Love Rekindled – Her Killer Husband

Katrina struggled to keep her emotions in check as she stood in front of the altar, exchanging vows with Aaron.

The emotions of anger as well as anxiety, fear, and apprehension.

Never in her life had she imagined getting married to her sister's husband. Her late sister.

Only a month ago, her sister had stood on this altar with Aaron, exchanging the same vows.

And not even a week had passed by after her death, Katrina found herself in her sister's shoes. She would soon be Aaron's wife. The dream of every girl in the city.

"Are you alright?"

Aaron's voice rang in her ears breaking her thoughts. His eyes never left her since she stepped on the aisle.

His soft gaze, the gaze that didn't hold any remorse for someone mourning his late wife.

But Katrina would be surprised if he did. She'd call him a hypocrite even.

From the day of her sister's ceremony, she couldn't push down the feeling that Aaron had something to do with her death.

It was that same feeling that got her to agree to the marriage. The same feeling that would lead her to uncover who he was and bring justice to her sister.

"I'm fine." She forced a smile, meeting his gaze.

Despite her nerves wracking inside, she had to pull herself together.

Getting him suspicious would, in no doubt, as well land her in trouble. She might end up sharing the same fate as her sister even before achieving her mission.

"You seem tired," Aaron whispered in her ear.

They exchanged rings and before his face got close to hers, Katrina faced the audience, lucky to have evaded him in time.

"I am." Was her answer. For she couldn't wait to get this ceremony over with. She couldn't wait to embark on her quest for revenge.

Growing up, Katrina and her sister were inseparable, until Aaron came into the picture. Until she decided to give him her heart and have it shattered before her feelings could surface.

But all that was in the past. She had long shoved those feelings aside. And his only image in her mind right now was that of a stranger. The stranger who had a hand in her sister's death.

Families and friends expressed good wishes and congratulations. Katrina's mother had tears in her eyes, the tears that never dried since her sister's death.

She thought it wasn't fair to her, and only Katrina's father thought it was the right thing to do.

And just like that, her sister seemed to be forgotten. Only business mattered to her father.

And she was going to prove his actions wrong. She was going to reveal Aaron's secret and let the world know the kind of person he was.

...

After the wedding, Katrina paced back and forth in the hotel suite.

Their plane would take off tomorrow morning, to their honeymoon. And Aaron was in the bathroom.

Her eyes darted around the room, her senses were alert.

Although this wasn't Aaron's residence, she wouldn't miss the chance of finding a clue here.

She couldn't wait until they embarked on their honeymoon or after it, she would dig up whatever she could find about him and she might luckily stumble upon something that would give her a heads-up. Exactly the way she did the first time. The phone call conversation she overheard him having.

It didn't have to be a phone call though. She would find her clues somewhere, everywhere, as long as it was related to him.

Contemplating and comparing the time it would take her to ransack his luggage and the time Aaron would take in the bathroom, Katrina settled in the end with searching his clothes.

She tiptoed toward the bathroom area amidst the sound of running water and grabbed his clothes.

She shoved her hands into the shirt's pocket, nothing.

She shoved her hand into his pants pockets, her fingers hit a hard surface, his phone.

Katrina halted.

She sucked in a deep breath and retrieved it. And her eyes went back and forth between the bathroom door and the phone in her hand.

She hit the switch button and the screen lit up.

Despite Katrina's heart thumping against her chest, and tapped several buttons at once. She wracked her brain for what could be the phone's password.

She even went as far as inserting her sister's birth date. It didn't work. Guilt engulfed her heart.

If Aaron was her sister's killer, wasn't it ridiculous that he'd have her birth date as his password?

But Katrina didn't give up trying. She typed in more characters. She typed in the names of his parents. His birth dates, their birthdates. Aaron was closer to his father.

Since her first meeting with the man when she was a kid, she never liked him. Maybe because he shared the same perspectives with her father, or maybe because of the unexplainable foreboding feeling that always rose inside her at the sight of him.

Engrossed in trying to unlock the phone, Katrina wasn't aware of when the sound of running water stopped.

Fortunately, the clicking sound of the doorknob kicked reality into her. She tossed the phone back into the pants pocket with trembling hands and rearranged the clothes on the stand where she took them.

Before the bathroom door could fully open, Katrina was back inside the bedroom.

Aaron's footsteps approached, and she jumped into the bed and shuffled into the blankets.

Moments later, she could feel his movements around the room. Katrina's sense was once again alert. And under the blanket, she squeezed her eyes shut. Hopefully, he couldn't hear her heartbeat.

And for a second, the fears returned.

What was she doing? Had she made the right decision? If Aaron was her sister's killer, if the words she had overheard were the truth, wasn't she a fool for endangering her life?

She swallowed and strained her ears at every sound coming from each corner.

What if he decided to get rid of her tonight? What if he had suspected something and she was never going to see the daylight tomorrow?

Katrina was defenseless and alone inside a suite on the top floor of a hotel with her sister's supposed killer. What if as she lay buried under the blanket at the moment, Aaron was towering over her with a knife?

Hers might not be a stab like her sister's, hers might be a cut in the neck.

Seconds turned into minutes, the atmosphere was stale, it was suffocating.

Katrina opened one eye. Under the blanket, the light inside the room was dimmed. No silhouette of a man touring over her. No more sounds from the room.

Where did he go?

Before she lingered in her confusion, the space beside her on the bed sank and her heart skipped a bit.

Katrina covered her mouth to suppress her yelp and her head snapped to her side.

Aaron lay on his side, facing her and staring straight at her through the fabric.

"Kat." He lifted his hand and tugged down the blanket, revealing her face. "Are you asleep?"

Katrina had closed her eyes again. And there was uncertainty in Aaron's tone. He might be doubting she was asleep.

But Katrina didn't budge from her position. She held her breath and lay still.

Kat.

She didn't want to remember the memories that endearment brought. This was the first time he called her that after so many years.

Moments later, Katrina could feel his fingers tracing up the linen of her dress. A cold shiver ran down her spine and she shuddered.

No. This was wrong.

Her heartbeat went into a frenzied state. And she finally moved.

She faked a yawn and eased out of his embrace until her body touched the edge of the bed.

And a deep sigh reached her ears. Or maybe she had imagined it.

Katrina could feel his gaze on her. Her back was now to him. She could feel his deep gaze.

And as she was no longer facing him, her hand slowly wandered up to her still-drumming chest.

Was it even a good idea to share the same bed? Wouldn't it land her in more trouble?

She only had her mission to focus on. She'd be making a great mistake by allowing anything to happen between them.

A few minutes later, Relief washed over Katrina as Aaron left the bed.

His footsteps moved toward the balcony and she waited for a while before lifting her head.

She sneaked a peak at that area.

His shadow stretched on the floor and puffs of cigarette smoke hung in the air.

A sigh left her lips and she lay back on the bed.

'You can do this,' she reassured herself inside. She would take greater risks if she had to. If not for the love she had for her sister, then for the regret of not treating her well and allowing a feud to come between them.

This might be the only way she would ever repay her sister.

...

Katrina didn't blink throughout the night and when morning came, she left the bed and stalled in the bathroom.

If only there was a way to prevent this honeymoon from happening. If only she could come up with a plan to make that happen.

Her sister passed away here in this city. Every clue she might need would be here. And she also had a job to return to. The job she had pretended to abandon in order to marry Aaron.

She would get rid of him as soon as possible and return to her normal life.

Still contemplating a way out, Katrina couldn't linger in the bathroom lest Aaron got suspicious. And just as she was about to step out, she slipped.

Were the heavens with her or against her? Katrina couldn't comprehend that yet.

Her ankle twisted and her back hit the slippery floor.

"Ahhhhhh!"

She couldn't suppress her scream. The unbearable pain coursed through her body, numbing her leg.

And rushed footsteps approached the bathroom.

Katrina struggled to get off the floor but she fell down with a plop.

The second time she attempted to stand to her feet, she found herself in Aaron's arms.

"Are you alright? Where do you feel pain?" Aaron scooped her from the floor and stared down at her with a worried look.

Katrina couldn't form a reply. She bit her lips hard to put up with the pain. She couldn't feel her legs.

"Kat, talk to me." Aaron prodded.

But no reply came from Katrina. She didn't even mind their proximity, she didn't mind that she was pressed against his bare chest. The pain had invaded all her senses.

Shit! Was this a bad omen or what?

How could she proceed with her mission with a broken leg?

Aaron took her inside the bedroom and settled her on the bed.

Without a word, he sat beside her and propped up her legs on his lap. Then he massaged her ankle. The spot was sore-red already.

"Does it ache much?" Aaron applied gentle pressure to the spot.

And Katrina didn't waste time to nod.

"I'll get an ambulance." Aaron picked up his phone from the bedside table.

And Katrina shook her head. "No-" she put a halt to her words as an idea suddenly came to her head.

But it was too late. Aaron had heard her objection.

"Then let me get one of the staff. First aid might help before the plane arrives."

Katrina's heart sank and she gulped.

"N–No need of that." She put on a pained expression. "I– I don't think I will be able to walk. I want you to take me to a hospital."

Aaron's eyes narrowed for a second. Then he retained his blank expression.

"About the honeymoon-"

"Let's cancel it." Katrina gave him a pleading look. "My ankle aches so much–" she sniffled. "Wouldn't it be unreasonable to go on the honeymoon with this wound?"

"You're right." Aaron sighed and dropped his phone. And his eyes flashed with an indescribable emotion. The emotions Katrina couldn't comprehend.

She shifted away from him until her back made contact with the headboard.

He was so close, too close to her. Her sister's killer.

Was this the same way he had treated her sister, before ending her? And what had her sister done to him to deserve this?

Katrina let herself focus on the pain from her ankle instead of the sudden fury rising in her heart.

It would do her no good to unleash it now. First, she was wounded, and secondly, it was impossible.

Aaron was powerful, he was no longer the young boy she'd tagged along with everywhere at school or when events arose in the social circle.

He had long changed from that boy.

If even her sister couldn't be spared from his cruelty, who was she?

He'd end her without batting an eye.

"I'll help you get ready," Aaron suggested.

Katrina broke eye contact with him and lowered her head. "I can manage." She turned down his request and got down from the bed.

She limped toward the closet where both their luggage were sitting. And she had the urge to ransack his things. But Aaron was in the room probably taking in each of her movements.

...

At the hospital...

Katrina lay in bed, her bruised ankle bound with a thick gauze.

She fluttered her eyes, sliding between consciousness and subconsciousness.

The lack of sleep from last night had toiled over her, and her body screamed for some rest. The sleep she never wanted to come.

She was alone with Aaron inside the ward. After the staff who had attended to her left, no one else came inside.

And despite passing through an entire night with him, Katrina's heart still thumped with unease.

She could feel his gaze on her. She could feel it deep within her bones.

And when his phone rang, breaking the silence, Katrina kept her eyes shut pretending to be asleep.

A phone call. Who could that be? Who would he be speaking with? And if he was convinced she was asleep, would she be let in on some secrets?

Katrina's mind instantly became alert. She strained her ears and listened as he conversed on the phone.

A phone call conversation was what had brought her to the realization of who he was, who he might be.

The phone call conversation she had overheard him having on the day of her sister's death ceremony.

If she was lucky enough, she might catch more clues through this one.

But Katrina's disappointment came with a heavy weight to her heart.

The conversation sounded normal. In fact, it was about her.

He informed the person on the other end of her state, probably her parent, and not long after, he called out her name.

Either he had guessed that she wasn't really sleeping, or maybe she'd given herself away, Katrina had no choice but to open her eyes.

And the first thing that came into her vision was the phone he extended toward her.

"Katrina!" Her father bellowed the moment she put the phone to her ear. "Tell me this is not your doing. You didn't do it intentionally."

"Dad, I-" Katrina threw Aaron a glance. He stared down at her, never breaking his gaze.

With both hands in his pants pockets, he looked intimidating enough for Katrina to shrink back.

"I thought we have already reached an agreement." Her father went on, cutting her off. "Didn't you promise that you'll behave? Wasn't that part of your consent to carry on with the wedding?"

Katrina sighed and threw Aaron another glance, hoping that he couldn't hear her father's words.

She had only agreed with the wedding when no one could believe her. When none of them wanted to listen to her.

They thought she was ridiculous by voicing out that Aaron might have something to do with her sister's death. They thought she was delusional and out of her mind. And what better way to prove to them that she was right? And what better way to bring justice to her sister's death than agreeing to marry him?

But if her father kept on with this? And if Aaron, in case, heard his words and got suspicious, she might as well be dead meat.

Katrina forced a smile at him and cleared her throat.

"Dad." She returned her attention to the phone. "I know you care so much for me. Don't worry, it's just a minor accident. I'll be well and kicking in no time."

"You..." Her father sounded speechless.

Well, Katrina would be a fool not to make it seem as if her father was worried about her at the other end and battling with grief that the only daughter he had left was lying on the hospital bed just a day after her wedding.

"It's alright, Dad," she murmured. "Whining is bad for your health. When I get better, I'll be sure to fulfill your wish and give you as many grandkids as you want."

Katrina scoffed at her own words and hung up before her father could break out of his yet second shock.

"I guess the network is bad." She stared down at the phone and pursed her lips. "Hopefully, Dad will stop worrying about something this minor."

Aaron made a sound of agreement and took the phone from her hand.

And Katrina bit her lips. She wanted to shut her eyes once more, to keep pretending, but wouldn't that be too much?

She couldn't fool him twice.

And as Aaron lowered himself to the bed and sat beside her, she shifted uncomfortably.

"Kat." He called her that name again, bringing strange feelings to her heart. His gaze became firmer and he took her hand.

Katrina gulped and shivered from his touch.

"I know this wedding is too sudden, your sister passed away just a few weeks back." Even as he said that, no emotion reflected in his eyes. "But this wedding will be of benefit to both of us. Things are going to work out well."

Things were going to work out well...

Were these the same words he told her sister?

Would things working out well meant he'd eventually sort things out for himself? He would get rid of her also and go on with his life. She was, after all, the last person. Her sister was gone and there was no other girl after her for her father to force into marrying him.

I never loved her...

That was what she'd overheard him say on the phone at her sister's burial ceremony.

I'm in love with someone else. She had to be gone.

Those words echoed in Katrina's mind and she yanked her wrist off his hold, overcame by anger, fright, and hatred.

And Aaron's eyes finally flashed with emotion. Her sudden action had astounded him.