"I'm sorry, sir. I told you she took a leave of absence last week. She isn't expected to return to work until after 21 working days." Lorena's secretary said.

"She never goes on leave. She's never called in sick. Surely there's a mistake." Federico begged.

"Not at all, sir. She's been due for a vacation for years. I'm afraid I can't help you, sir. I don't know where she is either." The woman said.

She looked so uncomfortable that Federico had to force himself to leave even though he hadn't gotten what he wanted. He had no idea where Lorena was.

Once he got into his car, he dialed his wife's number.

'The number you're trying to dial is not reachable at the moment. Please try again later. Thank you. '

He listened to the call get disconnected. He dialled her number ten more times, hoping he'd finally be able to reach her. Ever since she left him, his life became an endless cycle of misery.

He kept missing work so he could drive past all the places he used to go with Lorena, praying he'd find her. He stopped calling her and dialled another number.

"Hello." A woman picked the phone immediately.

"Hello? It's me." Federico said.

He heard the woman sigh deeply.

"I'm sorry. Lorena hasn't contacted me. I'm her friend, not her keeper." She hung up.

All Lorena's friends had responded the same way: cold and harsh. When he tried calling the woman back, he realized she'd blocked him.

All his wife's friends had blocked him. What on earth would he do?

He placed his head on his steering wheel and wept like a child.
No one would ever be able to understand his pain.

Would she ever forgive him?

Would she ever love him again?

He had never lied to her before. He'd always been an open book.

Why had he invited Mimi over?

What if Lorena never came back?

Why didn't he just confess?

Instead, he'd waited for her to find out.

There was no way she wouldn't have. She was too smart and too calculating to not see the signs.

What was he going to do?

How was he going to beg her?

He wiped his tears and decided to drive home. He'd drink his sorrows away and smell her clothes and shoes then try reaching out to her again tomorrow.

As he approached their home, he noticed there was another car in the driveway. Not just any car.

Lorena's car.

He didn't realize he'd stopped driving until the man behind him blared his car horn angrily. He slowly eased his car beside his wife's.

He felt a pang of relief. She had finally returned! He was rushing out of his car when two questions flashed through his mind.

What if she had returned to pack her stuff?

What if she had returned to serve him divorce papers?

He swallowed his tears. He wouldn't give up without a fight. He couldn't let her leave without trying to win her back. He'd beg and confess his deeds. He wouldn't hide anything from her ever again.

He rushed in with words of reject lying on his tongue. When he entered, it took a while for his eyes to adjust to the sudden darkness. It took even longer for him to understand what his eyes could see.

The energy-saving bulbs had been replaced with the dark blue lights Lorena like to use when she wanted to stimulate a mood. It wasn't even the lights that baffled him nor the fact that she was waiting for him. What astonished him was what she had on—a silk black robe with a skimpy red bikini underneath.

She'd loosened her braids so they fell past her shoulders and down her luscious bosom. She ran a single finger from her neck down to the middle of her breasts and back.

Federico fell to his knees and placed his head on the floor.

"Lorena...I'm so sorry...I..." He wept.

Lorena helped him stand. She pulled his hands and secured them around her slender waist.

"There's no need for that." She said as she wrapped her hands around his neck.

"I'm so sorry...." he started saying again. She kissed him before he could continue.

"Lorena...." He gulped.

She placed a finger on his lips to silence him. She stroked his cheeks gently.

"Let's avoid any unpleasantness, shall we? You're home. Join me." She motioned to the table behind them.

That was when Federico smelt the wonderful dishes she'd prepared just for them. She guided him to the table and helped him seat.

She kissed his forehead as she placed an empty plate in front of him. He felt pins prick his skin when her hair brushed his skin as she dished the food.

Fried meat and sweet potatoes.

After she'd served him, she served herself then sat opposite him. She picked up her fork to start eating when she noticed he was staring at the food skeptically.

He'd cut some meat but didn't eat it. He could tell she'd put in a lot of effort into making dinner. The meat was juicier than usual and the potatoes were ripe, waiting to melt in his mouth. Yet he couldn't bring himself to take a bite.

Lorena rose from her seat and put the contents of his fork in her small mouth. She didn't break eye contact with him as she chewed and swallowed.

"I'm not interested in killing you." She smiled.

Federico turned bright red.

"I'm sorry. It's not..." he started to say when she laughed heartily.

"Don't be so awkward. I've forgiven you. I know Mimi means nothing." Lorena said.

Federico ate his potatoes in silence. As was his custom, he saved the meat was last. When he finally took his first bite of the juicy beef, his eyes widened in shock.

"Wow. This tastes amazing." He said as he shoved another into his mouth.

"Only the best for you, my love. Would you like some more?" Lorena asked.

Federico nodded happily. He couldn't believe his luck.

When he finished eating, Lorena pushed back the table to sit on his lap. She kissed him passionately and he responded with as much enthusiasm.

"I'm so sorry." He panted as she touched him.

"Forget it. You are mine and I am yours. No one else matters." She told him.

Her eyes were sincere and sweet. She held no grudge against him.

Not anymore.

She let him touch her. She drove him to paradise but didn't go in until after he'd entered. His eyes went blanked as he watched her face hover over his.

A few minutes later, their sweaty bodies laid side by side. He smiled at the ceiling wondering how he'd ever gotten that lucky. He thought she'd fallen asleep when she spoke.

"Did you enjoy the meal?" She asked suddenly.

"I loved the meat. You've always been a fantastic cook but I've never tasted anything better than what we had for dinner." Federico said truthfully.

"I made it specially for you. A symbol of our love." She stroked his face gently. He'd missed the feel of her hands on him.

He was about to kiss her again when his stomach grumbled angrily.

He smiled sheepishly. He had been so hungry at dinner but one hunger eclipsed the other.

Lorena laughed.
"You really liked my food?" She asked huskily.

"I loved it just as much as I love you."

"There's still some leftover in the fridge you can microwave for us. I'm a bit peckish. I'll meet you in the kitchen in a few." She told him.

As he left their bed, she slapped his naked butt on the way out. He was looking forward to joining her again in their bed so they could continue what they'd started.

But first, he needed to eat.

Federico couldn't believe his luck. Lorena truly loved him. How else could he possibly explain how easily she'd forgiven him? He had truly won a prize the day he'd married her.

He would never betray her trust again. No woman would ever make him fall. Never ever again.

Federico switched on the light. The kitchen was spotless as usual. Lorena was so neat. Nothing was ever out of its place.

He walked over to the fridge, humming happily.

He threw it open.

There was the meat.

It was in a cooler beside the sweet potatoes, waiting for him to warm it. He took it out of the fridge but his hands touched something weird behind the container.

He bent to look at what it was. He immediately dropped the container he was holding. Some of the contents spilled onto the floor.

He covered his mouth to force back the nausea he felt.

"No...no....no." He shook his head. He felt his dinner clog up his throat.

He began to vomit on the kitchen floor without even bothering to run to the basin. The smell of his vomit was barely enough to reduce the shock he felt.

Suddenly everything made sense.

The ease at which she had forgiven him, the smile she'd flashed him while he ate, the name she had mentioned, and how strangely she'd asked him to warm the leftovers.

It all made sense.

In the fridge was a sight he'd never seen before. One he would never forget till the day he died. One that made him realize Lorena wasn't a woman to be trifled with. One that made him realize he had no idea what his wife was capable of.

Behind the container, there was a severed human head. It was a face he could never forget.

The eyes stared blankly at him. Though its former glow had been stripped at death, Federico could clearly read the shock and fear that had been in those eyes minutes before the final breath.

It couldn't be.

He couldn't have!

They couldn't have!

Lorena couldn't have!

It had to be a mirage!

But it wasn't.

Mimi's head was still in his fridge.

He kept retching on the floor even though he'd completely emptied his stomach.

"Oh dear, it looks like you enjoyed the meal a lot more than I anticipated. To be expected though. Human meat is very delicious." Lorena whispered into his ear as she wrapped her hands around his chest.

He had married a psychopath.

#MenteMelan🖤💀