Page 104 of Obsession (Dark Revenge)
“Meaning you should leave.”
“But you haven’t eaten.”
“And you care?” he retorted.
“Well, I’m your wife,” I playfully replied, and he slowly turned back to me. Our eyes locked for a moment, but then he shook his head and looked away.
“I don’t think Astrid would care.”
“Well, she does need you to stay alive. Without you, who would lead? Her?” I quipped.
“Why not?” he countered.
“Can she?” I inquired.
He shrugged. “Well, if I’m dead, and her dad is dead, perhaps she could. Or maybe her cousins would want to take over.”
“But wouldn’t that just create chaos?” I inquired. “Wouldn’t it be smarter to let you live to ensure things wouldn’t get out of control, and then control that world through you?”
“Probably, but that doesn’t mean it’s not in her plans to eventually kill me. Maybe if I get her pregnant, she won’t need me anymore,” Jared speculated.
I sighed, leaning back and crossing my arms once again. His words only emphasized the isolation he would face. Would he have any friends? It wasn’t much different from his childhood, but now he would be surrounded by literal killers, and the stakes had become deadlier.
“What about Vince?” I asked.
“Vince?”
“Yeah, isn’t he... your friend?” I inquired, although I wasn’t entirely sure how to characterize Vince. I only knew he and Jared worked together, nothing more.
“He’s family,” Jared corrected me.
“Oh?”
“Without him, I would have been dead, remember?”
“Oh, right...”
“But he doesn’t have long,” Jared revealed.
“He’s sick?” I questioned.
“Parkinson’s.”
“Oh.”
“I know he won’t let the sickness get so bad that he’ll need care from someone else. That would be too degrading,” he explained.
“So he’ll end his own life?” I asked.
“He’ll get me to do it. When he’s ready.”
“God, Jared, that’s awful!” I exclaimed, but Jared gave me a cold look in response.
“No, it’s called mercy.”
“But if you say he’s family, how can you do it?” I wondered.
“Because real family would put you out of your misery.”
