I despise Alex. As if he wasn't enough of a menace in my life already, now he had created problems even before I could put my plan in motion.

Janice liked him. I can't guess what she sees in him, especially when I am the alternative. Since day one, Janice had done nothing but ignored me and pushed me away, and now I know why. It was that bastard's fault.

Nevertheless, I will have her one way or the other.

When we had left Janice to do her duties: taking care of Melissa, Reed had immediately rounded on me and warned me not to do anything stupid.

Asshole, who does he think he is to order me around like that!

Anyway, he is just a temporary hurdle. Now that Janice will be staying in my house, there will be enough chances for me to make her forget about Reed and fall for me.

Reaching home, I call up my parents and tell them the good news: Melissa was coming home.

Overjoyed, my parents offer to stay and help, but I refuse them. They will merely be in my way anyway. I wish I could ask them to keep the children with them, leaving me alone with Janice, but the only reason Reed had agreed to let Melissa come home was on the condition that the kids get to be with her.

"They haven't been to see Mel for four days, David. They must miss her, and I am sure she misses them." Reed had said when I had offered to take Melissa home and asked for Janice to accompany her, to take care of my wife's needs.

Ahhh, Janice, love, the only needs you will be taking care of will be mine. That delicate, supple, youthful body will be mine to do as I please soon. Very soon.

The doorbell rings, and I hurry over to welcome Janice home, so imagine my disappointment when I open the door and come face to face with Reed. I look around, but it's only him standing at my door with pursed lips.

I plaster a fake smile on my face. "Reed, I wasn't expecting you. Where is Janice?"

His brows crease and eyes narrow suspiciously, and I add, "I was under the impression that she will be the one accompanying Melissa home."

He sighs and peers inside, "Are the kids back?" and pushes me aside to enter my home uninvited.

He always does this. He thinks it's his home just because he grew up here with Melissa. That bitch never stopped him either. She should have.

"No, they will be here in a few," I reply and watch him down a bottle of water.
If would have known earlier, I would have poisoned it. I wish I had gotten rid of Reed when I had done away with Melissa's parents.

Reed makes himself comfortable on his spot: the seat next to the tea-table adjacent to the window and gestures me to take a seat.

If I could strangle him and get away with it, I would. Alas, he is too well connected.

I take my place in front of him, and he closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose. "David, you know Mel loves you, right?" He asks, holding my gaze; I nod and try to look offended, "You may think that I am a jerk for not taking care of her better, but believe me, no one hates what happened to her more than I do. She is the love of my life. She is my anchor, my everything." I try my best to sound sincere. The bugger had lost trust me when the Linda incident had happened, and since then, it had gotten harder and harder to convince him of my love for Melissa.

His eyes glaze over, and a moment later, a tear rolls down his cheek.

What the fuck!?

"David, did you really see Mel move her fingers when Janice was tending to her?" He asks desperately. Even a blind man can see that he is in love with her.

Soulmate? Ha! You are lying to yourself, Reed.

Luckily, Melissa had been too dumb to see it,  or I would never have been able to win her over.

I nod confidently. "Reed, I have a good feeling about Janice. She radiates positivity."

Reed runs his fingers through his hair. "After you left, Janice came to me."
Irritation grips me as he speaks the words. He stops and catches my eyes again. "Janice thinks that you have been stalking her."

"What!?" That sassy bitch dared to accuse me!

"That's preposterous!"

"David, calm down. I told her that she must be mistaken."

"And?" I urge him to continue trying to keep my voice and temper under control.

"David, are you interested in her?" He asks in a tone that seeped with hesitation. The thought of me doing such a thing when his soulmate was nothing more than a barely breathing corpse must seem blasphemous to him.

I am more than interested in her, Reed.
"Are you out of your mind, Reed!?"

Alex shakes his head and chuckles mirthlessly. "I am sorry, David. I think Mel's condition is getting to me." He looks guilty as fuck, and I can't help but act like I understand where he is coming from even though I don't. No one has ever meant that much to me.

"Forget about it," I say dismissively; doubt creeps in my mind. "So, has Janice changed her mind about taking care of Melissa?"

Alex shakes his head. "I convinced her," he looks at me. "Would it alright if I were to come and visit Mel every day?"

Why the fuck would he want to do that is beyond me. I think of voicing my thoughts but then realize that I don't care. "Sure." I nod, and his face lights up like a decked-up christmas tree. "Thanks, David."

"No worries." I shrug, and he stands.

Good riddance.

He is at the door when he turns. "There is one more thing. Janice wants to go home every evening for an hour or so. Of course, she will do so only when you are home."

"Why?" I ask before I can stop myself, but it doesn't rouse his suspicion. He shakes his head. "I didn't ask. In any case, she told me that she had moved somewhere nearby, so if any emergency were to arise, she would be here within a few." He elaborates,  turning the doorknob and adds. "Eli will be coming over with the staff to set up the equipment. Which room do you think would suit Mel best?"

"Our master bedroom, I guess. She would be most comfortable there. Don't you think? After all, we made a lot of," I pause and watch Reed purse his lips. His knuckles on the doorknob turn pale. His pain has never failed to bring me pleasure. There is just something beautiful about watching him suffer. "memories there." I finish. He averts his gaze and nods solemnly. "Janice will accompany Eli." He states and leaves.

As I watch him go, excitement fills me. Janice will be here soon. Now that things were finally falling into place, I decide to relax and pour myself a drink, but just as I am about to lose myself in the memory of Janice's alluring blue pools, I hear a knock on the door.
I take my own time getting it.

The kids jump on me as soon as they enter. I am surprised to see Kimmy with them instead of my parents.

"Mr. Drew." Kimmy bows slightly before smiling. "Master Alexander told me that Mel is coming back home. I came to help." She explains, and things become clear. It was that meddling man who thought he had the right to dictate how my household worked.

"How considerate of him...and you." I offer her a soft smile; it's the kind no woman could resist, or so I had thought before I had met Janice.

I look at my kids as Sandy pulls my trouser. "Dad, when will mom get here?" She asks; his green pools- so like her mother's- zero in on me.

"I am not sure," I reply, picking her up. I push a strand of copper curls off her forehead and tuck them behind her ear before kissing her freckled nose.

Everything about her screams Melissa; I can barely stand it. "Why don't you both go to your rooms and unpack. There are things I need to discuss with aunty Kimmy," I suggest, and like good little soldiers, they sprint off towards their room.

As soon as the kids are out of earshot, Kimmy's usually bright face clouds. "Young master told me that there are very slim chances of mistress recovering."

The way she always addresses Reed as a young master has always bothered me, but I have always overlooked it.  I knew it was not worth it to object to it and risk looking petty. I wanted her to think of me as an understanding, caring, secure husband that could do no wrong to her precious young mistress.

I nod and look away lest my joy betrays my act. "That seems to be what they want us to believe, but I believe Melissa will return to me," I reply in a voice choked with fake emotions; as expected, she falls for it hook line and sinker. She holds my hand in her old wrinkled ones and pats it. "Young mistress is lucky to have you."
Before I can celebrate my victory, however, she continues, "She is lucky to have both of you. I am sure Young master will find a way to help her return to us."

Damn it, woman!

I have fucking had it with this bitch as well. Once Melissa is out of the way, I need to find a way to get rid of her as well.

I try to force a smile, and she reciprocates with a toothy one. Yes, aunty Kimmy needs to go as well.

"Kimmy, people from Mercy will be here shortly. A nurse named Janice Moore will be arriving with them. She is the one who will be taking care of Melissa's needs. Alex recommended her." I lie, and she nods. "I will see to it that she wants for nothing." The nanny reassures, and then, looking towards where the kids had disappeared, she adds, "I will see what the kids want to have for dinner."  With that, she leaves me alone with my thoughts.

I contemplate going back to enjoying my drink but dismiss the thought instantly, for it would not fit the image that I had worked so hard to create.  Instead, I empty it in the sink and return to the study.

With Melissa in this state, I should have had the power-of-attorney, but the bitch was smarter than she looked. I don't know when she had done it, but she had made changes to her will, stating that her estate would be frozen if anything unnatural were to happen to her. The freeze would hold till the kids had come of age, after which it would go to them. The inheritance would be mine only if I could prove that I had done everything in my power to save her life.

When I had tried to grill her lawyer for specifics, he hadn't been forthcoming at all. "I am not at liberty to say." The bastard had said matter-of-factly before disconnecting the call.

It was after this disclosure that I had decided to bring Melissa home. Janice was not fond of me. If she were to believe that I had done everything in my power to save Melissa, it would help my case when Melissa passes away. I needed Janice to tell everyone how perfect a husband I was to Melissa.
Now all I needed to do was win Janice over and make her fall for me. And I was confident that I could do it. There was just one problem: Janice liked Reed.

I don't know when I fall asleep. A sharp knock on the door wakes me up. It's Kimmy, and what she says next has my heart racing.

"Master David, there are people from Mercy here to see you."

A feeling that I had missed most since I had tied myself to Melissa fills me with anticipation and excitement. I was ready, a hunter, rearing to start the hunt.