The Mistress Wears My Face

The alarm in my head didnt just ring; it screameda jagged, digital shriek that tore through my consciousness.

SYSTEM ALERT: Ten-year commitment mission failed. Marriage license requirement unfulfilled. Termination sequence initiated. Countdown: 48 hours.

A wave of icy dread washed over me, drowning out the ambient noise of the boutique wedding chapel. It had all unraveled minutes ago, right as the photographer asked us to lean in for our official marriage license portrait.

I had tilted my head toward Elliot, a practiced, joyful smile on my face, expecting him to meet me halfway. Instead, he flinched. He jerked his shoulder away as if my touch burned him, his expression suddenly unreadable.

He brought up the raid from yesterdaythe one my unit had executed. He said hed seen me there.

I froze, the confusion thick in my throat. I told him it was a classified sting, part of a city-wide vice operation. There was no way he could have been there.

But his next words were a serrated blade, carving straight through my chest. He told me that while I was leading my team through the building next door, he was in the shadows, pinning a girl against a brick wall, kissing her until they both lost breath.

He described how she had trembled, more terrified than her first time, staying silent even as my colleagues boots thundered past the alleyway. She didn't make a sound until I was gone.

I followed his gazea look so full of sickening tenderness it made my stomach churnand saw her. Across the room, holding a professional camera, was Lexie.

My brain felt like it was detonating. Lexie. The girl my father had died for. During a high-profile kidnapping a decade ago, my father had taken seven stabs to the chest to shield her. Hed died a hero; shed survived as his legacy.

Just ten minutes ago, she had been holding my hands, tears in her eyes, swearing that if Elliot ever made me unhappy, shed give her life to make it right.

Elliot stepped into my line of sight, shielding her from my gaze. His voice was soft, a velvet caress that felt like poison. He asked me, with a terrifyingly calm tilt of his head, if we were going to finish the paperwork or if Id rather have a good cry and come back another day.

...

I stood paralyzed, my blood turning to slush in my veins.

Nausea rolled over me in waves, and the edges of my vision began to fray into black. Elliot reached out to steady me, his thumb tracing a path over the tears I hadn't realized were falling.

"You're going to be a mother soon, Jill," he murmured, his voice infuriatingly steady. "You need to learn how to keep your composure."

Anger, sharp and jagged, pierced through my shock. I stared at him, my voice a hollow rasp. "Why? Why today of all days?"

Elliot paused. His eyes drifted past me to Lexie, and his tone softened even further.

"I wanted to keep the lie going. I really did." He sounded almost regretful. "She was always out there, taking photos of us, smiling through the pain like she didn't matter. I just... I couldn't do it anymore. I couldn't keep her in the shadows."

He hesitated, then added, "I owe her too much. As for you... I've already compensated you with a child."

The last tether of my sanity snapped. "Compensated? What the hell does that mean, Elliot?"

He spoke as if he were discussing the weather.

"Your last miscarriage. It wasn't an accident. We... Lexie and I... we were careless with some lubricant on the hardwood near the stairs."

A physical explosion seemed to go off in my skull.

I had blamed myself for months. I thought I had been too reckless, too focused on my work, that I hadn't been careful enough with the life inside me. After the surgery, I had spent weeks curled in a ball, sobbing until my lungs hurt. And every time, Elliot had been there, holding me, whispering that it wasn't my fault.

It had all been a performance. Every comfort, every kiss, every "I love you."

I bit my lip so hard the iron taste of blood filled my mouth. Before I could think, I swung my hand. The slap echoed through the quiet chapel, leaving a bright red mark on his cheek.

Elliot didn't even flinch. If anything, he looked relieved.

"I'm glad it's out," he said, his voice light with an easy, terrifying freedom. "Im done making Lexie suffer for your sake. Shes young, shes fragile. If youre angry, take it out on me."

I tore the veil from my hair, the lace ripping with a satisfying screech.

His eyes were slightly bloodshot, but his smile remained. "I take it we're done for today. We can sign the papers whenever. We've been together ten years, Jill. What's a few more days?"

As he turned to walk away, his footsteps synced perfectly with the voice in my head:

10th Anniversary deadline expired.

Mission: Failure.

Termination sequence: Initializing.

Countdown: 48 hours.

A second later, Lexie lowered her camera. She looked at me, her face a mask of faux-innocence.

"Jill? Why aren't you smiling? Youre supposed to be the most beautiful woman in the world today."

She looked around, pretending to notice the tension for the first time. Her voice began to tremble. "Oh, God... Jill... do you know?"

I looked at her, my eyes burning, my smile a bitter, bloody thing.

Lexie suddenly raised her camera and smashed the lens against the floor, right at Elliots feet. He didn't move.

"I told you!" she screamed, her voice raw and theatrical. "I told you I never wanted a title! How could you tell her today? How could you hurt her like this?"

Elliot ignored the trickle of blood on his forehead where a piece of glass had nicked him. He just looked at Lexie with an aching devotion.

"What about you?" he asked. "When are you ever going to think about yourself?"

I watched them, this grotesque display of 'star-crossed' passion, and felt like I was watching a cheap soap opera. I turned to leave, but the door swung open, and Captain Wyatt stepped in, blocking my path.

"Jill, stop," Wyatt said, his voice heavy with a condescending pity. "Lexie just wants a family. Don't make this harder than it needs to be."

It took me a moment to find my voice. "You knew? The raid last weekyou sent me to the wrong sector on purpose?"

Wyatt sighed, looking away.

"Jill, think about the Bridge Street kidnapping. A hundred hostages. Lexie was the only one who made it out alive. She looks up to you like a sister. Youve looked after her for years. Even if she made a mistake, isn't that on you for not raising her better?"

He stepped closer. "Don't be cruel. Her entire family died in that basement. She has no one."

No one?

I was the one who had taken her in because I pitied her. I had treated her like blood. But Wyatt seemed to forget that his mentormy fatherwas the reason she was breathing. He had been turned into a vegetable saving her, lingering in a hospital bed for years before finally slipping away.

"Jill," Lexie whispered, stepping toward me. "You can hit me. You can hate me. Just don't hate Elliot."

She reached for my hand, and I saw itthe silver compass hanging from her neck. It was my fathers. The only thing hed left me. I lunged, ripping it from her throat.

Lexie gave a tiny, bird-like whimper. Elliots face instantly darkened, and he shoved me back with enough force to make me stumble.

I stared at him, breathless with disbelief.

"I'll take you home so you can calm down," Wyatt said softly.

Elliot didn't even look back as he gathered Lexie into his arms. "Shes scratched. Im taking her to the ER. Well talk about 'us' later, Jill."

I didn't even make it halfway home before my phone buzzed.

"Jill, if you have a problem, come at me. Don't pull this petty, pathetic shit online."

Wyatt slammed on the brakes at the sound of Elliots voice through the Bluetooth, and my head cracked against the dashboard.

Elliot had sent a screenshot. Someone had posted a photo from the courthouseLexie and me. Lexie was circled, the caption reading: So young and already a homewrecker.

"I didn't post that," I said, my voice dead.

"And even if I did," I added, "is it a lie?"

"Enough," Elliot snapped.

"Lexie never wanted to take your place. Why cant you just let her have a little piece of happiness? She isn't like you, Jill. Don't use your 'detective skills' to ruin a girl who has nothing."

Wyatt frowned, looking at me through the rearview mirror.

"Jill, shes the girl your father died for. Do you really want to see her life destroyed over a scandal?"

Before I could answer, a text popped up from Lexie:

Jill, Im not trying to win. I was actually trying to convince Elliot to apologize to you. But its my fault... he wanted to play a game earlier, made me wear a blindfold and guess what he was going to do to me next. I was so worried about you I kept getting the answers wrong. Hes even angrier now. You should probably stay away for a bit.

I gripped the phone until my knuckles turned white, then clicked the screen off.

Noticing my silence, Wyatt softened his tone.

"Lexies graduation is tomorrow. Youre the guest of honor. Youll present her award. Itll kill the rumors instantly."

Elliots voice came through again, offering a hollow olive branch. "Do this for her, and well go back to the courthouse the day after. Well get it done."

"No," I said, my voice a dry husk. "You make me sick, Elliot. Is that all you think about? Blindfolds and 'games' while my fathers legacy is rotting?"

Elliot laughed, a sharp, cold sound.

"Oh, please. Don't act so holier-than-thou. Youve been used as an 'enhancement' for years, Jill. This isn't new."

Blood rushed to my face. "What?"

"The day of your fathers funeral," he said, his voice dropping to a cruel whisper. "Remember when Lexie called you, crying, trying to comfort you? I was right behind her. I heard every word you said. And I didn't stop moving for a second. She was so breathless she could barely speak, and there you were, thanking her for being such a good friend."

My blood froze. For the first time in my life, I felt a pure, unadulterated hatred for the world.

The Systems voice echoed in my skull:

Detection: Hostile environment. User's will to live is plummeting. Termination countdown accelerated. 24 hours remaining.

I tightened my grip on the phone. "Fine," I said into the receiver. "The graduation. I'll be there."

The auditorium was bathed in a golden glow. Lexie stood under the spotlight in a custom white gown, the image of the "Perfect Survivor."

Behind me, the students were whispering. "Shes so brave. Shes living for all the people who died in that basement."

Lexie saw me and blew a kiss. "I'm so glad you made it, Jill."

Elliot stood off to the side, giving me a pointed, "do your job" look.

I walked to the podium and unfolded the piece of paper hed written for me.

I was hormonal yesterday. I overreacted and hit Lexie. The rumors about her are false, and I will be seeking legal action against those who spread them.

I looked at the words, then slowly, deliberately, tore the paper into confetti. I looked at Elliots narrowing eyes, grabbed the microphone, and spoke.

"Why would I give a parasite a second chance?"

The room went silent.

"I'm here to clarify," I said, my voice projecting to the back of the hall. "The rumors aren't rumors. Lexie is exactly what they say she is."

Chaos erupted.

Lexie froze, her eyes filling with tears instantly. "Jill... youve done so much for me... I was even willing to help you raise your child as my own... why are you doing this?"

"You're delusional," I spat.

Suddenly, she pulled a small red book from her bouquet.

A marriage certificate. Dated yesterday.

"Jill, we're the ones who are legally married."

I spun toward Elliot. He looked at me with total indifference.

"I realized yesterday we didn't have any 'official' photos," he whispered as he approached the stage. "I thought it would be a nice graduation gift to make it legal for a day. I was going to divorce her tomorrow and marry you next month. It was just a gesture, Jill. Don't be dramatic."

Lexie leaned into the microphone, her voice trembling.

"Jill, I know youre afraid Ill tell people the truth about how your fathers 'heroism' actually caused the deaths of those other hundred hostages. But you shouldn't have tried to ruin me."

I lunged, my hand raised to strike her. "What did you say? My father saved you!"

A hand clamped onto my wrist like a vice.

Wyatt had jumped onto the stage. He shoved me back, his face a mask of cold fury.

"Were standing right here and youre still bullying her? Whos going to protect her when we aren't around?"

I stared at him. "Why aren't you defending him? He was your mentor! He was a hero!"

Wyatts eyes flickered with a brief hesitation, but then he hardened.

"If we have to strip you of your 'Gold Star Daughter' status to keep you from hurting Lexie, then so be it. You don't deserve the title anyway."

Elliot leaned in close to my ear. "Jill, your father is dead. The living are what matter now. Just play nice."

In my head, the clock was ticking.

Three hours remaining.

I laughed, a sound that tore through my throat. "And what about me? What if Im the one who doesn't survive?"

Elliots breath hitched for a fraction of a second.

Then, the crowd surged. Someone threw a bucket of red industrial paint. It splashed across my police dress uniform, thick and smelling of chemicals.

"Her father killed everyone!" someone screamed. "Shes trying to trap a man with a baby that isn't even his! Shameless!"

"Like father, like daughter! Murderer and whore!"

A sea of students swarmed the stage. Hands tore at my collar, shoulders shoved me, spit landed on my cheek.

Elliot tried to move toward me, but Lexie grabbed her head with a cry. "My head... it hurts... the basement... I can't breathe!"

Wyatt instantly scooped her up and turned away.

Elliot hesitated, then looked at me. "It's just kids blowing off steam, Jill. You're a cop. You can handle a little roughhousing."

The System spoke: Vital signs dropping. Critical threshold reached.

I couldn't hear the insults anymore. Everything was a dull roar.

I felt a sudden, warm gush between my legs.

Someone screamed. "Wait, is that blood? Is she actually hurt?"

On the operating table, the instruments were cold and soulless.

I felt the last of the life inside me slip away, and for the first time, I felt a strange sense of relief. Maybe this world was too dark for a child anyway.

That evening, I dragged my broken body back to the apartment.

Elliot looked up from his laptop, noted my pale face, and pushed a glass of water toward me.

"I was just about to come pick you up. Don't be mad at Lexie. If you hadn't tried to embarrass her in public, she wouldn't have snapped and said those things."

He sighed. "Stop being so sensitive. You're a mother now; act like one."

"I told Lexie to file for divorce. Once the waiting period is over, well get our license."

I didn't speak. I looked at the framed engagement photo on the wall. I grabbed the glass of water and hurled it at the frame. The glass shattered, a jagged shard slicing right through Elliots face in the photo.

Elliots expression darkened.

Lexie stepped out of my bedroom, clutching her phone.

"Elliot... Im so sorry. I was trying to file the papers, but I was so shaken up I put the password in wrong three times... the account is locked for seven days."

I didn't even blink.

Elliot studied my face. When he saw that I wasn't going to explode, he actually chuckled.

"Fine. We won't rush it then. If Jill isn't in a hurry, why should we be? Everyone knows we've been together ten years. Shes already family."

A flash of resentment crossed Lexies face, but she quickly masked it. She threw herself at my feet, sobbing.

"Jill, Im so sorry! I didn't mean it! Look, let me show you"

She pressed her phone against my ear, her voice dropping to a demonic whisper.

"Is the baby gone, Jill? Is he off to visit your father in hell?"

Her voice became a venomous hiss. "Why did your father have to be a hero? If my parents had to die, yours should have too. I like Elliot. Hes a good provider."

"Oh, and by the way? The day your father started showing signs of waking up from his coma? I visited him. I showed him a video of Elliot and me. Did you know he bit through his own oxygen tube? He literally chose to die rather than watch more."

The pain in my jaw from clenching my teeth was unbearable.

I gathered every ounce of strength I had left and slapped her across the face.

Elliot didn't wait. He kicked me. The blow landed right on my surgical incision. I hit the floor, the world spinning, as blood began to soak through my shirt.

"What is wrong with you, Jill!"

I laughed, tears of blood leaking from my eyes. "She killed him... she killed my father!"

Elliot froze, but before he could speak, Wyatt burst in. He pulled Lexie toward him, his eyes full of protective rage.

"Jill, youre a police officer! Look at you! Youre pathetic!"

He looked at my bleeding stomach and sighed. "The news is spreading. The department is reopening your fathers casetheyre going to remove him from the Memorial Wall. As for you, you're suspended. Lexie is unstable; youre going to stay here and take care of her."

Elliot stepped forward. "Youre carrying your fathers badge number. Hand over your gun and your credentials. You aren't leaving this house until you learn how to apologize."

In my mind, the System began the final ten-second count.

I looked at the tiny, triumphant smirk on Lexies lips. I reached for my service weapon, stroking the cold metal one last time, and backed toward the open window.

As Elliot reached out to take the gun, I flipped it. I pressed the barrel against my temple.

"I owe her an apology?" I whispered. "Is a life enough?"

Elliots face drained of color. He lunged for me, his fingers splayed, his pupils blown wide with terror.

I smiled. "I'm sorry."

Bang.

The sound of the shot shattered the window glass.

JILL! NO!"