Elena's POV

We were silent for some moments. I saw Isabella taking bigger and bigger sips of her coffee. Sophia was playing with a muffin she had bought, obviously too nervous to eat it. And I was planning my next step.

"Well...you know what?" I began, "I believe I'm ready to go back. I would like to start the cremation process."

"You are sure?" Sophia asked. "Perhaps we had better wait a little. Allow you more time to properly think about it."

I guessed she knew the coffee was drugged and the more time she was asking for was for the effects to kick in.

"No," I answered. I have done enough thinking. I know what I want."

Isabella began to answer, but paused in mid-sentence. Her hand went to her forehead and she blinked very fast. "I... I feel weird."

"What do you mean, weird how?" I asked, pretending to be concerned.

"Dizzy," murmured Isabella, rocking in her chair. "Pretty dizzy."

"You should drink some water," Sophia said, but I could see the fear beginning to show in her eyes.

"I don't... I cannot..." Isabella's words became slurred. Her eyes were heavy, and it was difficult for her to hold her head upright.

"Isabella?" Sophia stretched across the table to shake her. "What is the matter?"

But Isabella was already sagging, and her head fell lightly on the table. She was knocked out.

"Oh my God," whispered Sophia, and looked around in confusion. "We have to get help!"

"No," I said, getting to my feet. "She is simply tired. It is all too much; the emotional cost of Marcus' death, it is too much for her. She needs to have a quiet room where she can rest."

I stopped a passing nurse. "I am sorry, my sister-in-law has fainted. Can you take us somewhere where she can lie down?"

The nurse was very quick to respond and within a few minutes, Isabella was moved to a room down the hall. The nurse checked her pulse and breathing.

"She seems fine," the nurse said. "Probably just stress and exhaustion. Let her sleep it off. She should be okay in a few hours or so."

"Thank you," I said gratefully. "We'll stay with her."

As soon as the nurse left, I turned to Sophia. "I need to go handle the cremation arrangements. Can you stay with Isabella?"

"But Elena," Sophia protested, "shouldn't we wait until she wakes up? I thought we agreed not to go ahead with that..."

"She'll understand," I said. "She knows how important this is to me. Besides, someone needs to watch over her."

I could see the war playing out on Sophia's face. She wanted to come with me, wanted to stop me from cremating Marcus, but she couldn't leave Isabella alone.

"I'll be back soon," I promised, already heading for the door. "Just let her rest."

I made my way back to Dr. Parker's office. He looked up when I entered and I could see hope and fear battling in his eyes.

"Mrs. Martinez! How are you feeling?"

"Much better," I said. "I'm ready to proceed with the cremation."

Dr. Parker's face fell. "But... but Isabella? I thought she was going to talk to you..."

"She did," I said. "She understands my decision. She's resting now, all this stress has been hard on her."

"And the discharge paperwork?" I asked. "Is it ready?"

"Yes," Dr. Parker said reluctantly. "Everything's been signed. The death certificate is complete."

"Perfect," I said. "Then let's go collect my husband's body."

"Are you absolutely sure about this?" Dr. Parker asked one last time as we stood outside the room.

"I'm certain," I said, meeting his eyes. "I want my husband to rest in peace. Forever."

I then turned to the orderlies waiting for instructions. "Take him to the ambulance. We are going to the crematorium."

The doctor hesitated to hand me the death certificate, but he couldn't do much to stop me at this point.

"Thank you, Dr. Parker," I whispered, my voice shaking just enough to sound genuine. "I... I need to take him now. I've already made calls and arranged for the cremation."

Dr. Parker's eyebrows shot up. "Already? Elena..."

"Yes." I shook my head firmly. "Let's not waste anymore time."

He shifted uncomfortably, glancing toward the door.

"Well, if you're sure..." he started, but I was already walking toward the door where the ambulance waited.

"I'm sure," I said over my shoulder. "The crematorium is expecting us."

The orderlies then carefully loaded Marcus' body into the ambulance. He was still unconscious from whatever drug Dr. Parker had given him, looking pale and lifeless. Perfect.

As we drove to the crematorium, my phone kept on ringing. I glanced at it and each time it was either Isabella or Sophia. I guess Isabella was already awake and they were trying to stop me.

"Mrs. Martinez?" A woman in a dark suit approached us as we pulled up. "I'm Sarah Chen, the director. I'm so sorry for your loss."

"Thank you," I replied, accepting her condolences with a sad smile. "I appreciate you accommodating my request on such short notice."

"Of course. Grief doesn't follow a schedule." She gestured toward the building. "Shall we proceed?"

We wheeled Marcus' body into the preparation room and I looked around. This was where his lies would finally catch up with him.

"Are you ready, Mrs. Martinez?" Sarah asked gently.

I took a deep breath, placing my hand on the stretcher. "Yes. Marcus would want this."

But I didn't press the button to start the process.

"Actually," I said, turning to Sarah, "could you give me a few minutes alone with him? I need to say goodbye properly."

Sarah nodded understandingly. "Of course. Take all the time you need. Press the green button when you're ready. I'll be in my office."

I smiled to myself as the crematorium doors burst open, and Isabella's voice echoed through the building. "Where is she? Where's Elena?"

"Ma'am, please, you need to..." I heard what seemed like security trying to intervene.

"I need to see that murderer right now!" Isabella's voice was high-pitched, panicked. "She's about to kill my brother!"

I composed my face into an expression of confusion and grief just as Isabella and Sophia burst into the preparation room. Isabella's face was flushed, her hair disheveled like she was running. Sophia looked equally in panic, her usual composed behavior completely shattered.

"Elena!" Isabella gasped, rushing toward me. "I hope we're not too late. Where is he?! What have you done to my brother?!"

I blinked at them innocently. "Too late for what? What are you talking about?"

"You can't do this," Sophia said, her voice shaking as she looked around the room, her eyes scanning for where Marcus' body was. "You can't just... burn him like this."

"Burn him?" I repeated, letting confusion color my voice. "I'm cremating him. It's what he wanted. It's what we agreed."

"No, it's not!" Isabella snapped, then immediately tried to soften her tone. "I mean... Elena, you're in shock. You're not thinking clearly. Marcus would never say that."

"And what makes you so sure? I am his wife and I will make the final decisions." I said firmly.

"But still..." Sophia started.

"No buts," I interrupted, moving toward the control panel. "I've made my decision. This is what Marcus would have wanted, and I'm going to honor that."

"Elena, wait!" Isabella shouted, lunging forward. "You can't! You can't burn him alive!" The words came out of Isabella's mouth before she could stop them.

But I had already pressed the green button before she could push me away from the control panel. The fire started in the chamber and Isabella and Sophia's eyes widened in horror and they screamed in unison, rushing toward the chamber.

"Marcus! Noooo! Somebody please turn it off! She's burning him alive!" She screamed.

Isabella was sobbing now, clawing at the chamber door. "Please, Elena, you have to stop this! Please!"

"Stop what?" I asked. "The cremation of my dead husband?"

"He's not dead!" Isabella screamed. "He's alive! You're burning him alive!"

"I'm sorry," I said quietly. "Did you just say I can't burn him alive? How can I burn someone alive when they're already dead? Are you saying Dr Parker lied to me and forged this death certificate? Because that is a serious medical crime!"

Sophia's face went white. "I... She meant... you can't burn him without proper preparations. The body needs to be..."

"No," I cut her off. "You need to tell me the truth right now!" I pretended to be agitated.

Sophia stepped forward, clearly trying to salvage the situation. "Elena, Isabella's just upset. She's not thinking clearly. We're all emotional right now."

I looked between them, watching Isabella still claw at the chamber doors with tears streaming down her face.

"You can't," Isabella said quickly. "That's exactly what I meant. You can't burn someone alive because Marcus is already dead."

"Then why did you say it?" I pressed. "Why would you say he's alive if you knew he was dead?"

"It was a slip," Sophia said, her voice getting higher. "She's just grieving. It's just so hard to believe he left us so suddenly."

I nodded slowly. Their reaction had just confirmed what I already knew. Marcus was still alive, and they were desperate to keep him that way.

"You're right," I said finally. "I'm sorry. I'm not thinking clearly. Maybe I should wait."

I walked over to the second compartment that was not on fire and opened it, pulling out Marcus' body. I signaled the security who had been watching the commotion from the door to please put him on the stretcher so we could leave.

"Elena," Sophia whispered, her voice broken. "I can explain..."

"Oh, no need. Sophia already did." I said keeping my face neutral. "You were just in shock. I totally understand."

I pushed the stretcher and began walking out of the door but then I paused. "I change my mind. We will have a funeral instead."

Elena's POV

The orderlies wheeled Marcus' body down the corridor, and I followed behind them like the grieving widow I was supposed to be. Inside, my heart was racing with excitement, but on the outside, I maintained the perfect mask of sorrow that everyone expected.

"Ma'am, are you sure you want to come with us?" one of the orderlies asked with a gentle voice. "Most families prefer to say their goodbyes in the room."

"I need to see where he'll be," I whispered, dabbing at my eyes with a tissue. "I need to know he's... comfortable."

The man nodded sympathetically. "Of course, Mrs. Martinez. We understand."

They wheeled Marcus into one of the refrigerated compartments, and I watched as they slid his body inside like he was nothing more than a piece of meat.

"He'll be safe here," the other orderly assured me. I could only imagine the panic Marcus would be going through if he could hear and feel everything that was happening around him and I laughed inwardly.

As the first orderly walked out the door, I lightly tapped the second one to wait a minute. "Actually, I change my mind. I have a proposition for you."

He looked obviously confused as he wondered what I was talking about.

"You see, I have a secret. He is not dead. He is just pretending, and I want to teach him a lesson about that.

I reached into my bag and brought out the drug that Dr. Parker used to make him appear dead and gave it to the orderly. I swiped the drug from Dr. Parker's office before leaving for the crematorium. "Inject this into him every 12 hours to prevent him from waking up. I want to see how his fake death plans unfold while he's still in this condition."

"But Ma'am...I could get fired...I could loose my job..."

I then got out a huge envelope and gave it to him. "For your cooperation and your troubles. Keep him somewhere warm so he remains comfortable. I'll come by to bring more supplies so he doesn't die of starvation in his comatose state."

He stared at the envelope with widened eyes for a few moments and then he smiled. "Consider it done Ma'am."

I smiled a wicked smile and turned to look at Marcus' body again. I took slow deliberate steps towards him and I saw his forehead twitch slightly.

"Are you okay Ma'am? Do you need something?"

"No, I'll be fine," I said, taking one last look at Marcus's peaceful face. "I just needed this moment with him."

I leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead, whispering just loud enough for the orderly to hear, "Sleep well, my love. I'll see you soon."

Then I pulled the sheet back over his face.

"Goodnight, Marcus," I whispered, my hand lingering on the edge of the stretcher. "Sweet dreams."

I immediately returned to the grieving wife character before we left the room to prevent any suspicions and called Dr Parker. I needed to be sure the next phase of my plans were set in perfect motion.

He picked up on the first ring and I could hear the tension in his voice. "Mrs. Martinez! Oh thank goodness. Where are you? Isabella has been so worried."

Worried? Of course.

She must be scared I may have gone to burn Marcus privately without their knowledge. I made sure to loose them in traffic on the way to the morgue to make sure they didn't follow me.

"Hi Dr. Parker," my voice was very calm and collected. "I just put him in the morgue now. I told Isabella we would have a funeral instead. Why on earth is she worried? He is dead anyway."

"Why didn't you just bring him back to the hospital? We have an amazing morgue here! His voice was raised.

He obviously wanted me to bring Marcus back so they would complete their original plans.

NEVER!

"Well, he's safe and sound where he is."

"What morgue is that!?" I heard Isabella scream from the other end of the phone.

My guess was right they would be together trying to figure out how to save their plan.

"Relax Izzy, He's well taken care of. I have given strict instructions on how they should care for him, while we arrange for the funeral. But you can definitely see him if you want to. I'll text you the address immediately."

"Don't you dare harm my brother!" She screamed again on the other end.

"There you go again Isabella!" I raised my voice back at her. "How can I harm someone who is already dead? Unless you're saying there is foul play here and Marcus is alive.

"Is Marcus alive Dr. Parker?"

"Oh no no no, I can assure you that Marcus is very dead. Don't mind Isabella. She is still in shock and denial. I'll make sure she gets the help she needs to process what has happened."

"That's alright doctor. I really appreciate it. Isabella, if you don't mind coming by the house tomorrow so we can begin the arrangements for the funeral. I will prefer it happens as soon as possible."

"Oh I agree with you. I'll definitely be there Elena." Isabella replied.

I hung up the phone and smiled a very wicked smile. Everything was going exactly according to plan.

Isabella's POV

I couldn't sleep all through the night and I kept tossing and turning on my bed. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Elena's face at the crematorium and I heard my own voice stupidly blurting out that she was trying to burn Marcus alive. What the hell was wrong with me? I almost blew everything because I panicked like some amateur.

According to our plans, Marcus was supposed to be cremated and gone by now. Instead, he was lying in some morgue freezer while Elena planned a whole funeral. The longer his body stayed around, the more chances there were for something to go wrong. What if someone noticed he was still breathing? What if that drug wore off at the wrong time?

"I need to keep an eye on Elena, make sure she doesn't make any more rash decisions." I said to myself. The woman was clearly unstable with grief, and unstable people made unpredictable decisions. I grabbed my purse and car keys as soon as it was daylight enough to go out and headed straight for Elena's apartment.

Their building was one of those fancy high-rises with a doorman and marble floors in the lobby. Marcus always did like to show off, even if he couldn't actually afford the lifestyle he was living.

"Good morning, Ms. Martinez," the doorman greeted me as I entered. "Here to see Mrs. Martinez?"

"Yes, just checking on her," I said, putting on my most concerned expression. "Such a difficult time for the family."

He nodded sympathetically and waved me toward the elevators. "She's lucky to have family looking out for her."

If only he knew.

I knocked softly on the apartment door, and Elena answered after a few moments. She looked exactly like someone who just lost her husband. Her eyes were red, her hair was messy and she was wearing an old sweater that had probably belonged to Marcus.

"Isabella," she said, seeming a bit surprised to see me. "What are you doing here so early?"

"I know it's very early, but I wanted to be sure you were fine after yesterday's... incidents," I said, stepping into the apartment without waiting for an invitation. "I've been worried sick about how you're handling all this."

"That's... that's very sweet of you," Elena said, closing the door behind me. "I'm managing, I suppose."

It was a while since I visited Marcus' home but the apartment looked the same as always. Expensive furniture, artwork on the walls, and that ridiculous wine collection Marcus was so proud of. I walked straight to the wine cabinet, running my fingers along the bottles.

"You don't mind if I...?" I asked, already pulling out a bottle of what looked like a very expensive brand.

"Of course not," Elena said quietly. "Help yourself to whatever you want."

I found the wine opener and poured myself a generous glass. The wine was smooth and rich, probably worth more than most people made in a week. Marcus always did have expensive taste, even when he couldn't afford it.

"So how are you really doing?" I asked, settling onto the leather couch with my wine. "And please don't say 'fine' because we both know that's not true."

Elena sat down across from me, curling her legs under herself like a lost child. "I keep expecting him to walk through that door," she said. "I keep thinking I hear his keys in the lock, or his voice calling my name."

"That's normal," I said, taking another sip of wine. "Grief does strange things to the mind."

"Why did you really come here, Isabella?" Elena asked suddenly, her eyes meeting mine. "I mean, I asked you to come so we could talk about the funeral, but certainly not this early."

I felt a flicker of annoyance at her directness, but I kept my expression soft and caring. "Because I was worried about you," I said. "Marcus would want me to take care of you, especially now."

Elena's eyes filled with tears at the mention of Marcus's love. If only she knew the truth about what her precious husband really thought of her.

"I'm going to get something to eat," I announced, standing up with my wine glass. "Have you eaten anything since yesterday? You look like you've lost weight."

"I'm not really hungry," Elena said, but I was already heading toward the kitchen.

Their kitchen was just as fancy as the rest of the apartment. Granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, and a refrigerator that was so big I wondered how it fit through the door. I started pulling out ingredients for sandwiches, mostly just to have something to do with my hands.

That's when I heard Elena's voice from the living room. She was on the phone with someone.

My curiosity immediately kicked in. Who was she calling? I crept closer to the kitchen doorway, staying hidden in the hallway where I could listen without being seen.

"Yes, this is Elena Martinez," she was saying. "Thank you so much for your condolences, Mr. Chadwick. This has been the most difficult time of my life."

Chadwick? I didn't recognize the name. I pressed myself against the wall, straining to hear more.

"Yes, I have all the necessary documentation," Elena continued. "The death certificate, marriage certificate, everything you requested to process the life insurance... Ten million? Are you certain that's the correct amount?"

Ten million? My heart nearly stopped. What the hell was she talking about?

"I see," Elena said, her voice getting stronger. "And when can I expect the payout to be processed? ... Within the week? That's wonderful, Mr. Chadwick. I look forward to it."

I gripped my wine glass so tightly I was surprised it didn't shatter. Ten million dollars. Elena was getting ten million dollars off Marcus' death?

I heard the phone click off and quickly hurried back into the kitchen, my mind racing. Ten million dollars from a life insurance policy! I didn't even know about it. Marcus had never mentioned having that kind of insurance, but then again, Marcus kept a lot of secrets.

I tried to calm my breathing and focus on making sandwiches, but my hands were shaking with a mixture of shock and rage. Ten million dollars. Elena was about to become a very wealthy widow, while I was stuck with whatever peanut Marcus was going to give me after executing his plans.

"Isabella?" Elena called from the living room. "Are you alright in there?"

"Fine!" I called back, forcing my voice to sound normal. "Just making us some food."