06
96%
Howard Lee disregarded everything I said, his attention fixated solely on the hospital name listed on the diagnosis – coincidentally, my place of employment.
He flew into a rage, seizing me.
“Did Madeline Chase provide you with this? It’s all fabricated. Don’t be deceived.”
He clutched my wrist, his grip tightening.
“Confess! Did you orchestrate this?”
“I suspected you were not as innocent as you pretended. So, this is where you’ve been lurking.”
“Tell them immediately that you engineered this entire charade! Vivian is incapable of such
an act!”
In his estimation, all of this was a deliberate scheme of mine to prevent his marriage to Vivian Lynn; even the police officers present were, perhaps, mere impersonations.
After all, I am possessed of a malicious disposition and a prior criminal record.
Observing his state, I offered a mirthless laugh and disengaged his hand.
Believe it, or don’t. It is, ultimately, immaterial to me.
The police, observing his intransigence, shook their heads with a weary resignation and suggested escorting me to a secure location.
I offered a grateful smile and accompanied them.
Howard Lee, however, remained undeterred, resorting even to threatening messages.
“Madeline Chase, have I not made it abundantly clear that you are to cease provoking
Vivian!”
“And now, thanks to you, our Wedding is ruined. Are you quite satisfied with yourself!”
“Why must you be so incorrigible? Will you never learn?”
Gazing upon those words, each line a venomous barb aimed to utterly consume me, I found
myself unable to further suppress the hatred festering within.
“What’s this? Are you contemplating a repeat performance? Perhaps enlisting a few thugs to
‘persuade‘ me, as in days of yore?”
Howard Lee seemed taken aback, evidently surprised by my own reincarnation.
Nevertheless, he maintained his self–righteous posture, declaring:
“That was a consequence entirely of your own making. Had you not been responsible for
Vivian’s demise, I would never have been driven to such measures.”
Indeed. And so, this time, I refrained from meddling, allowing him to stew in his own juices. As for Vivian Lynn, she has only herself to blame; her audacity was a veritable death wish.
And this is merely the overture.
D
After that day, Howard Lee was either cooling his heels at home, awaiting Vivian Lynn’s return, or badgering the police for information, none of which was encouraging, naturally.
On his final visit, the police informed him, with a certain relish, no doubt.
11:21 Sat, 3 May 0
“That was a consequence entirely of your own making. Had you not been responsible for Vivian’s demise, I would never have been driven to such measures.”
96%
Indeed. And so, this time, I refrained from meddling, allowing him to stew in his own juices. As for Vivian Lynn, she has only herself to blame; her audacity was a veritable death wish.
And this is merely the overture.
After that day, Howard Lee was either cooling his heels at home, awaiting Vivian Lynn’s return, or badgering the police for information, none of which was encouraging, naturally.
On his final visit, the police informed him, with a certain relish, no doubt.
“Vivian Lynn has confessed to her actions. Moreover, we recovered her DNA and HIV from a batch of red wine confiscated at the Wedding venue.”
“All evidence points to her as the instigator of this incident, a grave threat to public safety. She will be sentenced. There’s no need for you to come back.”
“You really should get yourself tested. I heard you were almost married. AIDS is a deadly disease, you know.”
Even Howard Lee, usually so composed, couldn’t suppress his doubts. He immediately drove to several hospitals in the city for a comprehensive examination.
The first hospital diagnosed him with AIDS, a result he dismissed as a misdiagnosis. Even after the second hospital confirmed the diagnosis, he still clung to a sliver of hope. Subsequently, the third, then the fourth hospital confirmed the diagnosis. He finally succumbed to panic.
