sham. The “cousin” was the father, the two
of them using Jake.
Fearing Jake’s return, I moved my parents to
another hospital, sold the house.
Three days later, my phone rang. Jake.
“Melissa, help me! Please!”
く
“Everyone hates me! I have nothing left! My
friends abandoned me!”
“Melissa, give me another chance! I’ll
sake
care of your parents, I’ll be a good husband!
It was all Olivia! She seduced me! You have
to believe me!”
The internet’s wrath was swift. He was
mocked, beaten, starved, homeless.
His voice was desperate, weak. I laughed.
“What good are you to me now?”
“I’ll do anything!”
“Then die.”
A thud Silence
<
“I’ll do anything!”
“Then die.”
A thud. Silence.
وو
Later, the news reported Olivia’s “cousin,” the baby’s father, had run Jake over, repeatedly, until his body was unrecognizable.
The brutality of the crime made national
headlines, a cautionary tale.
Looking at the pixelated image of Jake’s
remains, I smiled.
Some monsters destroy themselves.
