Betrayed by My Wife, I Became the Serpent Lord

Chapter 006

Michael's stomach dropped when he saw Nick's expression.

The men outside had stacked the wood, but Michael had personally smashed the memorial urns inside. He'd always despised Nick and never worried about offending him. Now, for the first time, he was frightened.

He grabbed a young relative standing nearby, a hotheaded man in his twenties named Brad Davis.

"He did it!" Michael declared.

Then he tightened his grip on Brad's arm and whispered through clenched teeth, "Take the blame and I'll give you seventy-five hundred dollars."

Brad's eyes lit up at the offer. He stepped forward and raised a hand.

"That's right. I did it!"

Nick spared him a glance. "No, you didn't."

Brad puffed out his chest. "I said I did! What are you gonna do about it?"

Nick struggled to contain the fury still burning inside him.

"Move."

"Listen here, Nick Pugh. I already told you it was me, so you can just..."

Nick seized him by the throat.

Brad's words died in his mouth. Up close, he could see an eerie green shimmer in Nick's eyes, beautiful and cold enough to make his blood run icy.

Nick stared at him for a moment, then shoved him aside and walked straight toward Michael. The copperhead slowly poked its head out of his sleeve.

Michael swallowed. "It wasn't me."

Nick smiled without warmth.

The look made Michael's chest tighten as though an invisible hand were squeezing his heart. He pressed a palm to his ribs and struggled for breath.

"Come on, Nick, let's be reasonable. I'll renovate the whole shrine for you. Make it better than before. Wouldn't that settle things?"

"You can pay with your life," Nick replied calmly.

Michael's eyes widened. He forced a nervous laugh.

"You're joking, right?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

Nick's voice was almost pleasant, which somehow made the threat worse.

Michael stared at him, then realized there was no use denying it any longer.

"Fine. I smashed your stupid urns. So what? They're just things, Nick. I'm a living, breathing person. There's no need to make enemies over this. We still have to live in the same town."

"Not anymore."

Nick lifted his hand and gave Michael a light pat on the shoulder.

Michael braced for a punch, but nothing else happened. Was that really it?

Then a terrible heat began spreading through him, as though someone had lit a fire inside his chest.

"Michael," Nick said with a cold smile, "do you know what's worse than losing something? Being able to see what you want, but never being able to enjoy it again."

He turned to the others. "Take him home."

Michael suddenly tore at his clothes, his eyes bloodshot.

"I'm burning! Oh God, I'm burning!"

There were no flames, no smoke, and no visible injuries. Brad cautiously approached him.

"Uncle Michael? What's happening to you?"

"It's so hot! I can't stand it!"

Michael ran wildly around the yard, waving his arms. Brad called for help, and several men tackled him to the ground. The moment he was pinned down, Michael's eyes flew wide open and his body went completely still.

Brad checked his breathing. Michael was alive and breathing strongly, but he didn't react to anything around him.

"Uncle Michael? Can you hear me? Talk to me!"

"Get him to a hospital!" somebody shouted.

Two men took off their coats to cover Michael. The others lifted him and hurried away.

Before long, only Joseph remained by the shrine door, wearing a sickly smile.

"Nick... what happened to Michael?"

"He got what was coming to him," Nick replied. "Clean up this mess."

With that, he walked back inside.

Joseph nodded frantically, though he could barely suppress a shiver. He was grateful he'd made Michael do the dirty work. If he'd gone into the shrine himself, he might have been the one carried away.

He finished clearing the wood and debris, then made sure the room was warm. By the time evening approached, he was exhausted. He stopped outside Nick's door and spoke in a cautious voice.

"Nick, everything's cleaned up. You must be hungry. How about I take you into town for dinner? My treat."

"No need. You can go."

Nick sat on the bed with his eyes closed, deep in meditation. The copperhead lay coiled beside him like a silent guardian.

Joseph wanted to ask whether his injury was getting any better, but he knew when to keep his mouth shut. Unless Nick offered to help, pushing him might be the quickest way to ruin himself for good.

He quietly backed out and pulled the door shut. Just before it closed, his eyes drifted to the altar. The red memorial urn seemed brighter than before, almost unnaturally so. Joseph looked away at once and hurried out of the shrine.

He was still puzzling over everything on his way home when he nearly collided with Vicky Pitt.

"Well, look who it is!" Joseph called. "Where are you off to, Vicky?"

Joseph had been interested in Vicky for a long time. Her husband had died in a car accident two years earlier, leaving her a modest inheritance. Before his death, he'd treated her well and never expected her to do heavy farmwork. She was still pretty, with smooth skin and a figure Joseph had admired far too openly.

Vicky frowned. Joseph was a regular customer at her diner, but he had a habit of touching her without permission. The way he looked at her made her skin crawl.

"I've got an errand to run."

She tried to move past him, but Joseph stepped in her way. After spending the day groveling to Nick, he was looking for someone he could push around.

His gaze settled on the basket over her arm. He leaned closer and tried to lift the cover.

"What's in there? Bringing dinner to some secret boyfriend, are you?"

"Watch your mouth, Joseph!" Vicky snapped. She'd tolerated his behavior before only because she didn't want him spreading nasty rumors about her. "It's a meal somebody ordered. I'm delivering it."

"You take delivery orders now? Well, sign me up! You know I love your cooking."

He leaned even closer, grinning.

Vicky planted her hands on her hips. "How about I come to your house right now and ask your wife how terrible her cooking must be if you can't stop chasing after mine?"

That wiped the smile off Joseph's face.

He'd made much of his fortune through his wife's wealthy family. He wasn't especially fond of her anymore, but she wasn't a bad wife. She tolerated his affairs as long as he kept them away from their home. Still, he knew better than to have Vicky cause a scene on his doorstep.

He forced a laugh and stepped aside.

"All right, all right. Go deliver your food."

Vicky glared at him and continued on her way.

Joseph watched her leave. Then a sly smile spread across his face, and he followed her at a distance.

After winding through several streets, Vicky looked around to make sure nobody was watching. Then she headed straight for the shrine at the Pugh Family Burial Plot.