear Malcolm’s voice drifting up from downstairs, cold and clinical as he spoke into his phone. The life insurance policy is secure. And you’re sure there are no cameras on that section of the cliff trail? Perfect.
Friday night, then. Make sure you’re ready to move fast. We won’t have much time to clean this up. He hung up and stared at his phone for a long moment. Then he deleted the call from his log, poured himself a scotch, and drank it in one long swallow. Upstairs, Allison zipped her suitcase closed, and smiled, completely unaware that she was packing for her own funeral.
