The Perfect Affair

The Perfect Affair

“So, tell me, what is going on with you and Jeff?”

She looked to the distance and took a deep breath. She had driven for hours—as far away as possible from home. Eventually, she found herself in a small town and decided to stay at an inn. After tonight, she knew she had to keep going and possibly leave the country.

She had been paranoid. She had checked her car and her belongings for any tracking devices. Went even as far as taking out as much cash as she could. Purchasing new clothes and leaving the old ones in a different city. Then she traded her old phone to buy a new one with a new number. She had turned off her data and refused to connect to the free Wi-Fi service that the inn provided.

She was paranoid. Even speaking to her best friend, Anya, was a risk.

“Liz?”

She discreetly checked the windows again, watching for any signs of him. She had been doing this for the past hour now. She was either checking the windows or the peephole.

“Liz!”

She gritted her teeth and sat back down on the stiff bed and rubbed her eyes. “Listen, Anya. I don’t think I can go home.”

“What are you talking about? Are you in danger? Where are you? Why don’t we call the police?”

The police. What was she supposed to say?

“Liz, please talk to me. Where are you?” Anya insisted and she could hear the panic in her voice.

“Not home.”

“I get that. But where are you?”

“I can’t say.”

She heard Anya shuffling. After a few painful seconds, she heard a door shut. In a whisper, Anya continued. “Liz, I’m out of earshot from anyone. Tell me what is going on. Are you in danger?”

Was she in danger? She chewed on her thumbnail as she pondered that question again. The Jeff she knew was a narcissistic alcoholic who did not care where she went or what she was up to, as long as there was dinner left for him and that no one touched his drinks. Although, he used to get violent whenever he felt guilty about cheating on her.

She had hidden all the bruises and kept a smile in front of everyone. But Jeff had always been pleasant when there were others around, and she had always loved that side of him. Maybe that was why she had never told anyone or asked for help. Because she knew how kind he could be, and she wished with all her heart that one day, Jeff would be an “every day” Jeff.

“I can’t say.” She sobbed uncontrollably.

“Oh Liz, did he hurt you? When?”

Many times he had. Until that one fateful night, when their regular argument turned violent. He was inebriated and she had caught him cheating again. She threatened to leave, but he dragged her back with a fistful of hair as he promised to lock her up in the basement one more time.

It all happened too fast. She struggled to defend herself—and by accident, she had shoved him down the stairs.

He stumbled down—head, first. His skull cracked loudly against the white marble as a pool of crimson liquid formed a halo around him.

She should have called the ambulance.

She knew that was the right thing to do.

But she didn’t.

Instead, she stood on top of the stairs for God knew how long, staring down at his corpse. She witnessed his grey eyes glazed and his body grew stiff. When she had finally calmed down, she gathered all the cleaning supplies and scrubbed the place clean. Pausing for a break, she met his lifeless grey eyes again as she began plotting his disappearance. Never in her life had she ever felt such clarity, as she dragged his corpse out to their garden—all these had only been possible since their property was surrounded by the woods and the next house was a mile away.

She remembered how she used to cry about it. How alone she felt.

But no longer. This is a gift, she repeated to herself. A once-in-a-lifetime gift, she affirmed.

Then once she dug deep enough, she rolled him in and began throwing dirt on his corpse.

“You can’t hurt me now.” She said as a big smile formed on her face—his grey eyes never leaving hers. “And no one would even miss you.”

The sky turned pink as the sun began to rise. But she diligently planted Daffodils on the fresh soil. She used to hate gardening, but today, she sang to her heart’s content.

“I should have planted endangered plants on you,” she added as she dusted off her hands. “But it would be too suspicious if I go out of my way to suddenly buy them. Why buy new plants when I can just spread out what we already have?”

Once she had showered and finished her chores, she gathered his personal belongings and lit them on fire. Then she took his BMW and drove it to a questionable impound, where she sold his prized possession for a few bucks. Jeff was known to go on long “business trips” and so she would bide her time until his absence became suspicious. She would move countries and change her identity. She had no family or real friends. Why else would she stay?

Several months came by and she stood in front of their farmhouse one last time. Her suitcase was already packed and her new ids and passport were in hand. She thought about setting the place on fire but the last thing she needed was to draw more attention to the property. She would much rather leave it abandoned along with all the memories that came with it.

But as she was about to leave, his silver BMW pulled into the driveway. Unable to take another step, she watched Jeff get out of the car with a bright smile on his face with gifts in his hands.

“Lizzy!” He exclaimed as he ran toward her.

Never in her life had he looked that happy to see her. Never had he kissed her on the cheek nor did his grey eyes look at her with such love when there was no one else to see it.

At that very moment, she knew. That was not the Jeff she buried in the garden.

She wiped her tears and leaned on the headboard. Not once since that incident had she shed a tear for him. Some would say that was the sign of insanity, but to her, wasting her tears on that fool would have been. However, the new Jeff had been careful and compassionate with her. He had been everything that she always wished for. If only that was the Jeff she met first.

“Anya, you have been a good friend.” She finally responded.

Anya was uncomfortably silent, realizing that she knew about their affair all along.

“Liz, I’m sorry.” Anya cried as Liz stared at the door. She swore she saw a shadow just beneath it. “I promise it’s all in the past! We haven’t seen each other again for months. And when he finally came back, it’s like he doesn’t even know me.”

Of course, he doesn’t know you. She thought as she listened to her only friend cry on the phone. Because the Jeff we both knew is still rotting under the Daffodils.

She checked.

He was still there. This time, maggots crawled on his remains as his skin melted off his meat.

Carefully, she walked toward the door and peeked into the peephole. To her relief, it was just the kids from next door, chasing each other in the hallway.

“Liz?” Anya called out and Liz rolled her eyes.

“Listen, Anya. You can have him. I’m not mad. Not anymore.” She said as she tried to calm her nerves. Jeff couldn’t have known where she was now. She had covered her tracks, and a new beginning was just waiting around the corner.

She just took longer than she had originally planned since she got distracted. But now, she was almost there.

“Liz, what are you trying to say?”

She took a deep breath and massaged her temples. “Goodbye, Anya.”

Before Anya could say another word, she hung up and took out the prepaid sim card. At least this time, she would not worry about being hunted down for murder.

Sighing, she plopped on the bed and decided to get a couple of hours of sleep before she hit the road again. She knew was safe. She had to be.

But when she woke, her cheek was pressed against the cold marble floor as warm liquid trickled down her brow. Weakly, she sat up and felt the bruises that decorated her arms and her legs. Her clothes were tattered and her scalp ached from where her hair had been pulled. Her lower lip swelled and she could barely see through her left eye.

As quietly as she could, she crawled toward the stairs, hoping that the door above was left unlocked. But as she reached up to the doorknob, she saw a shadow beneath the door and heard his loud breathing on the other side.

Then without a word, she heard the lock click!

Jeff left her all alone again…bleeding in the basement.

Note from me:

Hi! Thank you for checking out The Perfect Affair - the second issue under my Soul Exchange Case Files (these shorts are published on my website but I will share them here as well!). Although these shorts can be read independently, they are connected to my main series: House of Trials. Click here for the first issue of House of Trials and here for the link to the issue that came before this one (Monologue of a Madman).

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