He has a vacant look, and no matter how much I yell at him, he won't reply to me.

"Nikki, please," I wail. "Please..."

I hold his hand tightly in mine as I bring my face to his, nuzzling my cheek against his, his blood smearing on my skin.

"Nikki, say something. Please don't leave me..." I continue to whisper frantically.

The physical pain is but a distant sensation as I feel every fiber of my being disintegrate at the realization that he might be gone—that he is gone.

No. No. He can't be gone. My Nikki can't be gone.

"You're fine." I nod to myself, kissing him on the lips. "You're fine. Help will come and we'll both be fine."

I wrap my arms around him even as I feel my bones cracking, and I hold on to him for dear life.

He's fine. He's just taking a nap. He's preserving his strength.

I tell myself that until I convince myself.

But as I wrap my arms tighter around him, an explosion erupts from behind me.

"We're fine. We'll be fine." That's what I keep whispering to myself as a blunt piece of metal hits me from behind, and I black out.

THREE

Present day

Nikki's family stares at me with narrowed eyes. I shrug my shoulders—or as much as I can considering I'm still sporting a cast.

I can only imagine what I look like. I've never been prone to vanities, but maybe I should have taken a look in the mirror before coming here.

Lifting my hand to my face, I brush my hair aside, arranging it so it doesn't seem so messy. The doctors had done the craniotomy on the occipital bone, so even though they'd shaved the area, you can't tell since the rest of my hair covers it.

Oddly enough, my attending physician had told me that I'd recovered miraculously considering the many injuries I had—to my dismay. You'd think that a broken heart would slow down the process, not speed it. Although, watching my husband's killers in the eye now, I realize it had all been for this moment.

Just you wait.

You will all pay. I now have all the evidence that the accident was not an accident. It’s all safely ensconced in a security box at a bank downtown. Soon, they will all pay!

My smile widens—to the discomfort of Nikki's family.

"Good. Everyone is here," Mr. Daniels chirps as he walks inside the conference room, taking a seat at the end of the big round table.

"You're looking quite good, Mrs. Archibald," he notes, his eyes surveying me from head to toe.

Someone snickers.

"I've been better," I shrug.

"Right. Why don't we begin?" He gives us all a saccharine smile as he removes some documents from an envelope.