Deception

An amber hue dawned upon the morning sky as a young woman named Shanelle laid on a rock at the beach, short of breath. Her mind wandered to the memories of the previous day.

***

She had come home early from a business trip to surprise her husband Gerard, only to be greeted by betrayal; her body grew cold and numb at the sight of him in bed with his secretary Lexi. Regaining her composure, Shanelle had ordered the both of them out of her house. Gerard begged for forgiveness, saying it was a mistake, but she wouldn’t hear it. Her trust was shattered.

Shanelle was crying in bed late at night when Gerard and Lexi broke into her house. They bound and gagged her with rope and cloth before throwing her into the trunk of Gerard’s car. Shanelle struggled to break free; the knot binding her hands loosened by an inch, but it wasn’t enough for her to break free. They drove to a shipyard and put her in a motorboat. However, Shanelle noticed a pen on the floor of the boat. Gerard drove the boat to the sea until the shoreline was barely visible.

He and Lexi threw Shanelle overboard without noticing the loosened knot, or the pen in her hand. Shanelle managed to break free and swim away unnoticed as Gerard and Lexi fled the scene immediately. She reached a rock near the beach and climbed onto it, lying down on her back whilst gasping for air. Her body wouldn’t stop shaking as she held herself through the fear and cold.

***

Shanelle walked to the nearest town and pawned her wedding ring and chain before heading to the nearest motel. There, she contacted the police and informed them about what happened. Gerard and Lexi were arrested twenty minutes later. The trial that came afterward was a long and emotional one, but at its end, victory was on Shanelle’s side.