A Marriage Of Reprisal

Twenty minutes later, Alex arrived at the station. Stepping out of the cab, he hurried toward Norah, pulling her into a warm hug, gently stroking her back as she muffled her sobs against his shoulder. Alex, her boyfriend, was the one she went to the party with. That was the night she got wasted and mistakenly kissed Liam, thinking it was Alex.

“It's okay; everything will be fine. Stop crying; I'm here for you.” He said repeatedly, still stroking her back.

Amber watched them with a heavy heart, silently observing as he comforted her. It went on for five minutes until Amber cleared her throat, drawing Norah's attention. Alex, however, seemed too engrossed to notice at first.

“We don't need to book a cab anymore, Norah. Let's not keep this driver waiting. Let's head home.” Amber said this time, catching Alex's attention. He slowly let go of Norah's hand and guided her to the car.

The drive to Alex's house was quiet, except for the driver, who softly murmured along to a song. Twenty minutes later, they arrived at their destination, and the car came to a stop.

They all stepped out while Alex paid the driver and then guided them into his apartment. He excused himself and went to the kitchen to make them a cup of coffee.

Three minutes later, he returned with two cups. “Ms. Amber, please have this.” He said, handing her a cup before walking over to his girlfriend and gently placing the other cup in her hands.

“You should drink something. You haven't eaten since last night,” Alex urged, offering the cup to Norah.

Amber, still upset about what Norah had said at the station, finally spoke up. She was against the idea of moving forward without fully understanding the truth.

“Norah, why did you tell the sheriff that? You shouldn't have made such a statement,” Amber said, her frustration evident.

Norah, with swollen eyes, rose from the couch. “You want to leave their bodies in the morgue? For what? The autopsy’s done. We know they were poisoned. The fire was just a cover-up.”

Before Amber could respond, Alex jerked upright, his mouth agape. “What? You didn’t tell me this over the phone! What do you mean they were poisoned?” He asked, shocked. He had spoken to her earlier but hadn’t heard this.

Amber glanced between Alex and Norah. “You shouldn't have said that. We need to make sure their killer is caught and punished. They deserve justice.”

Norah placed her cup down, meeting Amber's gaze. “I know Liam did it. I just need to prove it. You heard him last night; he couldn't even defend himself when confronted.”

“This is your fault! Because of you, our parents are dead. How do you plan to prove Liam is behind it? You know how powerful he is. This is New York City, Norah!” Amber lashed out, shifting the blame, even though she had been the one who pushed her sister to give Liam a chance.

Alex stared in bewilderment, listening to their heated exchange.

“Don’t blame me!” Norah snapped. “You are the one who told me to give him a chance, even when you knew I already had a boyfriend.”

“Enough, both of you!” Alex finally bellowed, his voice stern. “This is my house, and we have neighbors. Keep it down!” The tension in the room hung heavy as silence fell. Norah's words had clearly triggered him.

“You just lost your parents. Now isn’t the time for fighting. If you want to find out what really happened, you need to work together.” Alex added, his frustration evident.

“Tell that to your girlfriend.” Amber shot back. “We can’t just bury them without proof. There’s no fingerprint or anything to lead us to the killer.”

“Amber, please try to understand. I also want answers, but we need to support each other. That doesn’t mean we can’t lay them to rest.” Norah pleaded.

Alex stepped in, trying to mediate. “Amber, I think I understand what Norah is trying to do. Please, give her a chance to prove she knows what she’s doing.”

Amber scoffed, resting her hands on her hips. “So what now? Are you saying we should bury them and forget about everything? What will people say if we don’t find out who’s responsible?” She asked, her frustration bubbling over.

“We can still leave them in the morgue while the police continue their investigation,” Amber added.

“Babe did you say Liam threatened to get rid of your parents?” Alex asked for the tenth time.

“Yes. He requested to see his father, and I told him his father won't approve of his relationship with her. He swore he would do anything to have me, even if he had to get rid of them.”

Norah had never told Alex about Liam, and she didn't want him to find out. He hadn't known they both had something going on until she turned him down years ago. She had been single until Jasmine, her best friend, introduced her to Alex.

“We have to find out what happened. Liam is rumored to be an ex-convict. He killed his first wife just one year into their marriage and wasn't held for it. He was found not guilty.” Alex said, explaining that they wouldn't be able to hold him without proof.

Amber quickly looked at him, astonished at how he had found out. What they knew was that he had murdered someone and was sent to prison, but he was soon released after it was revealed that he had been framed.

“Alex, you mean Liam was once married? He left New York for Spain to get married and ended up killing his wife?” Norah asked, and he nodded in response.

“You are saying there's a possibility he killed them, and since he has a death case, we can arrest him?” Amber added for clarification.

“Yes. We just have to tell the sheriff he threatened Norah. And also, if he was in the house, the security guard can attest to it.”

Amber stood up, feeling like they had just won the lottery. She quietly turned on her heels and walked to the exit. But before she could open the door and leave, Norah stopped her.

“Where are you going, Amber? We can see the sheriff tomorrow.”

“I know, but we can't stay in your boyfriend's house. We have to move to a new place and plan how to go about this if we want to fight Liam,” she responded and walked out.

Norah turned to look at her boyfriend. “I think I should get going; we can't stay at your apartment.”

He outstretched his hands, holding hers. “I understand. I promise to be here for you. Let's fight this together.” Alex assured her, softly pressing her hands.

She pulled him in for a hug before she walked out to catch up with her sister.