Blind Wife, Deadly Game

I'm blind. Yet I have a billion-dollar fortune and a husband I've loved for years.

I thought this was heaven's blessing.

But on our third wedding anniversary, my guide dog dead for a week spoke to me.

Master, don't go near the pool. He removed the electrical breaker. The water is live. He spiked your champagne. He and that woman in the red dress want everything you have!

Our third wedding anniversary. A dinner banquet on a cruise ship.

The sea breeze hit my face, sharp with salt and moisture. I held Arthur Sterling's arm, listening to the guests around us lavish their praise.

"Arthur is so devoted to Scarlett. A dinner cruise how romantic."

"Scarlett may not be able to see, but a husband like Arthur? She must have done something right in a past life."

I kept a polite smile on my lips. Inside, something bitter stirred.

A week ago, my guide dog Atlas was killed struck by an out-of-control car while we were out on a walk.

He had been my eyes for five years.

"Scarls, are you tired?" Arthur's voice was warm and smooth. His palm settled gently over the back of my hand. "Let me take you to the outdoor pool on the upper deck. Get some fresh air it's quieter up there."

I was about to nod when a bark cut through the noise familiar, yet impossible.

Master, don't go! He removed the pool's electrical safety breaker. The water is live with high-voltage current!

My whole body went rigid. My blood ran cold.

That voice... Atlas?

I told myself it was grief. That I'd been missing him so badly my mind had started playing tricks.

"What's wrong? Is the wind too cold?" Arthur noticed the change in me. With practiced care, he slipped off his suit jacket and draped it over my shoulders.

He's lying. His jacket still smells like her perfume. The woman named Vanessa is standing at your ten o'clock right now red dress, and your mother's diamond necklace around her neck.

Atlas's voice was sharp and furious. Every word cut straight through me.

Vanessa. My personal assistant. The person I trusted most in the world.

My grip tightened around my white cane. My knuckles went pale.

After a stunned silence, I turned to Arthur who was already steering me toward the pool and said, "Arthur, my stomach's bothering me. The champagne was probably too cold. I need to use the restroom."

Arthur stopped.

"Your stomach? I'll come with you." There was a faint edge in his voice beneath the concern.

"You can't come into the women's restroom." I kept my voice level. "Let Vanessa take me. She should be close by."

"Vanessa... she went to check on the dinner schedule for me." Arthur's hand tightened slightly around mine. "I'll walk you to the door."

Master, that woman is standing right across from him. They were just looking at each other. She's smiling!

I took a slow breath, pulled my hand free, and let my white cane tap against the deck.

"Okay."

The corridor to the restroom was quiet. Only the tap of my cane broke the silence.

Arthur held my arm tighter than usual, as if afraid I might slip away.

"Scarls," he murmured near my ear, "after tonight, we'll be together forever."

Once, I would have thought those were the most beautiful words I'd ever heard.

Now they made my skin crawl.

At the restroom door, I felt for the handle and pushed it open.

"I'll wait out here." Arthur let go.

I stepped inside, locked the door behind me, and leaned against it, chest heaving.

Master, don't drink anything he hands you. He put a heavy dose of sleeping pills in your champagne. He wants you to "slip" at the poolside and fall into the water make it look like an accidental electrocution.

Atlas's voice came from somewhere near my feet.

I looked down. Everything was black, as always. But I could feel it I was certain of it his soft, warm head pressing gently against my leg.

"Atlas... is that really you?" I whispered, somewhere deep inside my mind.

It's me, Master. I didn't move on. I'm staying to protect you. The driver who hit me Arthur paid him. He hired someone to kill me. Because I bit Vanessa when she snuck into your study. They were afraid I'd ruin everything.

Tears broke free and slid down my face.

This ten-billion-dollar fortune was what my parents left behind to protect me.

And Atlas we had lived side by side for years. He was my eyes.

He died under someone else's wheels because he was protecting me.

How much pain was he in, at the end?

I turned on the faucet and splashed cold water against my cheeks, forcing myself to calm down.

I couldn't let this blow up. Not yet.

We were on a cruise ship in international waters. If I provoked him, he might do something desperate.

I had to get off this ship alive.

I felt my way through touching up my makeup, then pushed open the bathroom door.

"Feeling better?" Arthur stepped toward me, his voice back to that sickeningly gentle tone.

"Still not great. Arthur, I want to go back to the room and rest." I pressed a hand to my stomach, brow furrowed, putting on a show of weakness.

Arthur went quiet for two seconds.

Master, he's clenching his jaw. He's furious.

"Alright. If you're not feeling well, we'll head back to the room. I'll have someone clean up the pool area." Arthur gave in and guided me toward the cabin.

The VIP suite was thick with the scent of expensive incense.

"Scarls, lie down. I'll get you some hot water."

I leaned against the headboard, listening to his footsteps as he walked toward the mini bar.

Master, he put a white powder in the water! It's a hallucinogen! He wants you to lose your mind and jump overboard!

My heart seized. I gripped the bedsheets with both hands.

"Here's your water. It's a little hot drink slowly." Arthur placed the glass in my hands.

The warmth from the glass made my blood run cold.

"Arthur, I want something sweet to settle my stomach. Could you go to the restaurant and get me a slice of Black Forest cake?" I cradled the glass, keeping my voice soft and sweet.

"Well..." Arthur hesitated.

"What's wrong? You don't want to?" I lowered my head slightly, letting a hint of hurt creep into my voice.

"Of course I do. Wait here I'll be right back."

The moment the door clicked shut, I threw back the covers, felt my way to the bathroom, and poured the spiked water down the toilet. I flushed it away.

Then I refilled the glass with tap water and made my way back to bed.

A few minutes later, Arthur returned with the cake.

"Scarls, cake's here."

I picked up the glass and, right in front of him, drank the "water" down in one go.

"Thank you, honey." I took the cake and nibbled a small bite. "It's so sweet."

Arthur sat on the edge of the bed, watching me in silence.

I could feel his gaze crawling over my face like a snake slow and sticky.

"Scarls, do you feel dizzy at all?" he asked, probing.

"No, why?" I played dumb.

Master, he's checking his watch. He's timing it.

I yawned and rubbed my temples. "Though, I do feel a little sleepy."

"Then sleep. You'll feel better after some rest." Arthur helped me lie down and tucked the blanket around me.

I closed my eyes, slowed my breathing, and pretended to be fast asleep.

I wasn't sure how much time had passed before the room door was quietly pushed open.

Heels moved across the carpet soft, but to my sharp ears, it might as well have been thunder.

"She's asleep?" It was Vanessa's voice, barely above a whisper.

"Yeah. The drug should be kicking in by now." There was a trace of satisfaction in Arthur's voice.

"This blind woman is surprisingly hard to kill. We almost had her on the deck." Vanessa let out a cold laugh. "So what now? Just throw her overboard?"

"No. The ship has cameras everywhere. If she goes over now, the police will investigate." Arthur's voice turned cold. "Once we dock tomorrow and get back to the villa, I have plenty of ways to make her 'accidentally' die."

"Then you'd better move fast. That old man has been auditing the accounts like crazy lately. If he finds out we've been siphoning funds, we're done."

"Relax. Once this blind woman is dead and the will kicks in, the entire Sinclair Group is ours."

Master, that woman is kissing him. They're holding each other!

Under the blanket, my hand dug hard into my thigh. I used the pain to hold back the urge to leap up and kill them both.