Husband With Benefits

Panic-stricken and desperate Lara lunged toward the door of the cabin, her hands trembling as she grasped the doorknob. She twisted it with all her strength even as her fingers struggled to grasp the cold metal, but the door remained firmly shut.

Sara looked at her mother and tried to move herself but she remained tied up and begged with tears welling in her eyes," Mother save us also! Mother! Please..."

Lara looked back at her daughter and then turned to look at the man seated there. With a quivering voice, she pleaded," Please don’t do this, whoever you are. You don’t have to do this! Let us go, and I promise I’ll do anything you want. We can talk it out, and I’ll make amends for whatever you think I’ve done. I am not responsible for Nellie’s death; I swear I didn’t do anything to her. I had nothing to do with it."

Erasmi remained seated, his eyes fixed on Lara, his fingers toying with the lighter. He had no intention of letting her escape, but he was in no hurry to carry out his plan.

Seeing his unrelenting face, Lara continued, her voice growing more desperate by the second, "I confess I tampered with her grave, but it was my dementia, my mental illness, that made me do it. I couldn’t control my actions. You have to understand, Erasmi. It was a terrible mistake, and I regret it deeply. I really do! You can even ask my doctors about how I cried when I did that to her grave..."

"I told you that my husband is responsible for all this! He made me like this! Don’t punish me for his sins!"

Erasmi leaned back in his chair, pretending to contemplate her words.

Lara, seeing a glimmer of hope in his silence, pressed on, "Erasmi, if you let me go, I promise to make amends. I’ll help you find out what really happened to Nellie. I am sure it was an accident. I’ll confess to whatever wrongs I’ve committed and hand myself over to the law, and we can put all of this behind us. I’ll even leave Nora alone."

Finally, Erasmi smiled a little and placed the lighter in his hand aside. Lara felt a glimmer of hope as she saw this and quickly knelt on the ground ready to kow tow to him and thank him for his kindness.

But then the man looked at her and his gaze gave her a chill. "Lara, it’s not that simple. Nellie’s death is a wound that can never fully heal. I’ve waited a long time for this moment, and I need to hear the truth from your own lips. Confess to your misdeeds, Lara. Confess, and maybe, just maybe, you’ll have a chance at redemption. But if you continue to lie, don’t blame me."