Chapter 3
Dylan went to grab the tablet, but I shoved him away, hard.
Chloe just walked right up and slapped me across the face.
"Who the hell do you think you are, pushing Dylan? You deserve worse than a slap," she yelled.
I turned to her, all my pent-up fury exploding at once.
I jumped up and went off on her, slapping her left and right, again and again, until blood was streaming from her nose and mouth.
She staggered back and, in her stumble, crushed the tablet underfoot with a loud crunch.
I looked down, staring in disbelief at the shattered screen.
Dylan finally lost it and started yelling at me, "Will you stop acting out? Just look at you. Dirty, reeking, you look like you've totally lost it!"
"Gone... They're both gone..." I muttered to myself.
The tablet was gone. Tanya was gone, too.
Dylan grabbed me by the collar, rough and furious.
"Tell me. Where the hell did you hide Tanya?" he roared.
I just stared at him, completely numb inside.
"Dylan, I want a divorce," I said.
"Yeah, keep acting. Put on your little show," Dylan said.
He stepped back, and just as I bent down to grab the tablet, he snatched it up first and started smashing it at me.
He kept slamming the broken tablet against me, screaming like he'd totally lost it.
He yelled, "You just couldn't let me have a peaceful New Year, could you?
"Fine. I'll give you your damn New Year. I'll celebrate it with you right now!
"You keep bringing up Tanya, just to make me come back to you, right? Well, here I am. Is this what you wanted?"
Every word out of his mouth came with another blow from that broken tablet.
It hurt at first, but after a while, I just went numb.
I hated myself for not getting home sooner. If only I had, maybe I could've stopped him from taking Tanya out that night.
All of this was on me. Every bit of it.
I never should've married Dylan. Not ever.
Just when I thought about it, my tears wouldn't stop, no matter how hard I tried.
After hitting me over and over with the tablet, Dylan finally dropped his hand, out of breath.
He kept insisting the death certificate was fake, gritting his teeth as he demanded an answer from me.
He asked, "How long are you going to keep up this act?"
Suddenly, I grabbed him by the shoulders, shouting at him, my voice cracking with desperation.
I yelled, "Dylan, do you even have a heart? You took Tanya out. Why didn't you bring her back?"
I dropped to my knees, clutching my face as I sobbed so hard that my whole body shook, completely falling apart.
"Quit the act! I know you're hiding Tanya somewhere," he said.
Chloe looked panicked and tried to pull him back, but he just brushed her off without a second thought.
He whipped out his phone, shooting me a glare full of venom.
"Just wait. I'm calling right now to prove you're lying," he said.
Dylan kept making threats, but didn't have the guts to actually call.
After crying myself out, I dragged myself up from the floor.
It didn't matter if he believed me or not.
Even if he did, Tanya was never coming back to me.
"Emma, don't walk away. We're not done here," Dylan said.
He grabbed my hand, his grip tight enough to keep me from leaving.
I felt completely numb inside, like all the life had drained out of me.
"Dylan, you're free now. You can sleep with Chloe whenever you feel like it," I said.
Honestly, this wasn't the first time Chloe had taunted me on social media.
Every couple of days, she'd post some racy pics of her and Dylan, just to get under my skin.
But whenever I confronted him, he'd just brush it off, saying those were all AI crap, totally fake, and told me I was just being paranoid.
"Emma, what's wrong with you? Fine, I'll stop seeing Chloe, alright? I'll stick with you and Tanya. Will that finally make you happy?" Dylan asked.
He stared at me, and for the first time, I actually saw a trace of desperation in his eyes.
Chloe spoke up from behind, her voice incredulous. "Dylan?"
I pried Dylan's fingers off my hand, one by one.
I said, "Do what you want. I don't care anymore."
His eyes bloodshot, he still refused to let go. He pleaded, "Yeah, I know I broke my promise. I'm sorry, alright? I'm begging you. Just tell me, where's Tanya? Please."
Just then, my phone started ringing.
As soon as I picked up my phone, Dylan let out a deep sigh, looking all smug, like he'd figured it all out.
"Bet that's your mom calling, huh? I knew it. You must've left Tanya with her. She probably got tired of watching Tanya and wants you to go pick Tanya up."
Chloe jumped in right away, eager to back him up.
"Emma, honestly, how could you lie to Dylan like that? You've had him stressing out for nothing," she said.
I didn't say a word. I just tapped "answer."
As soon as the voice on the other end came through, the smug look on Dylan's face vanished in an instant.
The voice asked, "Is this Tanya Thompson's family? This is the funeral home. We're calling to ask when you'd like to schedule her cremation."
I forced myself to stay calm, my voice flat and emotionless. "I'll come today."
Dylan froze for a second, then let out a cold, mocking laugh.
He said, "So you even paid someone to play along with your pathetic little show, huh? You really think I'd buy that?
"I'm going to ask your mom myself. Let's see how long you can keep this up."
With that, he stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
Chloe called after him, shot me a dark glare over her shoulder, then followed him out.