My husband, Liam, asked me to move out of the master bedroom. He wanted to make room for his childhood sweetheart—who also happens to be his cousin, Isabelle—just back from Europe. “It’s only temporary,” he said. “Once she’s emotionally stable, everything will go back to normal.” I smiled and agreed. He thought I was still the perfect wife, the one who would endure anything for the family’s reputation. What he didn’t know was that when I returned to my room and opened my laptop, it wasn’t to pack. It was to create a file named “Liberation Plan.” The moment he nodded, he signed off on the liquidation of his entire family. *** “Ava, I need you to move out for now.” Liam walked into the house as he spoke, loosening his tie without a single glance in my direction. His voice was light, as if he were discussing the weather. “Isabelle gets agitated when she sees you. I’m bringing her home so I can look after her.” I took the suit jacket he shrugged of......
