Chapter 55 Witness X
Witness X
“I’d love to say I’m surprised, but that would be a lie,” Anton spat.
The three of us froze, as if we were in some kind of standoff.
“Anton,” I said quietly, to calm a situation that was already completely out of control. “Let’s just all settle down. It’s a bit out of hand, isn’t it?”
“How much did you hear?” he interrupted.
“Nothing,” I said quickly. “I ran in there when you came in. I don’t know what this is about and I don’t care. I’d really love for us just to walk away from this and keep the whole thing to ourselves.”
We both knew I’d heard everything. But I was searching, grasping for a way out.
Looking at Jack, I wondered if Anton was also considering it. We could all agree to move on and say nothing. Anton would get what he came for and our secrets would remain safe.
That’s when he saw it.
The phone resting against the TV, still recording.
“What’s that?” he asked, pointing at it.
Jack and I glanced at each other, knowing exactly how it looked.
“Are you…? Is this…? Are you setting me up?” he growled. “You’re filming this?”
“No,” Jack said. “That has nothing to do with you.”
“Planning on making a feature film? First, my son. Now, me?”
“It’s not what it looks like,” Jack pleaded with him. “How could it be? I didn’t even know you were coming here!”
“I don’t believe you,” Anton said, reaching into his jacket pocket, pulling out his own phone and fiddling with it.
His words were calm, but his body spoke a different language.
His rapid, loud breaths and shaking hands showed me all I needed to know: he had shot past the point of reason, and this was incredibly dangerous territory.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“FaceTiming your husband,” he said casually.
An atomic bomb landed on my chest.
“What?” My breath was snatched away. I could barely force the word out. “You don’t have his number. You don’t know him that well.”
I tried to sound unafraid and brave, but I knew he was capable of it. I was seconds away from being obliterated.
“You’d be surprised.” He snorted, his face contorted with anger.
“Put the phone down, Anton. Please. Look—you don’t understand. It’s hard to explain, but please don’t. It’ll ruin me, please don’t do this,” I cried, as desperation stomped over my pathetic attempt to appeal to his better nature. “Please, please…I’m begging you!”
The second the words left my mouth, his face flashed in front of my eyes. A look of disgust I had seen many times as a child. My father’s.
Never beg. Always be the one in control.
Anton looked up from his phone for a second, considering it. His dark eyes landed on mine. He would have seen the fear, the terror I was unable to hide. What he did next changed all of our lives forever.
“Fuck you. Both of you,” he said, tapping on his phone, placing us mere seconds away from my husband learning everything. Placing me in terrible danger.
Jack lunged at him, causing the phone to fall to the floor. Running to it, I noticed Anton had only got so far as his contacts in the FaceTime app.
I watched as they struggled in the kitchen. Before I even knew what was happening, I grabbed the kettlebell, the nearest heavy thing I could see. Swinging it with every ounce of strength I had, I carried it through the air until it connected with Anton’s head.
It made the most disgusting sound, one I will never forget. He fell straight to the floor.
I knew, right then, that I had killed him.
Good girl, Dad whispered in my ear. He deserved it.