Griffin had spent the whole night turning and tossing on the bed. He couldn't wait for morning, so he could proceed with the plan. He stared into Jane's face as she slept peacefully and whispered, "I hope you forgive me, and I have to do this for all of us. I would rather not die." He mumbled under his breath.
It was almost dawn and his eyes were still open. He tried to think of how he could make Kayla's death sound real.
What could make it look real, huh? He thought deeply and got out of bed while covering Jane's body with the duvet.
He paced back and forth and an idea hit him. Griffin waited patiently for Jane to wake up while he stepped out of the house to take a walk.
He could hear water gushing out from the kitchen, and he knew Jane was there. He puffed air through his mouth and walked towards the kitchen and stood by the door.
Jane averted her eyes to him and smiled lightly. "You came back home late last night, sorry, I couldn't wait for you to hear how it went." Jane whispered. "Did you get to return all his money?" She asked with eagerness and he nodded slowly.
He had lied to her that he was going to give Aiden his money back.
"Yes, I did." He added with a dry laughter and Jane smiled sheepishly, she felt relaxed and grateful that the storm was over, but she had no idea it had just begun.
Suddenly, Griffin's phone made a beep and he peeped at it. Out of the blues, he let out a groan and placed his hand over his mouth.
Jane was confused, and she rushed to him. "Talk to me, darling, what happened and why are you acting this way?" She asked worriedly.
"Kayla! Kayla." He repeated and closed his eyes while taking in a deep breath.
"And what about her, Griffin? Talk to me, please." Jane pressed further with a puzzled look on her face.
"One of Aiden's men just called, she had an accident and died." He dropped the news, and Jane stood like a statue for a minute.
"She…she's what?" Jane stammered and hoped her ears weren't playing silly jokes on her.
"She died, Jane. This is all my fault." He whispered, and she hugged him while tears spilled from her eyes.
*
*
Later in the day, Griffin was still playing to the rules of the game and pretended to be hurt and in pain while Jane cried her eyes out.
He dialed Olivia's number, and she didn't pick at the first ring. And he called again, hoping she was going to pick the call.
It rang for the second time, but there was no response and his heart was already racing. Suddenly, she began to call back, and he picked the call swiftly.
"Dad?" She called, surprised, though she recognized his number, but she couldn't remember the last time they spoke, and she felt something serious must be going on at home.
She tried to brush off the negative thought flowing inside her head and she waited for him to voice out first.
"Olivia?" He called and she answered instantly.
"Dad! Are you okay? Is everything fine over there?" She questioned and rushed her words like she could sense something was off.
"You need to come home, Olivia. Something terrible has happened." Griffin said glumly.
"What do you mean father?" She inquired, and her heart hammered against her chest while she turned to look at her roommate who was already staring back at her.
"Your sister, she died yesterday." He whispered, and Olivia gasped and did her best not to let go of her phone.
"How did it happen?" She inquired in a cracked voice as tears were beginning to build up in her eyes.
"It was an accident. Your mother and I are expecting you to come back soon for the burial, and I hope you will get to stay with us after that." He added, and Olivia couldn't say a word as she tried to take in a deep breath and calm herself from the bad news.
"I will, I need to book a flight tomorrow. Try to stay strong, okay." She managed to say, and he nodded like she could see him.
Olivia pulled the phone away from her ears and sat slowly in the bed while her legs felt heavy. Why? She was hoping she would be able to spend a few days with Kayla during Christmas.
She wanted the two of them to get more closer because she felt they never had the chance when they were younger. But now her plans were ruined.
"What's wrong, Olivia?" Her roommate asked with concern and moved closer to her.
"My sister is dead!" She whispered in trembling lips. "I have to go back home as soon as possible and that means I have to resign from work because I am not certain if I'm coming back to Australia." She added in a muffled breath, and her roommate wrapped her arms around her.
"It will be fine, okay. Just cry it out, if it is going to make you feel better. I'm sorry about your loss." She added and stroked her hair while tears spilled from Olivia's eyes.
And then, she had to make up her mind and go back home. She needs to be there for her parents, especially now that Kayla was dead-she thought to herself.