Reborn In a Murderer’s Embrace

Eric peered warily down the alley’s end. “Who’s there?”

Startled, I spun around to hide but was swiftly muffled and dragged into a nearby shop. “I told you, you’ll regret tailing Caleb,” the voice behind me was unmistakably Dexter’s.

1 paused, furrowing my brows as I eyed him with suspicion. “Mr. Fitzgerald, got time to kill?”

“Just happened to be passing by,” Dexter quipped, reaching for a mango–flavored lollipop from the store’s shelf for me.

He must have mistaken me for Phoebe. He knew Phoebe was prone to sugar lows, hence the lollipop.

But it was laughable, really. He didn’t even know Phoebe was allergic to mangoes.

“Who do you think I am?” I asked, voice heavy with caution.

Dexter remained silent.

I scoffed. “Don’t you know Phoebe Caldwell is allergic to mangoes?”

I made no move to take the lollipop from him, looking to leave instead.

Dexter, frozen, suddenly moved to grab my wrist. “I told you to divorce Caleb for your own good.”

With an air of urgency, he pulled me into his car.

Soon after, Eric emerged and got into his vehicle.

Dexter drove off, tailing Eric’s car.

“The Langleys have always cleaned up after Caleb. He’s been a troublemaker for years, and it’s always Eric who sorts it out. His meeting with today is just more of the same,” Dexter said with a heavy tone. “Since

Zebe Caldwell gave you her house keys and

confided in you… she must consider you her best friend. I can’t let anything happen to you.”

I laughed, the sarcasm biting. “Protect me? What are we to each other, Mr. Fitzgerald? Phoebe grew up with you, and you couldn’t protect her. Now, you want to protect me?”

Oh, how grateful I am.

Dexter’s grip on the steering wheel tightened, and his knuckles whitened, revealing his strained restraint.

“Dexter, I’m curious,” I pressed, adopting a detached perspective on his relationship with Phoebe. “Phoebe loved you so much. How could you be so cruel to her? Even a dog grows on you, right?”

Dexter remained silent, just driving and following Eric.

After a while, he spoke in a lowered voice. “I… loved her.”

What? I didn’t catch that.

“I loved her deeply.” His voice trembled. “She loved someone else. She was with me out of gratitude, though her heart belonged to another.”

A surge of shock and anger overtook me.

I was gone, and he was still trying to tarnish me!

Was he even human?

“She was bound by gratitude. I wanted to give her freedom yet keep her close. I knew she’d leave eventually…” His voice trailed off, the unspoken truth hanging in the air – Phoebe was dead.

I found Dexter’s words absurd and hypocritical. “Your love is really cheap. When you first said you liked her, she foolishly loved you for a decade…”

Dexter’s gaze held a complex mix of emotions as he glanced at me. “Did she tell you she loved me for ten years?”

I frowned, not wanting to engage with Dexter any further.

He hesitated, his stare intense but not pressing further.

When Eric stopped his car in an old neighborhood, Dexter parked as well, and we followed Eric discreetly.

Eric, carrying some food, entered an old house and knocked on the door.

Hidden from view, Dexter and I waited to see who Eric was meeting.

Soon, the door cracked open, and a hand reached out.

The hand bore scars of burns.

I caught my breath, my vigilance peaking. That person inside was the same murderer I’d seen at my house – the one who had taken my life!

After a while, he spoke in a lowered voice. “I… loved her.” Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

What? I didn’t catch that.

“I loved her deeply.” His voice trembled. “She loved someone else. She was with me out of gratitude, though her heart belonged to another.”

A surge of shock and anger overtook me.

I was gone, and he was still trying to tarnish me!

Was he even human?

“She was bound by gratitude. I wanted to give her freedom yet keep her close. I knew she’d Phoebe was leave eventually…” His voice trailed off, the unspoken truth hanging in the air- dead.

I found Dexter’s words absurd and hypocritical. “Your love is really cheap. When you first said you liked her, she foolishly loved you for a decade…”

Dexter’s gaze held a complex mix of emotions as he glanced at me. “Did she tell you she loved me for ten years?”

I frowned, not wanting to engage with Dexter any further.

He hesitated, his stare intense but not pressing further.

When Eric stopped his car in an old neighborhood, Dexter parked as well, and we followed Eric discreetly.

Eric, carrying some food, entered an old house and knocked on the door.

Hidden from view, Dexter and I waited to see who Eric was meeting.

Soon, the door cracked open, and a hand reached out.

The hand bore scars of burns.

I caught my breath, my vigilance peaking. That person inside was the same murderer I’d seen at my house the one who had taken my life!