Unfaithful: Web Of Betrayal

“What?” Olivia froze.

Her relief was short-lived when she realized it wasn’t Roman. Panic sets in almost immediately.

“Who the hell is that?” she was reluctant to look closer. The sight of blood on a dead body was not something she wanted to observe.

Declan was breathing heavily. He shook his head and stroked his hair. “Get the tarp, Livy … get some tapes and plastic, whatever we have … hurry!”

She ran down the stairs. She wasn’t thinking anymore. She just did what Declan told her.

“Oh … God!” Declan muttered to himself. He rubbed his face with both hands. He was sure it was Roman when he first saw the dark images on the CCTV monitor.

He checked the pockets of the dead man in front of him. He took everything he could find from the corpse. Gil was dead. Blood was still leaking out of his wounded head through the soaked cap. Declan would’ve seen a clearer image through the monitor if he hadn’t worn that cap. Or not. His jealous mind had blinded him.

What the hell was Gil doing in his house?

A phone, a wallet, a pack of cigarettes, a lighter, and an envelope addressed to him. It was Sienna’s handwriting. He folded it and tucked it inside his pocket. He hid Gil’s belongings in the bottom drawer of the TV cabinet. He wasn’t sure what he was doing, but he knew he had to keep Gil’s identity a secret from Livy until he knew what was happening.

There was a gun in Gil’s hand. That much was true. Gil had come intending to harm them. But why? He said he was done and he was leaving. Why would he drive to Lancaster just to hurt them?

Declan’s brain was spinning out of control. Before he could figure anything out, Olivia was back with the tools.

“Did you touch him? We’re not supposed to be touching him, are we? ” She was still confused as to what they were about to do. She stood a few steps away from where the body was. She didn’t have the courage to come any closer.

“Was he going to rob us? We can call the police and tell them it was self-defense… right?”

“I shot him from the back … it’s not self-defense… whoever this guy was, I killed him …” Declan hung his head. “I’m not going to jail for this.”

The room fell silent for a moment.

“What are we going to do? I mean … where will we dump the body?” she asked.Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

Declan looked at her, “Somewhere far … I know a place … a little further out of town … we’ll take the shovel in the garage. We have to make sure the tarp is sealed shut. We don’t want any blood in the trunk,” he said as he gets the tarp from Livy’s hand.

She was shivering. Declan held her hand steady and looked into her eyes. “Livy … we can do this … it’s gonna be alright,” he comforted her.

It wasn’t an assurance, but it was better than nothing. She nodded. “I’ll get some cleaning supplies.”

They worked in silence. Each of them retreated into their own thoughts.

Declan wrapped the body in plastic and layered it with a tarp. He rolled tape around his wrapping … a lot of tape and made sure everything was tight. He was sweating. Dead bodies weighed more than when they were alive.

Olivia was covered in blood. She wore a mask to avoid the smell. She numbed herself from feeling any emotions about their situation. Everything must be cleaned. The walls, the rug, the floor, splash on the sofa. How will they ever get it cleaned?

“We have to burn it,” Declan’s voice broke the silence.

She looked at him with an empty stare.

“Our clothes … the rugs … everything that touched the blood must be burned,” he said.

She nodded lightly.

Carrying the body into the trunk of their car was a challenge. Olivia lost her grip twice. The sound that stomped on the floor will haunt her for the rest of her life. But Declan was calm-the complete opposite of how he was moments after he shot and killed that poor man.

He locked the trunk and went back inside.

“Take your clothes off,” he instructed as he did it himself.

There was nothing sexual about stripping naked together at that moment. Declan put all their clothes in a trash bag and the cleaning supplies in another. He told her to go into the shower with him. It was as if he had already planned this. He was doing everything in order.

He didn’t plan this, of course. But Declan was a leader. He had always been. He always knew what to do in a time of crisis. His mind was already thinking forward. All this mess was already sorted out in his head.

As the warm water washed over them, Olivia was looking at her husband with hundreds of questions going through her thoughts. She covered her face with both hands and cried.

Declan wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

“Don’t cry … I’ll take care of it … I promise …” he said in a whispery voice.

Somehow, his calmness eased her. With Declan, she knew everything was going to be alright. It always does.