The Smile That Tore Me Apart

“Sparkling angel, I believed
You were my savior in my time of need…”

Mavka Swan took a deep breath, staring down at the closed file in front of her. She gave it a rather derisive look, not sure if she wanted to know what was in it, even though she had a pretty good idea.
The private investigator gave her a level look. “You wanted me to tail ‘im, Miss…I only did as you asked me. If you’d rather not see, I could burn it for you. Either way, I get paid.” He reached for the folder.
Mavka pulled it away from him, not sure why she was doing so. She felt sick at what she was sure lurked behind the manila folder cover, something she didn’t want to deal with, but knew she had to.
Her left hand tightened convulsively and she found herself playing with the jewel in the center of the engagement ring she wore. Doing so made her stomach do back flips and she swallowed hard.
“I have to know…I have to…no matter how much I don’t want to…He told me he loved me and asked me to marry him…And then he disappeared off the face of the earth, along with that thief, Lupin the 3rd…I know it’s not a coincidence…” she murmured, more to herself than the P.I.
He nodded and sat back, lighting a cigarette. He studied the young woman in front of him. She was only 20 and was completely heartsick over the louse she’d sent him to tail. He felt she was too beautiful and too sweet to be waiting for that bastard.
Mavka Swan was very beautiful, in an almost nymph-like way. She had short, fiery red hair that lightly curved at her chin and was slightly untidy. Her eyes were a deep gold, glinting like molten metal in the dim light of the restaurant they had met at.
Finally she let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding and opened the folder. What she read made her want to scream.
“February 3, 2009. 3:42 p.m.: Kouichi Zenigata goes outside hotel suite number 713, whistling. He looks happy and at ease. He’s dressed casually and checks his watch regularly. Three minutes later, Arsene Lupin the 3rd exits the same suite and takes his arm, walking down to the romantic hotel restaurant.”
“February 4, 2009. 10:12 a.m.: Zenigata and Lupin leave together to go shopping on the Champs-Elysees. Zenigata purchases a pair of thick gold rings, in size 11 and 8. He gives one to Lupin. Lupin kisses him on the mouth and from the look on his face, it is obvious that he has promised something for later.”
“February 4, 2009. 1:26 p.m.: Original hunch correct. Crept up to balcony and spied on the pair having intimate relations. Snapped several Polaroid’s (enclosed).”
Mavka stared in horror at the pictures. It was certainly Kouichi and Lupin. And they were firmly entangled in each other, a look of bliss on the thief’s face that expressed his pure satiation. Mavka remembered that feeling all too well from the times she and Kouichi had made love.
There were several more entries, all following the same lines as the first set, with more pictures. With each new set, Mavka felt her blood go cold.
After several minutes, she set them all down, her face extremely pale. The investigator became concerned.
“Miss Swan?”
He leaned forward and found hot tears pouring from the girl’s eyes. A look of absolute grief had taken over her pretty face and he felt like he wanted to kick himself for hurting her, no matter how unintentionally.
“H—How could he? He asked ME to marry him…He told me he loved me…I believed him!” she sobbed, causing a few people to look their way.
“The man’s a louse. I think he just did it because he’s getting old and thought it would be good to have a young wife at his side. I know the types…Some in the closet homosexual who’s been that way for years and finally decided to put an image up for himself. Only he forgot you in the wake of what he’s done. Miss Swan, it would be best for you to move on and forget him,” the man said, trying to calm her in his own fashion.
He was trying to show her it wasn’t her fault. A lot of women blamed themselves when their men cheated on them. Most of the time it wasn’t their fault and that was the case here.
She sniffled and looked desolately at her own hands. “I can’t forget him…He’s the only person I could ever love…” She reached into her purse and put a wad of money on the table. “Your fee…Thank you for your work…”
He wanted to tell her to wait, to not leave yet. But she was already gathering up the contents of the folder and putting them away. He knew it was no use.
“Thank you kindly, Miss Swan. I only wish I had had better news for you.”
She nodded and left him at the table. He could feel something ominous hovering, but decided it was no longer any of his business. He gathered the money, paid the waitress, and left.
Outside, Mavka sat in her car and cried until there was nothing left.

“Blinded by faith, I couldn’t hear
All the whispers, the warning so clear…”

Later, she sat in her small apartment, staring at the pictures. She just couldn’t believe it. And yet, perhaps she could.
When she had met Kouichi Zenigata, she had accepted him as her partner in the Chicago Police Department. He had been a bit of an idiot, but proved he was a good cop all the same. Even cute in his more idiotic moments. She had come to respect him.
And then there came the suspicion that she had been his daughter. Her mother, Julianna, had been married to him when Mavka was born. But she died and Zenigata couldn’t find it in him to keep the child. He was trying to get through the police academy and knew he could offer no life to his daughter.
So he had given her up for adoption. She was taken in by John and Marcella Swan. When she was two, her younger sister, Janelle Swan, was born. They were a very happy family.
When Mavka found out that Zenigata could be her father, it came with the nasty realization that she had fallen in love with him. It had confused her, making her crazy. She wasn’t like that in general, usually steadfast, smart, and quick. She was considered “The Dragon Lady” at work. But knowing what she did made her a child again, in her own mind.
But she hadn’t given up. She’d persisted with him. Eventually, he gave in and they’d made love, even knowing they could be father and daughter.
In time, she learned that he wasn’t her father. She’d taken a sample of his DNA and had it run against her own. She had no trace of the Zenigata line within her.
She had been overjoyed, and so had he. Or so it had seemed. Not long after learning that, he’d asked her to marry him and she’d gladly accepted. And then he’d disappeared, claiming that he was after Lupin the 3rd again.
She searched for him when he never came back and never found anything. Which is why she’d hired the Private Investigator, who had better connections and had found him with ease.
*What went wrong?!* She screamed at herself. *Why did he just leave me behind like a useless sack of dirt?!*
Several days went like that. She never left the apartment and didn’t even answer her phone. She couldn’t bring herself to do anything.
She ate a lot and attributed her growing stomach to that fact. She didn’t care if she got fat. It wasn’t like it mattered, since the man she loved no longer wanted her.
However, she woke one morning and was very sick. It started sending off alarms in her head and she called her doctor, who immediately scheduled an appointment.
She showered and dressed, the actions foreign to her. She hadn’t been out in the real world since she’d received the news. But she knew she had to go, because she had a bad feeling.
She went through all the preliminary tests and sat on the examination table in a hospital gown. Her mind had gone completely blank, which was blissful to her.
She spent a lot of time in this part-comatose state. It made her life easier, not having to deal with the real world.
Her doctor came in. “Mavka.”
She looked up. “Dr. Norris…”
The female doctor gave her a smile that was not returned. She moved a stool closer and sat next to her.
“Well, everything looks all right. Your blood pressure’s a little high, but your pulse and temperature are fine, along with your heart rate…However, your urine test brought up something interesting,” Dr. Norris said.
Mavka felt sick. She knew where this was going. She knew it more certainly than she’d known anything before.
“Mavka, you’re pregnant.”
Her world spun and everything went black in front of her. The next thing she knew, there were several people surrounding her, helping her back onto the table.
“Mavka, are you all right?!” Dr. Norris’ voice was slightly panicked.
Mavka shook her head, making herself dizzy again. She swallowed back bile that threatened to become more and crossed her arms around herself.
Dr. Norris gave her a quizzical look, but shooed everyone away before turning back to her patient. “What is it, Mavka? What’s wrong?”
Mavka just shook her head again, not able to put it into words. Finally, she choked out, “The father left me for another man…I didn’t even know I was pregnant…It’s been four months since I saw him!”
The doctor went pale and took Mavka’s hand in her own. “Oh, Mavka…” she whispered.
Mavka began sobbing, unable to stop herself. She sobbed harder than she’d ever done before. Dr. Norris wrapped her arms around the girl and rubbed her back, trying to calm her.
It was several minutes before Mavka calmed down. She was so distraught, depressed, and tired. She didn’t know if she had the strength to move.
“Mavka, I’m going to have you moved into the hospital for the night. A quiet room and you can rest.” Dr. Norris’ voice was comforting, gentle.
Mavka nodded. “Th-thank you…”
The doctor shook her head. “Don’t thank me. I’m a tad selfish, my dear Mavka…I’ve cared for you for a long time and I just don’t want to let you leave. It wouldn’t be good on my conscience with you this way.” She stroked the girl’s hair and sighed. “That man didn’t deserve you, darling…”
Mavka was only vaguely startled to realize her doctor was in love with her. For her, the realization was a simple one. The doctor loved her. But she only cared for her Kouichi. So it didn’t really matter and that was her comfort.
She nodded and took the doctor’s hand. “Thank you for caring for me…Thank you…” she said before dropping off to sleep.
The next time she awoke, she was in the hospital room that had been arranged for her. Her doctor had been right. It was quiet.
She saw a note on the bedside table and looked at it. In her doctor’s surprisingly neat scrawl, it read: “When you wake, call for the attending. She’ll give you some medication to help you sleep. I think you need it. If you need anything, you know where you can reach me. Yours truly, Lisa Norris.”
She smiled slightly and rang for the attending nurse. The woman bustled in and was very kind to her.
“Well, dear. Do you think you’ll be needing something to help you rest?” she asked, regarding Mavka with a slightly maternal manner.
Mavka nodded. “Yes, please…I just…I want to just sleep for a while…”
The plump, blonde woman smiled gently. “Understandable. Lisa told me what was going on. I’m so sorry, dear.”
Mavka didn’t want to hear about that, but fortunately, the woman didn’t linger on the subject.
“I’ll just run and get you some medication,” she said and hurried away.
Mavka stared at the ceiling and timidly ran her hand over her stomach. A baby. There was a baby growing inside of her. And it was Kouichi’s baby. She wasn’t sure if that made her happy or not.
The nurse came back and gave her some pills. Mavka immediately recognized them as percocet. That was fine with her. She took them with water and the nurse gave her some crackers.
“You shouldn’t take that on an empty stomach, dear. Just eat those and then rest, all right?”
Mavka smiled. “Okay…Thank you.”
The nurse smiled as well. “Of course. If you need anything, just call for Deb.” She left the room, closing the door behind her.
Mavka nibbled at the crackers, not really hungry but knowing Deb was right. After a few minutes, she began to feel the pills working.
A mellow warmth crept over her and she sighed softly. She felt all the pain and tension leave her body. After a while, the warmth became a fog and she felt blissfully out of it. Her eyelids drooped and she soon fell fast asleep.

“I see the angels, I’ll lead them to your door
There’s no escape now, no mercy no more
No remorse cause I still remember
The smile when you tore me apart

You took my heart
Deceived me right from the start
You showed me dreams
I wish they’d turn into real
You broke the promise
And made me realize
It was all just a lie…”

Mavka spent three days in the hospital before she finally felt good enough to go home. She dressed and went to the hospital pharmacy to fill the prescription for her percocet. She knew she’d need them to sleep, especially in the days that came.
She’d made up her mind about things in the quiet solitude of the hospital. Things she never would have been able to cope with otherwise.
She swung by the precinct and put in for maternity leave. Most of her co-workers were shocked. They never thought that she would ever meet a man she liked, let alone get pregnant. It was awkward, but she managed to make it through.
Mavka went back to her apartment and began to pack. She took only the essentials, clothing and shampoo, a few snacks, some things to do.
She made it to O’Hare and quickly booked a flight. She was going to Paris, where she knew Kouichi and Lupin were.
She had decided to confront the man herself. It was just the only thing she could do. And he wasn’t getting away from her, not if she could help it.
The plane ride was uneventful and she spent the time reading and sleeping for the most part. She ate when she felt hungry and drank perhaps a little more than she should have.
But she really didn’t care. She felt reckless and for the first time, she wanted to just see how things would turn out. If she died of alcohol poisoning in the process, that would be fine with her.
They landed in Paris at 8:45 p.m. She went the nearest hotel and got a room. She slept well that night and found she was not jetlagged at all.
The next day she began her search for the elusive Zenigata and Lupin. She walked the streets, wearing a scarf over her hair and sunglasses to hide her eyes. Those were her most distinguishing qualities and she would hide it to the best of her ability.
It didn’t take her very long to find them. She thought they would have been keeping a low profile, but found them dining at a small restaurant on the terrace.
She watched them together and found herself seething with jealousy and rage. They seemed so close. Lupin stayed close to Kouichi and the INTERPOL cop wrapped his arm tightly around the thief’s waist. A few kisses here, a caress there and Mavka felt sick.
But when the left, she followed them covertly. She’d been in the force long enough to know how to go undercover.
She found them at La Lune Bleu hotel. For the next several days, she watched their habits.
She learned for herself how much they loved each other. They were together all the time and made love frequently. When she and Kouichi had been together, the cop had said he had a hard time getting it up and had had to take Viagra to do the deed.
He seemed to have no such trouble or needs with Lupin.
Cold fury settled in her chest and heart. She knew revenge was in order. She just had to figure out how to go about it.

“Sparkling angel, I couldn’t see
Your dark intentions, your feelings for me
Fallen angel, tell me why
What is the reason? The thorn in your eye…

I see the angels, I’ll lead them to your door
There’s no escape now, no mercy no more
No remorse cause I still remember
The smile when you tore me apart…”

She soon realized that Lupin disappeared at about 4 p.m. every evening and didn’t come back for a couple of hours. She realized it was her only chance.
One afternoon, she waited for Lupin to leave. Promptly at 4, he left the room and the building. She made sure he was gone before moving in.
She easily opened the lock on the door and crept in. Zenigata was sitting at a table in the room, reading the paper.
The floor creaked and he looked up. His eyes widened. “Mavka?!”
She brought a metal bar down on the back of his head and his world went black.
When he woke, he found himself completely stripped and tied to the headboard of the bed. He struggled against his bindings and found that he couldn’t loose them at all.
“You don’t seem to mind when Lupin ties you up. Then again, you don’t seem to mind what he does to you at all, do you, Kou?” Mavka said from a chair in front of the bed, her voice cold.
Kouichi froze and looked up at the woman in front of him. She was as beautiful as he remembered, but her face held a look of such disdain and anger that he couldn’t find the words he wanted to say to her.
Mavka stood and slapped him hard across the face. The cop’s head snapped back and he gasped as pain prickled in his neck and shoulders.
He stared at her. She held his gaze with a deep set hatred. “M—Mavka…”
Her eyes flared and she slapped him again. “You have no right to say my name, you bastard!”
His jaw was already aching. The girl had a powerful slap. He opened his mouth, hearing his jaw pop back into place.
“I have looked all over the world for you…I was worried. Concerned. I couldn’t find you, so I sent a private investigator to find you…Imagine my complete and utter surprise at what he found…”
She threw the folder at him and all of the pictures and papers fluttered around him as it hit his chest. His eyes widened as he saw the contents.
“Oh, shit…” he heard himself say.
“How long did you think you could hide it from me? How long did you think you could hide from the woman who you asked to marry?” Her voice was punctuated, icy.
“Mavka…I…I didn’t mean to…”
She laughed mirthlessly. “Didn’t mean to what? Start fucking him? Didn’t mean to hurt me? Bull fucking shit. You’ve wanted him for years…I read your files of him, the ones in your handwriting. You knew what you were going to do…You deliberately hurt me…and started fucking him.”
Zenigata looked up at her. “Mavka, when I asked you to marry me, I meant it…”
“FUCKING LIAR!” she yelled and slapped him again.
He felt his eyes water, but kept his gaze on her. “I told you I loved you and I meant it…But…things didn’t happen the way I had intended…I managed to capture Lupin and…it just went from there. The first time was just both he and I acting on spur of the moment lust…But after…I couldn’t walk away from him, nor him from me and we left in a hurry. Not to get away from you,” he added quickly. “But to help him with family stuff…It was for no other reason that I disappeared. And…I guess I got into the laziness of it and I just…”
“Forgot me?” she finished acidly.
He nodded numbly, speaking the truth and hating himself for it. “Yes…Forgot you…”
Her eyes flared again and he worried for the safety of his jaw briefly. But she didn’t slap him. Instead, she moved forward and picked up all of the pictures and the papers.
“Well, you can make up for it…I have a surprise for you, my dearest Kouichi…I’m pregnant with your baby.” Her voice seemed a little warmer.
His eyes widened. “Pregnant?!”
She nodded. “Yes. I found out a week ago. See?” She lifted her shirt to show him the small bump that was forming.
He stared at wonder at her. “It’s…it’s really mine, Mavka?”
She gave him a queer look. “Of course it’s yours. I’m not some kind of slut who sleeps with every man in sight.”
*Ouch* he thought to himself, knowing that was a barb thrown at him. “That’s wonderful!”
“Is it? Really?”
He nodded fervently. “Yes…Mavka, this is great news…A baby with you…That’s amazing!” His voice was full of wonder and slightly restrained joy.
Mavka’s eyes showed a small faltering, but then became unreadable. She smiled. “I’m glad you think so, Kouichi.”
She moved close and he braced himself. But she didn’t hit him or harm him. She gently straddled his hips and leaned in, caressing his cheek.
“I love you so much…”she crooned and nuzzled his neck.
He felt a spark of heady electricity shoot through him. He did love her, that was true. So he spoke the words, “I love you too,” without any restraint or hesitation.
She stiffened for a fracture of a second but relaxed against his chest. She murmured. “I’ve missed you so much…Wanted to touch you, to feel you again…My Kouichi…”
He kissed her forehead and she purred softly. Her hands were at his stomach, moving gently against the skin. They reached lower and he had to catch his breath as her fingers skimmed over the sensitive flesh of his cock.
She felt it immediately start stiffening and it made her smile, inwardly and outwardly. “Perhaps I should thank Lupin…He seems to have reawakened part of you that you said couldn’t be…”
He nodded silently and growled when she began stroking softly. Her delicate hand was nothing like Lupin’s, but it felt good. Moments later, he bucked his hips slightly in want.
Mavka kissed him deeply and stroked harder. Her fingers collected the pre-cum at the tip and she coated the shaft with it. For several minutes, all that could be heard was Zenigata, panting and moaning in the back of his throat.
“Do you want me, my darling?” she whispered, her own breath hot in his ear.
He growled and spoke in a deep voice. “God yes, Mavka…”
She smiled and pulled away from him, causing him to groan in pained loss. But she simply stripped off her clothes, uncovering her nymph-like body that was as graceful as a willow tree. He watched with barely concealed lust.
She moved to him again and he got an eyeful of her more than generous bust. It was something that he’d always found sexy about her. He was a breast-man when it came to women and he wasn’t afraid to admit it.
Mavka cupped his cheeks in her hands and kissed him deeply as she straddled him again. She moved back against his shaft and situated herself over it. She deliberately moved down and he entered her, deeply, fully.
She cried out, breaking the kiss and her back arched slightly. He groaned and closed his eyes as pleasure engulfed him at being completely surrounded by her warm wetness.
She stayed still for one minute, two, getting used to the sheer size of him. He was a very well endowed man and she had forgotten that. She shifted her hips impatiently until he was finally settled comfortably inside of her.
She sighed in contentment and then began to move, slowly at first. He moaned and wished he had his hands to hold her waist with.
Mavka didn’t seem concerned about that, however, and moved faster. She held onto Zenigata’s broad shoulders and lifted herself up and back down onto his cock. She moaned and made small noises in the back of her throat that were driving him insane.
His hips began to move with hers, craving to be closer, needing to take her with the passion he felt in his body. He kept his eyes shut and concentrated on pleasuring her, on giving her what she wanted and what he so desperately needed.
Her moans became longer and deeper in her throat as they moved together. The soft sound of flesh smacking flesh and the sound of him pulling from her and entering her again made them both slightly crazy with lust.
In the heat of it all, the ropes that bound Zenigata to the bed came untied and he gripped her waist. She didn’t seem to mind that he’d come untied and moved harder with him.
He turned them in a single movement and began to slam hard into her. She cried out loudly and her body arched up off the bed. She reached up and gripped his shoulders, needing to hold onto him for support.
Zenigata pounded into her, and she moaned, the sound echoing around the room. Her breasts were bouncing slightly as he moved harder against her. He needed her, more than he’d ever needed anyone like this. His blood was boiling.
She reached up and grabbed the headboard, turning slightly so he was thrusting into her at a different angle. It caused them both to gasp and Zenigata growled fiercely.
He could feel his own orgasm coming, but was determined to make sure she came first. He began moving faster and deeper, his balls slapping against her.
Her eyes were molten honey and she looked completely pleasured as she accepted him into her. He groaned and kissed her neck, going as hard as he possibly could.
A moment of frenzied movement and gasps of need passed and suddenly Mavka cried out loudly, coming hard, her muscles clenching around him. He snarled and felt his own orgasm, like a liquid pull deep within, take over him and he yelled. He spilled his cum deep into her, still thrusting slightly, holding onto the last vestiges of pleasure.
Finally, he could go no longer and he fell on the bed beside her, panting and moaning. He slipped his cock from her and held her to him, her back to his chest.
“Mavka…Mavka…” he moaned and kissed her neck and shoulders feverishly.
She lay within the circle of his arms, panting and trying to regain herself. She hadn’t intended on that feeling that good. But it had and she could feel her eyelids drooping.
Zenigata kissed the corner of her mouth from where he could reach. “Sleep…Sleep and then we’ll talk…”
She couldn’t fight him and found herself falling asleep, warm in his embrace.

“Could have been forever
Now we have reached the end…

This world may have failed you
It doesn’t give a reason why
You could have chosen
A different path in life…

The smile when you tore me apart…”

Zenigata woke a while later. To his surprise, he found himself bound again and Mavka gone from his embrace. He looked around and found her sitting in the chair beside the bed.
She had put a filmy yellow negligee on and he could see her curves through it. She seemed to be contemplating something.
“Mavka…?” He inquired hoarsely
“Kouichi…That was…amazing…More so than the first time we made love and I thought that was the best thing I had ever experienced…” she murmured.
He nodded. “I’m…a little more experienced now…It was amazing for me too, baby…”
She flinched at the endearment and stood. “It was…probably the most pleasurable thing I have ever felt…I thank you for giving that to me…But now…I have to do what I came to do…” she said, her voice grave.
He felt his blood run cold. What did she mean by that? It didn’t sound good, whatever it was.
She turned away and rummaged through a bag she had with her. To Zenigata’s horror, she pulled a Magnum from within.
“Mavka?!”
“I know you love him more than you will ever love me. I just can’t live with that fact…I can’t. Everyone told me you were wrong for me, but I refused to let them talk me into it. I was blind and stupid…They were right and now I’m afraid I can’t let either you or myself walk away from this place alive.” Her voice was deathly even and her face was impassive.

“You took my heart
Deceived me right from the start
You showed me dreams
I wish they’d turn into real
You broke the promise
And made me realize
It was all just a lie…”

He felt cold fear trickle down his back. “But…Mavka, the baby! If you kill yourself, you’ll kill the baby too! Just kill me!”
Mavka shook her head. “I’ve thought about this…If you’re dead, I don’t want to see you in this child…It was a child conceived of lies and deception. I can’t let this child live under my hatred. This will be best…” She placed a silencer at the end of the gun. “Quick and easy. A homicide/suicide. It will be easy.” She seemed to be telling herself this more than him.
He knew he couldn’t stop her. He had been a police officer far too long to believe that sort of heroic foolishness. The look on her face told him she was beyond words or help.
She turned the gun on him and cocked it. Her eyes looked into his brown ones and he kept her gaze. If he was going to die, he would do it looking her in the face.
Suddenly, the door burst open and Lupin came in. “Why in the hell was the door locked---?” he started to question and then his eyes took in the scene. They widened.
Mavka turned the gun on him. “A double homicide/suicide then. You can see Kouichi again in heaven, Lupin the 3rd,” she said easily and pulled the trigger.
Zenigata heard himself scream as the bullet fired almost in slow motion. It sank into Lupin’s heart, unprotected by anything except a thin white sleeveless shirt.
The man was knocked backwards by the force of the bullet. Blood bloomed from the wound and his eyes, wide with shock and momentary pain, glazed over as he hit the floor. He was dead before his back touched carpet.
“NO! LUPIN! LUPIN!” Zenigata screamed, fighting against his bindings.
Mavka turned to him and cocked the gun again. “Don’t worry, Kouichi. You’ll be seeing him again soon enough. I’m sorry I had to do this, but you left me no choice. I love you. I always will.” She fired again.
Zenigata felt the bullet pierce his heart and the breath was knocked from his chest. His eyes never left hers and he saw her tears fall. Too late he realized his mistakes and realized the consequences for what he had done.
“I…love you…M—Mavka…” he murmured and then his world went black and he knew no more as life drained from him.
Mavka sobbed silently as she said shakily, “No, you don’t…Goodbye…my Kouichi…I loved you till the last…” She placed her hand on her stomach where the small bump could be seen. “My child, I hope you have a better chance and a mother who can love you the next time around…I’m sorry…”
She placed the silencer end of the gun into her mouth and fired. Blood spattered out from behind her as she blew her brains out. Her lifeless body slid to the floor and she lay still. Death encircled her with his cold, but gentle arms and she welcomed him in. She knew nothing else and faded into blissful blackness.

“Could have been forever
Now we have reached the end…”