Part 2Caught My Cheater in a Deadly Scene

I followed his gaze and froze. Cold sweat broke out all over me.

It was my earring!

I touched my earlobe automatically. The left one was empty.

Must've fallen off when I was tearing through the room earlier.

Derek frowned. He walked over and picked it up.

"Rachel was wearing these when she left. I'm sure of it."

These pearl earrings were Derek's birthday gift to me. I loved them—before my trip, I'd even picked out an outfit specifically to match them.

Derek had teased me about it, saying people usually pick jewelry to match their outfit, not the other way around.

Like making dumplings just because you had soy sauce, he'd joked.

Derek clearly remembered that conversation too. His expression darkened.

He lifted his head and scanned the room, eyes raking every corner.

I held my breath, petrified.

Then it hit me. I fumbled for my phone in my pocket.

My palms were so sweaty my fingers kept slipping.

I tried unlocking it several times, but my hands were shaking too hard.

My whole body trembled. My heart felt like it was in my throat.

Through the closet slats, I watched Derek pick up his phone from the nightstand and call me.

I hadn't silenced it. If it rang, I was dead!

In a split second, I pressed and held the power button, shutting it off just in time.

Right then, a robotic female voice cut through the silence.

"We're sorry, the number you are trying to reach is not available."

After a few failed attempts, Derek's scowl deepened.

"Why's it off? Dead battery?"

"Whatever. Probably overreacting. She shouldn't be back yet."

"Must've dropped it before she left."

Derek shook his head with a small laugh, slipped the earring into his pocket, and went back to cutting up the body.

About half an hour later, he had all the bones and flesh separated and packed into different large trash bags, which he took to the kitchen.

I was still hiding in the closet. My legs had gone completely numb from squatting.

I could hear water running in the kitchen.

I flexed my numb ankles and carefully cracked the closet door open a fraction.

Our apartment had an open floor plan. The small room next to the kitchen had been knocked through to make a dining area, and the kitchen opened right into it.

A set of cabinets divided the dining area from the living room.

In other words, if I left the bedroom quietly, I could get straight to the front door without Derek seeing me.

I had to take this chance to escape.

What happened after that? I didn't know, and I didn't care right then.

I just needed to get away from Derek—from that monster.