The Revenge of the Mute Wife by Melanie Paulson

Chapter 173

"What..." The couple stared, bewildered and confused. The sight of the burning person meant the cries they heard were real and not just a recording. But they had no time to process this revelation because the human torch was running toward them.

"Help me... please... please..." The person didn't make it to them, collapsing face down on the ground, lifeless, as the heat caused a cardiac arrest. Frederick and Vanessa trembled as the body fell just a few steps away.

They watched as the fire naturally went out, leaving behind a nearly unrecognizable figure. Vanessa thought she was used to what bodies looked like, but something inside her urged her to approach. "Vanessa, no..." Frederick tried to stop her.

Ignoring him, she turned the body to see its face, or what was left of it...

When she saw who it was, a deep pain gripped her chest as she shook her head and began to tremble. "Nooooo!" she cried, covering her face with her hands and pulling at her hair before reaching out to touch the burned body.

"Vanessa, calm down," Frederick said, embracing her to prevent her from touching the body.

"No! Let me go! It's Ernest-It's my son!" She broke down in tears in her beloved's arms.

"What..." Frederick turned and felt his breath catch in his throat as he saw the charred body of his son. No!"

Both of them screamed, struggling to accept the reality before their eyes. How had their son ended up here? He was supposed to be in a prison in another city... so why was he in the car with them?

They couldn't understand, and as time passed, they noticed something even stranger about the situation. The accident was severe, and even the tree was catching fire... but no one had come near the scene. The nearby street was empty, and despite the thick smoke, they couldn't hear any fire truck or ambulance

sirens.

Realizing this, Frederick understood: it was a trap.

He pulled away from his wife and moved to retrieve the bags of money.

"Love, wait... an ambulance will surely come..."

"No one is coming..."

"But my

son..."

"Forget it! He's dead!"

"How can you be so heartless?"

"There's nothing more we can do. We need to get away, it's clear no one will come to help us."

+25 BONUS

Chapter 173

"Let's check if there's a phone or something in the suitcase that we can use to call for help," he said, opening one of the money bags. But instead of money, it contained.

"Ahh!" he shouted, abruptly dropping the bag and letting some of its contents spill out.

Vanessa turned to look, noticing the suitcase on the ground along with its contents, feeling her world. crumble again as part of an arm became visible.

"Frederick, what..." Her words caught in her throat as she recognized the arm, which had a simple gold bracelet and a star tattoo. She knew that arm all too well and rushed to the suitcase to open it.

"N-no! This can't be real!" she cried, pulling at her hair and weeping. Inside the bag was Cassandra's dismembered body, with a note stuck to her face that read: "Thanks for the money, but this is a reminder of what happens when you try to deceive us. We know you tried to tip off the police."

Vanessa covered her mouth with her hands to stifle her screams. The note, written in her own handwriting, was yellowed with age, making it clear that it had been around for some time.