“Grab the wine.” Dean shouted across from where he has just done his tenth lap of the pool. I had been hoping for a swim myself but him being him barks orders even on holiday. We had rented the villa for two weeks he reckoned it was a treat for our upcoming 5th wedding anniversary, I reckoned it was away to make me forget about yet another affair.

We had been here for a just over a week and after spending so much time on his phone saying that it was work, he announced the night before we might be able to stay an extra week. “You deserve the break and I want to treat you.” Is what he said. “My latest affair is causing me more trouble that I thought she would.” Is what I heard.

Of course I had no proof, but it was always the same with him. Ever since we had met 6 years previous. He had just come out of a high class meeting for work and I was just leaving the office block as he was getting into his car. Things had gone well for him and he had wanted to celebrate. “You,” he said walking over to me in that cocky manner that at the time I loved and now drives me to want to commit a crime. “Come for a drink with me. Everyone else is too boring at my age and I want to celebrate. I had stupidly said yes. Looking back now I honestly don’t know what I did. I had never been one to just go off with a man, but there was something about him. We spent that weekend together looked away in a hotel, then he told me he had to return to his wife. I had felt so stupid at the time, but it was a week later that he was outside my work again telling me that he had left her and wanted to spend his life with me.

I had thought that his marriage had been in trouble and that with me he had found a way out. I was sure that if our relationship remained good, he would be good. I had been wrong.

Making my way through the sliding doors of the french villa, I walked over to the big American style fridge. It was as I opened the door that I noticed his phone plugged in on the kitchen island. He had never, in all these years been so careless. So that either meant that the affair was over, or that there wasn’t one to being with. Grabbing the bottle of white from the fridge I closed the door, my mind blank as I reached for his phone. I typed out the only set of numbers I could think of to unlock it. Of course, most people use the birthdays of the people that they love, anniversary maybe, but the self centred people in this world however use their own birthday.

I scrolled quickly until I found his messages, if I took much longer I knew that he would come looking for me. He would come any second if he realised he left his phone on the side. A noise in the doorway had me jumping back dropping the phone on the hard counter. I span around quickly wondering if I might be able to get away with saying that I hadn’t been looking at his phone at all. He had been known to let his temper fly from time to time, and although this holiday he had been in a relatively good mood, I was aware that at any moment that could change.

Turning fully so that I could press my back against the island, I thought that might be enough to hide the phone and make him forget. “I was just com.....” I stopped babbling as soon as I realised no one was there. The small footsteps over the tiled floor had me looking down. “Minnie, you scared mummy.” A wave of relief washed over me as I bent down to pat the 4 year old chihuahua. It had been a present from Dean for my 40th. Not having any children and most definitely no plans, she was my world. Scooping her up in my arms I turned back towards the phone.

Clicking on the messages my already fast heartbeat seemed to quicken further. They were all there, the messages from what looked like 5 different women were there for anyone to see. I started at the top one. Clicking the name Clara I read quickly. He was trying to end this relationship, “too clingy” he had said when he sent the last message this morning. She had wanted too much from him. I moved down the messages, scanning over the next few I found the same thing. He was ending them. He said he could no longer commit to seeing them. It was the last one though that got to me. I realised quickly it was this last one that had got him running away from the others faster than a racing car sets off from the start line. She had got him cornered. Pictures of the two of them together and that was not all. Looking back over older messages, she worked with him and closely due to the amount of information on tax fraud she held over him. There were countless messages saying that with one quick message to a number of people who she knew, his life would be over. She also knew a few of the people that he owed money too, and judging by what she said these weren’t people that could or should be messed with. My husband had picked wrong this time. Apart of me felt something that resembled satisfaction that he had finally gone for someone who could give him what he deserved.

Placing the phone back down where he had left it and placing the dog back on the ground, I picked up the bottle of wine. Opening the draw in the island I retrieved the corkscrew before making my way outside. He was at the closest end of the pool to me when I made it back outside. His arms outstretched across the pools edge, head back and eyes closed with his face in the french sun. We had been on holiday a few times here over the years, and it did hold so many special memories. As I made my way quietly over to him I knew that this place would hold one last one for me. The moment I got free.

Grasping the corkscrew in my right hand I moved silently and quickly. He didn’t stand a chance in the end. The tool was jabbed in the centre of his throat quicker than I had done anything before. He lurched forward hands grasped to what was left of his windpipe, blood oozed through his hands and down into the water. It happened quicker that I thought it would, he slipped under in what felt like seconds and within a minute or two more she was back up to the top this time face down and floating. He was gone. I had killed my husband without a second thought. I honestly didn’t know what this man had made me become.

I rushed back inside, my little Minnie running beside me yapping in the cute little way she did when she was excited. I knew that if we both moved fast by the time anyone found Dean floating me and Minnie would be long gone.