A Second Chance at Lies

I got up bright and early the next day and put on the dress from the day things were official between Casen and me.

Deep down, I still carried a slight glimmer of hope.

Casen and I had been together for five years, and not once did we have a proper Valentine’s Day celebration together.

I hoped for a perfect ending for us this time.

In our first year as a married couple, I went all out with dinner and gifts, even putting on his favorite white lace dress for Valentine’s Day.

However, he simply dropped me, claiming there was an emergency. He was gone for the entire night.

Later, the headlines about Casen attending a yacht party with a female celebrity were everywhere.

The following year, Casen was there with me, but he was on the phone all through dinner, taking calls and replying to messages.

I played dumb to the woman’s voice on the other end of the line.

In the third year, Casen talked about a business trip. In truth, he was away, traveling with his new lover during the romantic celebration of love.

Casen told me that this date held no significance to him.

As it turned out, the occasion didn’t mean anything to him when spent with me.

By our last Valentine’s before the divorce, I stopped holding out expectations for him and didn’t bother bringing up the day.

The celebration slipped Casen’s mind as well. Maybe he deemed the occasion unnecessary.

I spent the day on my own, not kicking up a single fuss. He even came home at night, asking why I had been so quiet about the whole thing.

To that, I simply answered indifferently, “I don’t see the point anyway.”

Before long, I tricked Casen into signing the divorce papers.

I hadn’t heard a word from Casen despite waiting from morning until noon.

With time, my heart turned hollow.

Then came a notification from my phone. I had an update on Instagram.

I went into the app and found a message from an unknown account handler.

“So what if you and Casen got back together? I’ve been with him forever, and I’m the one he loves the most. I’m going to have his baby soon!

“Do you know how much he cares about my child? All I need is to say the word, and he leaves you for me, even on Valentine’s Day.

“I heard that he hasn’t spent a single Valentine’s Day with you, even though you have been together with him for ages. Oh, you poor, unwanted soul.”

It was clear that the alt account belonged to Charlie. With trembling hands, I tapped on her profile and saw her latest post.

The photo collage showed the two of them on vacation in Sicily.

I felt the squeeze in my chest, stopping my lungs from inhaling the air.

Throughout our years of marriage, I had proposed a trip to Sicily more than once, but Casen always had a reason to say no.

“Maybe next time. I’ve been swamped with work lately.”

As it happened, time was never an issue for him.

Tears clouded my eyes. I was done with him right there and then.

My phone rang. It was Casen.

After a brief hesitation, I dried my tears and took the call.

“Hear me out, Bonnie. Something urgent came up, and I can’t make it back. Don’t be mad. I’ll make it up to you.”

His voice dripped with anxiety and apology.

“I’ll get back right now and take you anywhere for a break. Just say the word. Trust me, Bonnie. Your word is my command.”

Meanwhile, a text notification popped up on my phone.

The mysterious agency brought me a piece of good news at last.

“Ms. Conti, everything you need is set. All that remains is for you to choose a method of death.”

“Are you still there, Bonnie?”

On the other end of the line, Casen sounded rather brash.

I paused before muttering, “Sure. Let’s have a getaway in Sicily.”

The line went quiet for a few seconds before Casen replied reluctantly, “Okay. I’ll get back immediately.”

“It’s alright. You can head straight to Sicily. I’ve planned the route. We’ll meet in Sicily.”

I hung up and got in touch with the agency. I said calmly, “I’ve made my choice. It will be a crash of a plane bound for Sicily.”

Meanwhile, Casen urgently summoned his assistant, Tyler, the moment the call ended.

“Put together a luxury vacation for me. I’m heading to the airport to pick Bonnie up.”

Not backing down without a fight, Charlie pulled him back.

“Didn’t you say that you’d stay here with me? Our baby—”

“Shut up, Charlie! You used the child to get me here. I can let this slide out of consideration for the child, but you need to disappear right now. Bonnie’s going to be here any minute. You’d better not show your face.”

Charlie was too scared to say anything to Casen’s stern face.

Just then, Tyler rushed over, his expression more alarmed than ever.

“Don Moretti, a plane bound for Sicily just went down. Donna is on that flight!”