บท 134: Valerie's breakdown

The next morning, Valerie awakened with a start, her heart racing. She lay alone in the bed, the emptiness of the room enveloping her like a shroud.

"Wh– where is Greg? Did he run away? He knows I'm a murderer, was that why he left me? Is he scared I'd suffocate him in his sleep? Did he run away with my daughter too?!"

Panic set in, Valerie's mind began to reel with bizarre thoughts, giving way for the memories she'd rather forget.

The images flooded her consciousness, vivid and unsettling - what her sister's face under the pillow must have felt like. Valerie began to imagine.

Maybe her sister's face contorted, her eyes bulging as she thrashed beneath the pillow. Or maybe she had a painless death? But she was thrashing violently under the pillow for a moment before she stopped.

Valerie's mind relived the horror, her chest heaving as if she'd been running. She turned her face away, snapping out of it, trying to take control of her mind.