Page 15 of Devious Delusions

“She thinks I died”—I let out a deep breath, replacing it with smoke—“and he’s locked up. She calls me his name and it’s difficult for her to adjust after, well, just everything.”

She waits for more, so I relay the details from Delilah’s latest hospital visit, leaving out the delusions she’s been having. If Itell anyone that she thinks she’s being followed they’ll want to lock her away again. They’ll take her away from me and our life. Keeping the balance means I get to keep her, and I can work through her emotions or whatever episodes she has without anyone else’s involvement.

Ruby gives me a tight-lipped smile and says, “That must be hard on you, after everything. He was your brother and like you said, just everything.”

I shrug and ignore her assessment. “It’s fine,” I lie. “I just don’t want to make it harder on her. Not after what your parents did.”

We both fall silent without anything to add. Their parents, my in-laws, are grade-A dicks and that was before they locked their daughter in a mental institution for years.

7

GHOST

Knock.

Knock.

Ask who’s there, beautiful Delilah.

She hasn’t changed out of her husband’s t-shirt despite him leaving her alone. It gives her comfort. A false one at best, but comfort, nonetheless.

I’ve spent too long watching her. Waiting for her. I’m always waiting for her. But she never waited for me, and now she’ll learn that was her biggest mistake.

The glass house only provides her the illusion of safety and I watch as the gentle breeze shakes the leaves on the branches above my head. This is what she’s resorted me to. Some fucking creep hiding in the bushes while she happily flits between the rooms of her house of lies.

Aiming the laser pointer so it hits the wall opposite her, I press my thumb on the bottom and say her name, “Delilah,” before doing it again. The glass she was bringing to her lips slowly slips through her fingers at the small projected word.

Knock.

Knock.

“Delilah.”

Knock.

Knock.

It shatters near her feet, but she doesn’t jump. Her white socks soak up the liquid, turning transparent at the edges and they’ll leave a little trail for me to follow her steps if she tries to escape. But she remembers me and knows who I am. That’s the reason she doesn’t run, it’s why she doesn’t tell her fucking husband anything either. Because she wants me to chase her. Always chasing her.

“Delilah.”

Knock.

Knock.

“Beautiful Delilah.”

Knock.

Knock.

Her golden locks whip into her face as she abruptly turns and stares right at me. The light from the laser doesn’t give away my position. Her eyesight has always been shit when she gets scared. So have her other senses. She’ll allow that fear to take over and cut everything else off. It’s one of the things I loved about her, now it will be the thing that breaks the beautiful Delilah.

Knock.

Knock.

Her eyes widen as I move the words to her cheek, and she can see the reflection on the glass. A dark laugh works through my chest only to get stuck in my throat as she slaps her hand over her cheek like that will do anything to cover it.

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