Chapter 2

My mind was racing.

"After changing Evelyn's clothes, I come to wash my hands real quick," I said, turning on the faucet.

Zack shot me a look, then glanced at Evelyn in the living room. "Did she wet herself again?"

"Yeah." I wiped my hands with a towel and tried to sound calm. "I've already changed her."

Zack walked over to Evelyn's bed and looked at her.

She had her eyes closed, breathing steadily, with drool hanging from the corner of her mouth. She looked like she was out cold.

"Has she been like this every night lately?" Zack asked.

"Yeah." I moved to stand next to him. "Your dad said she can't manage on her own anymore."

Zack didn't say a word, kept staring at Evelyn.

My heart was pounding.

What was he looking at?

Was he starting to get suspicious?

"How much longer do you think Mom has?" Zack suddenly asked.

I froze. "What?"

"I mean, she's like this now," Zack sighed, "She's really suffering."

I clenched my jaw. "What did the doctor say?"

"The doctor said with this kind of illness, it could be a few years, or maybe more than ten years," Zack said, his voice flat. "Either way, there's no cure."

After he said that, he turned and headed back to the bedroom.

I stood still, watching Evelyn.

Her eyelids twitched.

I crouched, leaned close to her ear, and whispered, "I saw the box."

She opened her eyes, suddenly lucid.

She looked at me, her eyes growing red with emotion.

"I know." I gently squeezed her hand. "Don't worry. I've got you."

Her lips moved, mouthing thank you without a sound.

I nodded to her, then stood up and walked back to the bedroom.

Zack was already lying in bed, his back to me.

I lay down, staring up at the ceiling.

Zack and James wanted Evelyn dead for five houses and her savings.

Suddenly, the man lying next to me felt like a total stranger.

*****

The next morning, as soon as Zack left for work, I headed straight to the living room.

Evelyn was already awake, still wearing that same vacant look.

I closed the doors and windows, pulled the curtains shut, then crouched down by her bed and whispered, "You can talk now."

She sat up right away, her eyes suddenly clear and alert.

She grabbed my hand. "Yvette, will you help me?"

"Yes." I nodded. "But you need to tell me what's really going on."

She took a deep breath and began her story.

She and James had been married for over thirty years.

Back when James was young, he never held down a real job. Evelyn was the one who worked her ass off to keep the family afloat.

She ran a small business, saving up little by little until she owned five houses, all in her name.

About two weeks ago, she happened to overhear James and Zack plotting in the study.

They said once she was dead, all the houses would be theirs. They even wondered if there was a way to speed things up and get her out of the picture sooner.

Evelyn was scared out of her mind. The next day, she snuck off to the hospital for a full check-up.

The doctor told her she was in great shape. She wasn't losing it or anything.

But after she got home, James started tampering with her medication, putting stuff in her pills.

"He thought I wouldn't notice," she said, her voice shaking. "But there was a strange smell coming from the pills.

"So I pretended to take them, then secretly spit them out when he wasn't watching. After that, I started playing dumb. He totally bought it."

I asked, "So, what's up with the box under the bed?"

"I've been prepared for a while now," she replied. "The property documents, bank account books, and my doctor's reports are all inside.

"I figured he'd try to get rid of me sooner or later, so I stashed the box at Zack's place before anything happened.

"James would never guess, and Zack's clueless."

I nodded. "What are you going to do next?"

She looked at me. "I'm going to gather evidence to prove they're trying to hurt me. Then I'll go to the cops and get James locked up."

She paused. "And Zack? He won't get off scot-free either."

I squeezed her hand. "Don't worry. I've got your back."

Suddenly, she asked, "Yvette, why are you helping me? Zack is your husband."

I was quiet for a few seconds. "After three years of marriage, I finally saw who he really is.

"If he can plot against his mom for money, he could do the same to me someday."

I looked up at her. "And you've always been good to me. I can't let them hurt you."

Her tears fell. "Good girl."

We were still talking when a sudden, urgent knock sounded at the door.

We glanced at each other, tense.

Evelyn immediately lay back down, putting on her blank expression again.

I took a deep breath and went to open the door.

James was standing there, along with a middle-aged stranger.