The Trap

2. David

It turns out that Janice didn't remember me, at least not at first. Pity. For I was sure, I had at least made myself stand out among the hundreds she saw each day at the Mercy hospital.

The first time I had laid eyes on Janice at Mercy a few weeks back, I knew I wanted her; her electric blue eyes as she had entered the ward with Doctor Reed and handed over Melissa's file to him had captured me.

Melissa, my wife, had had an unfortunate accident. She had slipped on the stairs and suffered a concussion; she had insisted that she was alright. And for a few hours, she was.

Our nanny, Kimmy, had called my office and told me that Melissa had felt nauseous and fallen asleep on the couch. And try as she may, she had failed to wake her up.

That was the first time in ages when I had truly felt happy. As I had driven to our home, I had prayed for a traffic jam, but alas, I had encountered none. On reaching home, I had found Melissa unconscious but very much alive.

Like a perpetual thorn on my side, Melissa had always been miraculously lucky. She had managed to win over everyone, my parents included, who were smitten with her. She was a perfect daughter-in-law, mother, and wife, at least on the outside.

She suffocated me.

I hated her.

And when I could not take it anymore, I looked for pleasure outside our marriage.

Linda was the first one. Unlike Melissa, she was feisty, daring, and confident. Melissa was a calm lake, whereas Linda was a tempest stirring my heart and body.

It was all going great till Melissa found out. She was heartbroken. I did not care, but I had to show that I did. After all, there was a lot that I still wanted from her; she was still of use to me.

There was nothing else I could do but beg for forgiveness. I couldn't let Linda stand between me and my millions that I had tried so hard to get my hands on.

I blamed everything on her, and like the naive woman, Melissa believed my every word.

I had learned my lesson; I couldn't let Melissa catch me in the act again. But she had become suspicious. She started keeping a close eye on my comings and goings; if her existence was a bane before, it felt like it was draining my soul now.

That was when I decided that she had to go. The day she slipped and fell down the stairs was supposed to be her last, but it was not to be. It was like God was testing my patience.

The only good thing that came out of it was that the fall had lead to brain hemorrhage, and Melissa had entered a comatose state. When she had woken up after the surgery, she was no better than a vegetable: paralyzed from the neck down.

However terrible her state, she was still alive. And once more, I was stuck.

Everything was still in her name. I started visiting her at the hospital every day. The twins were beside themselves and refused to leave their mother's side. Brats.

Sometimes I wish I had never had them. I keep reminding myself that the children serve a purpose. The more time they spent with Melissa, the more I could get away from spending time with her. Moreover, they were just seven. I still had enough time to mold them the way I wanted once Melissa was out of the picture. After much contemplation, I had decided to let them be for the moment and let them enjoy Melissa's company while it lasted.

Thankfully, no one suspected foul play. "I was clumsy, is all." Melissa had said, smiling at me. "It was not like you wanted me to slip on the grease."

Soon, we fell into a routine. Kimmy started staying with us full-time. After sending the kids to school, she used to take care of the chores, and when the kids returned, she would bring them to see their mother.

I had a role to play, that of a devoted, distraught husband, and I did that swimmingly. I had everyone fooled, including Melissa.

The stupid woman smiled at me and thanked me every time I walked in with the kids in tow.

"You are my light, for forever and a day." She would say as I touched my lips to her forehead. Then she would catch my eyes and wait. She would look at me expectantly till I replied, "You have nothing to fear, my lady; I will keep the darkness at bay."

It was our thing, as Melissa called it.

A freaking joke is what it was, a lie I told to keep making her love me. But I couldn't tell her that, at least, not then.

After a few weeks under observation, Doctor Reed had suggested we take Melissa home. He was a good friend of hers from her days at medical college and knew how much she hated it there.

Having no choice, I had agreed. Sandy and Sid were overjoyed.

God knows what they saw in Melissa. Maybe it was a blood thing. She was their mother, after all.

My parents had decided to come over the day Melissa would return home. "Just till doctor Reed sends someone over, David." My mother had offered; I had accepted reluctantly. She did not need to know what I felt for Melissa.

I did not want Melissa to come back home. It was then that I had finally taken matters into my own hands, both figuratively and literally.

Unfortunately, Melissa had not met the end that I had chalked out for her. She had tricked fate again. Instead, when her heart had stopped, she was resuscitated by a nurse on call. She had, however, slipped into a coma.

"I want to run a few more tests; you can take her home after that." Reed had suggested once again and added, "David, it pains me to tell you this, but what we need now is a miracle."

I had nodded solemnly and left after shedding a few tears. I couldn't break character now, could I?

Melissa didn't have parents. She was an orphan when I had met her; A filthy rich one. Thus, tonight, just like the past few days, the kids would be staying at my parents'.

The crumpled ten-dollar bill in my hand mocks me as I take the couch and stare at the television screen.

Janice Monroe, that was her name. When Reed had introduced her to me, I had felt her blue eyes linger over me.

I know I hadn't imagined that. But then, Janice had looked away and diverted all her attention to Melissa and Reed before leaving.

I had to know more about her, and that's what I had done. Two days later, I knew everything about her: her schedule, where she lived, her friends, and her bra size: 32 D.

It had come as a pleasant surprise when I had found out that she had moved houses recently, shifting to a bungalow just two blocks away from our family home.

It was like fate was trying to hook us up as well. Encouraged, I had put a plan into motion.

I had committed her schedule to my memory; I had gone for a walk around the block, making sure to bump into her on her way back home.

Unexpectedly, she had failed to notice me. Today, after two days of being ignored, I had given up and approached her.

It had not gone as planned. Janice was ice: cold and detached. As she had thrust the bill in my hand and walked away, my desire to claim her had only grown.

I wanted her. I wanted her more than I had ever wanted anyone, and I was going to have her, one way or another.