Linda walks into the sitting room with a lot of smiles on her face but it soon turns to a frown when she sees her mom drinking alcohol like water and reading the disastrous book 'The heart of a Lucifer.' "Why is she reading that book? Does she plan on killing another person again?" She asks no one in particular.
Jessie receives a call and answers it. "Hello, yes, I will get back to you concerning that." She says and hangs up.
"For days now, you have been looking so dull and unhappy." She whispers and sits close to her mother. "You even ignore everyone and prefer not to speak to anyone. The worst of all, you have stopped sleeping in the same room with my father." She pauses and looks at her mother. "What is going on?"
"I just wish to be alone, I am tired of everything." Jessie replies enjoying her alcohol.
"This is the first time I will be seeing you enjoy alcohol this much."
"It makes me feel better."
"But doesn't take the pains away." Linda whispers and her mom faces her, they locked eyes. "It will only make you feel better for a while."
"But at least, I will feel better for the main time." She turns her eyes back to the novel she was reading.
"I will be traveling with dad to India very soon."
"How many years do you intend on spending there?"
"Years?!" Linda asks with surprise. "We are spending just two weeks, the way you talk, you appear to be tired of having people around."
"It's not that." Jessie says with a sour smile. "I just need to clear my head."
"Father said he picked the book from your book shelve."
Jessie shook her head. "Yes, the book is mine."
"Did this book push you to all those things you did to the Smiths?" Linda asks again.
"No." She shakes her head. "I acted on my own then, I just got to know of this book about a year ago beca I saw the ads online."
"How many times have you read this book?"
"This is my very first time of reading it."
"What?" Linda asks feeling bad.
"Your attitude towards it the last time, forced me to read it." She closes the novel and drops her glass of alcohol on the floor. "A woman who killed the man she loved because he was inlove with another woman, and then lived the rest of her life in regrets and loneliness." She says and smiles. "It's a very different situation anyways."
"Different situation how?"
"You really think Peter loved Alex?" Jessie asks too.
"Mom!" Linda calls with a little frown on her face. "What are you driving at again? Everyone knows how much he loved her."
"Well, let me tell you the ugly truth that has been in hiding for years."
"Ugly truth?" Linda asks again.
"Peter, never loved Alex. He only married her because of greed."
"Greed in what aspect?"
"His father told him the only way he can be his successor is by marrying Alex."
"So? Are you saying he married her because of money?"
"Exactly!" Jessie says sternly.
Linda scoffs. "The story sounds unreal mom, I hope you don't expect me to believe what you just said?"
"Believe me or not, it is nothing but the honest truth."
"Is that all about the ugly truth?" Linda also about to stand.
"I haven't even mentioned any about the ugly truth yet." Jessie whispers with a smirk which made her daughter sit again. "Think about it, if truly Peter did love his wife so much, why did he employ me in his own hospital? He ought to had fire me afterwards, why did he accept to partner with my father when he knew clearly who he was?"
"Please stop it." Linda whispers finding it very hard to take in all those words from her mother.
"I am happy I killed that monster called Peter." Jessie says with a smile.
"Mom."
"Do you know, I married your father on his words?"
Linda coughs loudly and asks. "What did you just say now?"
"You all thought I am the bad guy and I deserved to be beaten to death but Peter is the dangerous one that has to be mauled to death." She stops talking and stares at her daughter.
"Don't stop talking, continue."
"He told me, once his father passed away and he inherits all of his properties, he would divorce Alex and place her on Alimony."
"So you had a secret affair with him even after being married to my father?" Linda asks.
"Yes." Jessie nods. "But I realized he was just using me. He had a wonderful family at home and a well going business. While I stayed in this house with a man I can never love."
"He really did all those things to you?"
"Do you have any idea the amount of pregnancies I aborted after having you?"
"What does that have to do with him?"
"We had an agreement to have just one child each with our current spouse." Jessie exhales deeply. "So each time I got pregnant, I aborted it even without the consent of your father."
"How many pregnancies did you abort?" Linda asks again.
"All together nine."
"Nine?!" She asks more like yelling or exclaiming. "Did you really have-to do that much?"
"It was a promise I made to the man I loved with all my heart."
Linda takes a very deep breath to calm herself and asks. "So what made you hate this man all of a sudden that made you kill him?"
"You know, after we promised each other just to have one child each with our current spouse, Alex didn't get pregnant too, so I had thought Peter was just keeping to the plan. But unfortunately for me, she just had child birth delay. Peter was trying hard to get his wife pregnant, while I was busy aborting innocent souls."