My Husband And His Stepmother Called Me Their “cash Cow” While Sleeping Together. Then He Trapped Me In A Cave To Die For My Money. How Do I Make Sure They Never See Daylight Again?
The Tip of the Iceberg
That evening I sat alone on the balcony of my bungalow gazing at the dark ocean. Maya had handled all the formalities and was on her way. The white-capped waves relentlessly crashed ashore as if trying to wash away the filth of the day. But could they wash away the wound in my heart?
Seven years. It wasn’t an eternity, but it was long enough for a love to be etched into one’s soul. I had loved Kevin, loved him with all my heart. I gave him my youth, my career, my trust, and what did I get in return? A systematic deception, a cruel plot, and a deadly trap.
I wondered, in all those seven years, was there ever a single moment he was sincere with me? Or was it all just an act?
When Maya arrived, she brought more news, news that left me stunned.
“Anna, you’re not going to believe this. When the police searched Evelyn’s car, they found something.”
“What?”
I asked, a new sense of foreboding rising within me.
Maya showed me a photo on her phone. It was of a savings account passbook and some insurance documents.
“Do you know whose name is on this savings account? It’s Arthur’s, your father-in-law. The balance is over $200,000. And more importantly, on this life insurance policy, the sole beneficiary in the event of Arthur’s death is Evelyn. A $2 million policy.”
I was speechless. $2 million? A life insurance policy? My father-in-law, a gentle retired professor with a modest pension, how could he have that kind of policy? And why was Evelyn the sole beneficiary?
“I still don’t get it, Ma.”
“Neither do I,”
Mia replied, her expression thoughtful.
“But the police found something else: a small unlabeled vial of pills hidden deep in her purse. They’ve sent it for analysis. Something is very wrong here, Anna. I have a feeling your situation is just the tip of a much larger iceberg. An iceberg that involves your father-in-law and possibly the death of Kevin’s mother.”
Maya’s words sent an icy chill down my spine. The death of Kevin’s mother, the unlabeled vial, the enormous insurance policy—all the seemingly unrelated pieces were starting to connect, revealing a conspiracy far more horrifying than what I had just endured.
I suddenly understood. Perhaps the real reason my father-in-law had become so withdrawn and silent wasn’t just because he was afraid of Evelyn.
The tip of the iceberg. Maya’s words haunted me through another sleepless night. I thought I had reached the depths of human evil, but it seemed there was a deeper, darker abyss below.
I lay in bed listening to the rhythmic crash of the waves, trying to piece together the fragments. The unlabeled vial, the $2 million insurance policy, my father-in-law’s terrifying silence, and the sudden death of Kevin’s mother from a brief illness 10 years ago. How were they all connected? And what role did Evelyn, the woman with the mysterious past, play in all of it?
I felt like I was standing before a giant veiled curtain, and if I pulled it back, a horrifying truth would be revealed.
A Tragic Sacrifice
The next day, Maya and I flew back to Boston. The investigation in Florida was transferred to the Boston Police Department to be expanded. As soon as we landed, I received a call from an unknown number.
“Hello?”
“Is this Miss Anna Thompson?”
The voice on the other end was that of an old man, trembling.
“Yes, this is she. Who is this?”
“It’s… It’s Henderson from the family estate,”
he said, his voice frantic.
“Mr. Henderson, what’s wrong?”
“It’s terrible Anna. It’s your father-in-law Arthur. He… he hanged himself in the estate study.”
All the strength drained from my body. The phone clattered to the floor. My father-in-law committed suicide? Why? Why now? My vision went dark. Maya rushed to catch me.
“Anna! Anna are you okay?”
I couldn’t hear her anymore. My mind just echoed with one question: Why?
When we arrived at the estate, the area was already cordoned off with police tape. Neighbors and onlookers were gathered, whispering amongst themselves. I saw an ambulance parked at the gate, its red and blue lights flashing mournfully.
I tried to run inside but was stopped by an officer.
“Ma’am, please remain calm. The scene is being processed.”
A moment later Mister Henderson was escorted out by another officer. He looked as if he had aged 10 years overnight, his eyes red and vacant. Seeing me, he stumbled forward and grabbed my hand.
“Anna, it’s my fault. It’s all my fault.”
“Mr. Henderson, what are you talking about?”
I stammered.
He tremblingly pulled a crumpled envelope from his pocket and pressed it into my hand.
“Before… Before he did it, Arthur gave this to me. He told me if anything happened to him, I had to give it to you. He said… he said ‘Only you could bring the truth to light for everyone.'”
With shaking hands, I tore open the envelope. Inside was a letter written in my father-in-law’s familiar trembling script.
Anna, my dear daughter-in-law,
By the time you read this, I will likely be gone from this world. Do not grieve for me. This is the only escape for a coward who has lived in sin and fear for the past 10 years. I am so sorry Anna. I have known everything for a very long time. I knew Evelyn was not an ordinary woman. I knew the death of my wife, Kevin’s mother, was not from illness, and I knew that you were her next victim.
10 years ago, when my wife fell ill, Evelyn appeared, playing the role of a kind old friend bringing her traditional remedies. I blindly trusted her. I even prepared the medicine for my wife with my own hands, never knowing that those pills contained a slow-acting poison—a poison that didn’t kill immediately but slowly destroyed her organs, making her illness appear progressively worse and untreatable.
I unwittingly became an accomplice in the murder of the woman I loved most in the world. By the time I discovered the truth, it was too late. My wife was gone. And Evelyn… she used that secret to control me. She threatened to expose me as a murderer if I didn’t obey her.
She forced me to marry her, forced me to sign over all my assets to her name. That $2 million insurance policy was her idea too, forcing me to make her the sole beneficiary. I have lived as a shadow, a puppet in her hands for 10 years. I didn’t dare to speak up because I was afraid—afraid of losing everything, afraid of going to prison, afraid of facing my own guilt.
Until you came, Anna. Your resilience, your kindness, and your strength made me ashamed. I realized I could not stay silent any longer. I tried to protect you in my own way by secretly recording Evelyn and Kevin’s conversations, by writing this letter. But I know that as long as I am alive, Evelyn will never leave you in peace. She will use me to threaten you, to harm you.
So I must go. I hope my death will be the most powerful indictment of her crimes. And more importantly, it will free you from all her leverage. In the USB drive I left in the wooden box with Kevin’s mother’s journal is all the evidence I have collected over the past 10 years. Use it Anna, use it to bring that devil in human form to justice, to bring peace to Kevin’s mother, to you, and to my own guilty soul.
Your father, Arthur.
