She had spent the night out. After fleeing for her life, she had called her brother in law and he had kept her company until the early hours of the morning.

He helped her calm down and convinced her to sleep in his hotel room, give her husband time to sober up. She had agreed, and now she was getting out of a taxi in front of their house.

It was close to noon, and Allan had to have recovered from his drunken state. She didn’t feel as scared as yesterday, but was wary as she stepped inside the grand entrance.

The house was silent, ominously so.

It’s just my imagination playing tricks on me, she said to herself, trying to find the courage to go upstairs. I’m fine, everything's fine. He’s sober now.

When she finally found herself before his studio door, looking at the bright line of artificial light coming from underneath it, she lost her nerve and instead headed for the master bedroom.

“I look filthy,” she said out loud and decided on a shower. She will see Allan afterwards.

She stood naked before the shower, waiting for the water to heat up. Steam started to fill the bathroom, but she seemed not to notice it. Finally, she had made a decision.

Grabbing a soft white dressing gown, she walked fast out of the bathroom, across the bedroom, and into the hallway. She needed to see Allan urgently, she needed to talk to him.

“Allan?” She said softly, knocking on his studio door. When she got no response, she knocked again, then simply opened the door.

Her piercing scream scared the dog, making it yelp in fear somewhere in the house.

“Allan!” She cried out, looking at her fallen husband, his body splayed on the floor, a small pool of blood around his head.

His eyes were still open, watching her with an empty gaze.

She kept crying out his name, circling him, kneeling beside him. When she touched his face, he rejected her with an inhuman coldness that burnt her fingers.

“Oh my god, he’s dead. Oh my god.”

She raised herself to her feet, looking around in confusion and fear. She needed to call for help.

Shortly, she recovered the phone from their bedroom, and tried to make a call multiple times, but her hands were shaking uncontrollably from the shock. Finally, she steadied herself enough to successfully call her brother in law.

“Oh god, John. I killed him, John.”