51. Leo
CHAPTER 51
Leo
I visited my mother this morning. There was no one else to tell my plans to. I didn’t want to tell Myles because then Chloe would like to know what I was up to.
She wanted Veronica out of our lives, and I promised her she would be gone by the time they came back from their honeymoon.
Granted, Chloe will probably assume that I’m sending Veronica back to the asylum or prison. Maybe I’ll let her believe that because of what I really have planned, well, my sister might not look at me the same way ever again.
This wasn’t the plan I initially made while I was in prison, but that voice in my head talked me into it ever since I spoke with Walt.
It has to be done, Leo.
It’s the only way you will be truly free of her.
Hurt her worse than she hurt you.
It got to the point that I stopped pushing the voice out of my head and welcomed it. Because it was right; this was the only way I could be free of the woman who stole everything from me.
Three years of my life.
My career.
My heart.
I tried to be the same man I was before I met her, but she took him away from me the night she sunk a knife into my stomach. The old Leo died that night. A new version of me was reborn, and that version of me only wanted one thing.
Revenge.
In the beginning, messing with Veronica the way I did was child’s play. It made me feel good destroying her stuff and making her angry, but it wasn’t enough. No. I needed to destroy her .
I laid out the plan to my mother, who I hope wasn’t judging me from Heaven. I vowed that after it was done, I would visit her more because once I do what I am about to do, I won’t see my mother in Heaven. I’ll be best friends with the Devil in Hell.
I waited a few days after Chloe and Myles left for their honeymoon to act on the plan. I wanted them far away, including Dad and Carter.
They ended up going on a grandpa and grandson trip. I reassured him that I would mind the shop, and he had nothing to worry about.
While bored at work, I texted Veronica about the date, and given that it was a slow day, I closed up shop early.
To prepare.
Getting Veronica to go on this date with me was easy. All I had to do was tell her we were doing something, and she agreed.
Ever since she returned to my life, she has said she wanted to prove the reason she was back was for me, which is a load of bullshit. She may be back for me, but not in the sense she says.
Veronica came back to mess with my head again. And she almost got me. I removed myself from under her spell, the same one she put on me in the asylum. This time, I was lucky enough to see the signs.
I must admit, my performance tonight was one for the books. Needing to act like everything was fine, that I was still in love with her, she took the bait and now learns she shouldn’t have bitten the line.
The look in her eyes when I held the knife to her stomach was beautiful. Confusion and fear were etched into her gaze because she had no idea what was happening. That is how I wanted it to be.
I wanted to take her by surprise.
When I told her to run? I could practically hear her heart pounding in her chest. I was nice, though. I gave her a head start.
Now, I stand alone beside the cliff edge, staring at the water. The waves produce a calming sound. As the waves crash against the rocks at the bottom, the noise reverberates off the cliff’s side and is swept back to sea.
You’ve let her run long enough. Go get her.
Inhaling, I nod and turn towards the woods. Veronica is fast but not fast enough.
I take off into the woods. Running fast while still listening to any signs of her. In the distance, I hear footsteps punching the ground. Leaves crunch under her sneakers. I smirk and take off in her direction, whipping around trees that stand in my way. My head dips low every time I’m met with a branch.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are!” I yell with a haunting tone.
Run faster.
The voice urges me on. I pick up my speed, my calves burning every time my feet hit the ground. Breathing evenly through my nose, I stop and listen for her again. Nothing. The forest is silent around me, but I sense her. Turning to the left, I see a figure lying in the shadows.
I grin, knowing I caught her. “You thought you could hide from me?”
Her breathing shudders as I step into the darkness.
“My ankle, I twisted it.” Her voice is shaky as she waves a hand over her ankle.
I hum, staring at her ankle. “That’s unfortunate.”
“Yeah, so whatever game you’re wanting to play has to be paused. I need ice.”
Taking a few more steps toward her, I crouch down, the knife dangling between my legs. I cock my head to the side and narrow my eyes at her.
“What game?”
“This cat-and-mouse game.” Is that what she thinks this is? From the lack of confidence in her voice, I believe that is what she is telling herself. “It’s thrilling. I get it, but I can’t run anymore. Not with my ankle hurting.”
“The thing is, Veronica.” I grip the knife tighter. “It’s not a game.”
The moment she realizes that I’m not chasing her down for the thrill of it and that it’s not some kink thing I wanted to try out is the moment I’ve been waiting for. I wanted her to feel that fear deep down that I was capable of doing something crazy.
I wanted her to be scared of me.
And with the width of her eyes and how her skin has paled, she is terrified.
Leaning forward, I grab her wrist and yank her up as I stand. She yelps out in pain from the roughness of my fingers that dig into her skin and the pain radiating in her injured ankle. I don’t care, though. Let her experience this pain because it’s mild compared to what I have planned.
“Leo! Slow down!” she demands harshly.
“No can do.” I tug her along, but she fights back. Twisting around, I pull her into me and take her by the neck. “You’re lucky I’m not dragging you through these woods by your hair.”
“Wh—Leo, what is going on?” There is a tremble in her voice. Good.
“You’ll see soon enough.” I keep walking through the woods as she stumbles in my grasp behind me. Every so often, she hisses in pain, but I pay no mind to it.
When the clearing comes into view, I stalk past the car and toss her in front of me. She staggers but regains her balance. In the darkness, I can see the tears streaming down her face. There was a time when I hated seeing her cry.
Back in the asylum, whenever she allowed herself to cry, it hurt me to see her in pain. Seeing the tears trickle down her face right now, I don’t hold that hurt I used to. Because it’s the same shit as last time.
Everything is fake.
Every word she spoke to me. Every tear she shed.
It was all a game to her—a plan to set her free.
But now, it’s my turn to set myself free.
Veronica limps as she backs away from me. Her arms are crossed over her chest, and she shakes her head. “This isn’t you, Leo.”
“This is who you turned me into,” I tell her, keeping my steps light and my voice calm as I approach her.
She shakes her head again. “I know you are angry, but?—”
“Yeah, yeah.” I let out a dark laugh. “You don’t think I’m capable of doing something drastic.”
Stumbling back, Veronica gasps when she realizes how close to the edge she is. “We can talk about this. Whatever is on your mind, we can talk it out.”
“Talk it out?” I huff and lift the arm that is holding the knife. “The Queen of Keeping Secrets wants to talk it out? Be serious, Veronica.”
“I am serious!” Her voice jumps an octave, growing louder but still lacking confidence.
She’s lying.
“I don’t believe you.” I take another step toward her. “In fact, I never believed you.”
Her face twists. “What?”
“You really think that I believe that you coming back into my life was for a good reason? That you wanted to make amends?”
“It’s the truth!” Her voice is laced with a hint of anger.
“All you do is lie!” I yell.
“Me? You just said you didn’t believe me, so what does that mean, Leo? That you were pretending to love me this entire time?”
With a cruel smirk, I give a slight bow. “Learned from the best.”
Quit dragging this out. Do it already.
Standing straight, I close the gap between us with the knife pointed at her stomach. Right where I put that X. “So what’s the plan? You going to stab me like I stabbed you?”
“Sort of.”
Kill her.
The tip of the knife presses against the X marked on her body through her sweatshirt, causing her lips to part. The tears still spill from her eyes, but she holds in the cries. She stares at me with wet eyes, pleading for me not to do this.
“Leo—” Her voice is so small due to the fear flowing throughout her body.
One hard thrust of your hand, and it will all be over.
“I know,” I tell the voice in my head, but I still don’t move my hand.
“I thought you forgave me,” Veronica whispers, her scared, doe eyes searching mine.
I thought I forgave her, too.
Her lies infested my mind and made me think she was worth the forgiveness she craved. That she was worth the love she could never give to someone else. Veronica can’t provide love, and she sure as hell doesn’t deserve forgiveness.
“Maybe in another life I’ll forgive you, because I won’t be able to forgive you in this one.”
What are you waiting for? Stop being a little bitch and do it!
I raise my hand and smack the side of my head three times. “Shut up!”
Veronica stares at me with horror as I yell out to no one. Her body shakes just as much as her voice. “Leo?”
Kill her now!
In one swift move, I sink the knife into her.
She gasps, in too much shock to scream out from the pain. Her head drops to where the knife is buried into her body. Blood seeps onto her clothing, turning her cream sweater a dark shade of red. She raises her head slowly, looking into my eyes. Her eyes still shine, but the tears have stopped.
Bringing my lips to her forehead, I press a gentle kiss. Backing away, I look down at her while I watch the life fade from her eyes.
“Keeping you was never part of the plan.”
I pull the knife out of her, and she immediately moves her hands to her wound. With every passing second, her body is becoming unsteady.
She sways back and forth, unable to form words while trying to stop the bleeding. It won’t help. I made sure not to go precisely in the same spot as she did when she stabbed me.
I made sure it was fatal.
Her skin grows pale, and her head slowly lifts to where she stares at me through her lashes. Her mouth is drawn open, and the lipstick that lines her lips is almost non-existent as they grow just as pale as her skin.
Veronica tries to speak, but no words escape her as she staggers backward, forgetting how close she is to the edge. Her foot slips, and she instinctively reaches her hands out for me.
Don’t save her.
And I don’t.
I don’t reach my hands out to pull her back to safety. I don’t even flinch when her foot slips. I don’t rush towards her as she falls backwards and screams for my help. I stay rooted in my spot as I witness her realizing she is about to die.
The last thing I see is those beautiful brown eyes that I used to love so much.
Then, she is gone from my view.
Falling 300 feet on her way to meet the Devil for whom she works. I know I’ll see her again one day in Hell, but that will be a long time from now.
Inhaling a deep breath, I step towards the edge, not looking down at where she fell, and I throw the knife as far as I can, where it will sink to the bottom and be forgotten about.
I turn, beginning to pack up the blankets and food containers. Shoving them in the basket, I walk them to the car trunk and hop into the driver’s seat.
I sit for a moment longer before starting the ignition and turning the car around. As I drive down the dirt path that led us here, I glance in the rearview mirror. For some reason, I expected to see Veronica still standing there, but the space was empty.
Flicking my eyes back to the road before me, I can’t help but fight the smile as my body warms up with satisfaction.
I will be able to live my life the way I was supposed to.
Without Veronica in it.