Avery's Game Of Revenge
Chapter 103: Pain

Chapter 103: Pain

"Uhm... I’d say Valentina McCallum?" Avery said jokingly, "Anyway, I should call him before it’s too late."

Jodi agreed, and even though Avery couldn’t see her, she knew the former was nodding as she encouraged her from the other side of the line,"Yeah, you should. I’ll hang up now and call back in an hour. Or you should call me instead when you’re done talking to him."

"Okay!"

Avery slipped the phone in her bag as soon as she heard the beep sound of the call disconnecting. Looking up, she opened her mouth to apologize to Charlotte for such a long call, but no words came out.

Charlotte was right in front of her, studying her face with as much seriousness her bespectacled face didn’t already have, but Avery couldn’t be bothered with her. Her brown eyes were fixed on the headstones lined right behind Charlotte.

~ Emma Raya McCallum (24)

~ Arthur Herring McCallum (32)

~ Vince Julian McCallum (72)

She forced her eyes off the names, willing her expression to remain neutral as she met Charlotte’s gaze.

"You came here to visit them? Aren’t you brave, coming to visit people who were murdered?" she asked, making sure her tone gave the impression that she was joking, ’’You aren’t scared their ghosts will latch onto you and force you to take revenge on their behalf?’’

Charlotte chuckled and replied with a small nod, "I come here once every week. It’s... relaxing. And in a way, I think it eases the guilt i bear in my heart that my dad could have stopped all this," she whispered, her eyes searching Avery’s face diligently but finding nothing worthy of note. She was silent for seconds that stretched into minutes, before letting out a loud sigh. "I should have brought flowers with me. Seems like the other visitor has stopped bringing them. These ones are wilted."

"Other visitors?" Avery struggled to ask, trying as much as she could not to let any of her inner emotions reflect on her face. If she showed how much this place was affecting her, she knew it wasn’t going to escape Charlotte’s eyes.

And that, would be the same as shooting herself in the foot and bringing down everything she had struggled for these past few months. "You don’t come here alone?"

"Yeah, there’s someone else who comes here every week and drops a bouquet of different flowers on each of the headstones. I tried coming a day or two earlier so I could meet him," she shook her head, "...but I was never lucky."

"Him? A man?"

"The guard said so," Charlotte replied, "I’m guessing its Mr. Roberts since he’s the only male related to them that fits the description the guard gave. Their deaths must have affected him so much that he can’t let them go easil-"

Avery cut her off, lifting her hand to show the screen of her phone, "Excuse me, it’s my mom. I have to pick the call," she lied, quickening her steps away from the headstones. It wasn’t a call, but an alarm she had set earlier that morning.

However, if she hadn’t ceased that opportunity to escape, she was damn sure an extra headstone would have been added to the ones currently in the cemetery, and that headstone wouldn’t bear her own name. She’d break down in front of her family, shock Charlotte with that revelation, and then proceed to kill her and bury her there and then.

Archie would cover this up for her, she was sure of that.

Hurrying towards the gates leading out of the cemetery, Avery released the tears she had been holding back and allowed them fall down her cheeks in torrents. What the hell had she been doing? Someone else, someone related to an enemy, knew where her own family’s resting place was while she herself had no idea.

She had returned to the city for more than a month now but not once had it occurred to her to ask Archie where it was. She knew it wasn’t because she had forgotten them. After all, her day to day activities were being influenced by her plan for revenge.

Then why?

"I grew comfortable," she murmured the answer beneath her breath.

She had grown comfortable with her present life, safe under Archie’s protection, and was completely satisfied with the pace at which her revenge plan was progressing.

She had completely forgotten the pain she felt when all this began. And the hurt and hatred that was fueling her quest for revenge had completely depleted, leaving behind a mere desire for retribution so she could have a reason to continue living.

Charlotte bringing her here today had jerked her to her senses.

Seeing those headstones; Feeling the warm atmosphere that always accompanied her grandfather when he was alive, embrace her whole self back at the cemetery, had reminded her of the ache that dominated her entire being on that day.

And now with the pain coursing through her veins, it was becoming unbearable.

★

Music Rec: Another Love by Tom Odell.

’’Hell...these are fucking useless.’’

A low breath escaped Avery’s lips as she kicked away the third bottle she was emptying for the day, zeroing her eyes on her fourth target for the day. The lone bottle of Hennessy standing tall on the marble table a few metres away from her.

’’That should work,’’ she murmured, stumbling to her feet, a glare fixed on the bottle as if that would teleport the bottle into her hands. "If it doesn’t work...I might as well empty the whole cellar tonight," she slurred.

Her eyes made a short travel around the room, taking in the sleek, glass walls that stretched from floor to ceiling, showing off rows of wine bottles. The soft glow from the hidden lights made everything feel warm and inviting. The floors were smooth and dark, and the walls had a mix of smooth concrete and rough brick, giving the space a cool, modern vibe.