Chapter 4
The first time I found the basement, I was too shocked and scared to really look at Macey’s face. Now, staring at that photo, I finally saw it clearly: She looked almost exactly like me. Maybe a 90% match. And just like that, it all made sense. I was never his partner. I was a stand-in. A breathing photograph. A vessel for his grief—and his obsession. Later that day, after Dennis left the hospital, I found Dr. Anderson. “I need you to help me stage something. I want to fake my death on the operating table.” His eyes widened. “Mrs. Cunningham—?” “I heard everything,” I cut in, locking the door behind me. My tone left no room for argument. “Whatever Dennis promised you, I can match it. Whatever he used to threaten you, I can do the same.” “But unlike him, I’m offering you a choice: Help me fake my death and walk away with clean hands… or become an accessory to murder.” Dr. Anderson frowned. “You should go to the police—” I shook my head with a bitter smile. “You really think that’ll work? This man kept a corpse hidden in his basement for three years. He’s not just sick—he’s delusional. Who else would believe a fantasy about getting a dead woman pregnant?” He went quiet. Then, slowly, he nodded. I laid out the entire plan—every detail—and watched as cold sweat began to form on his forehead. “Mrs. Cunningham, you…” “Call me Ms. Ward,” I cut in. “Ms. Ward… he never should’ve crossed you,” the doctor said. Dennis thought I was just a lamb waiting for slaughter. He must’ve forgotten that the first time we met, I wiped the floor with him on the fencing strip. One week from now, during the surgery he arranged, I’ll remind him what hell feels like. He had told the doctors I was going in for IVF preparation. I played along, pretending to be the perfect, docile wife. The surgery was scheduled for a week later. I let him sign the admission papers. I let him tuck me into the hospital bed. I even thanked him with a smile so fake I nearly choked on it. It was a relief, honestly—not having to go home, not having to keep pretending to love the man whose very presence made my skin crawl. I mean, three years… I shared a roof with a necrophile. Now alone in my private VIP hospital room, I connected my phone to the hidden basement camera feed. I curled under the blanket and watched the man who thought he was orchestrating everything. On screen, Dennis knelt beside the casket, his fingers gently tracing the bluish outline of Macey’s cold, lifeless cheek. “Macey… just a few more days and Anna will carry our baby. You’re finally going to be a mom. We’ll paint the nursery your favorite pale blue. Just like you always wanted.” Dennis leaned down and kissed the corpse on the lips. Three years of marriage and I had never received a kiss that gentle from him. On the screen, Dennis kept talking in a soft, dreamlike voice—like the dead woman in front of him was only sleeping. He said once the baby was born, he’d name her Sweet Mace. He said once he’d “taken care of” me, he’d take Macey to the Maldives to go scuba diving, just like she always wanted. I watched in silence and backed up the footage. Every ounce of that so-called “devotion” would one day become the blade I’d drive into his throat. In the days that followed, Dennis rarely came by the hospital. When he did, he was distracted, glued to his phone, endlessly refreshing the forum thread. One time I tested him, saying I felt tightness in my chest. He didn’t even look up.