6
As soon as I stepped in, Ivan locked the door behind me, and I felt a chill go down my spine.
I turned and held out my hand. “The USB, please.”
Ivan just smirked, leaning in close. “Relax. You look like you could use some water. You’re all flushed,”
Sensing his intentions, I tried to stay calm. He handed me a glass of water, then sat down beside me, pulling out the USB drive. He then leaned in close, whispering, “Your husband was embezzling. Every dirty deal he was involved in is on here. If I handed this to the police, they’d seize his car, house, and all his assets”
I shifted uncomfortably, taking a slow breath. “So, what do you want, Ivan?”
He inched closer, his smile vanishing, “I want your husband’s money, enough to buy a place of my own. And I want you, too. I’m just getting what’s owed to me.”
When he reached out to grab me, I shoved him away. “You’re disgusting!” I shouted.
He sneered, “Disgusting? He was no colleague of mine. Steven was a snake. That piece of garbage slept with my wife and then left her high and dry. I sent her to him in good faith for a favor, and he buys a place for my sister–in–law but not for us?”
My heart pounded, and Ivan took advantage of my confusion, pushing me down on the couch,
As I struggled, I cried out, “Ivan, what are you talking about? Make yourself clear if you’ve got the guts!”
“Yeah, you get it, don’t you?” he snarled, pressing his weight against me. “Melanie Reed was my sister–in–law. Steven bought her a house, but nothing for my wife. It’s not fair, is it?”
I stammered, “S–so… you killed Melanie?”
He gave a wicked smile. “Scared, huh? You better behave, or you’ll end up just like her.”
I stared in horror. “You… you’re the killer, aren’t you? And Steven… he didn’t kill himself, did he?”
Ivan’s eyes gleamed with malice as he hissed, “Do you really think he would? That coward? No, that was me.”
He looked like a man possessed. Terrified, I pleaded, “Take all his money, just let me go. I’m pregnant; I can’t… can’t go through this.”
But Ivan wasn’t interested in mercy. He wanted everything. Despite my desperate resistance, he forced himself on me, all the while taunting Steven, saying, “Guess what, Steven? I’ve taken your wife, too. Now we’re even.”
I left his apartment bruised and in pain, clutching the USB. He’d been true to his word about handing it over, though he left with a chilling threat. He’d text me his bank info, and if the money wasn’t there in three days, he’d make me suffer even more.
Clutching my stomach, I left the complex, calling 911 for an ambulance and, after thinking it over, the police.
