Kage's Revenge: Not All Are Forgiven

7: Alibi

Chapter 7: Alibi 

  The evening called and all Clara could do was watch. It was the last days of September—this time last year, she was on vacation with Matt in Bali, Indonesia.

 Well, not this time. Clara sat hunched over her laptop, composing a second email to the scholarship committee at her university. The first was sent four days ago when she first got the news. She had demanded an explanation for the sudden termination of her scholarship and stipend, citing unlawful practices. She needed that money; her trip to the Maldives was already booked.

 A frustrated sigh escaped her lips. The enormous cost of the trip, originally charged to Kage’s card, fueled another wave of resentment. If only he hadn't canceled her out, she wouldn't be thinking about touching her salary while having her school issues.

 “That useless cripple,” she muttered under her breath, her fingers flying across the keyboard as she emphasized the urgency of her situation.

 '....this is absolutely unfair to halt my hard-earned sponsorship without prior notice and...' she kept typing.

 Clara glanced at the clock. It was far from the end of her shift, but she couldn't leave early; probation was a bitch. She needed to clear her head.

 "One of those cheap coffees won't bite" she nagged as she went.

 The hospital cafeteria offered a brief respite. The aroma of stale coffee and reheated food did little to improve her mood, but the relative quiet was a welcome change from the deafening silence of her office. As she was about to take a sip of coffee, her phone buzzed with a notification from her home security camera. A chill shot through her veins. Matt was at her apartment; the mini duplex Kage had left her.

 She immediately called him, her voice tight with barely controlled annoyance. “What the hell are you doing at my place? How did you even get in?”

 Hushed whisper. His voice was strained, a mixture of urgency and desperation. “I can’t take ‘it’ to my house, Clara. They can trace it back there.”

 Her anger flared, but a calculated practicality cut through her rage. “I’ll be there as soon as my shift ends.” She hung up, her frustration simmering just beneath the surface.

 She hoped it wouldn't get her in trouble so she would deny ever knowing him.

 A familiar voice broke through her thoughts; Ian, a senior doctor she'd partnered with before she'd become a lead cardiologist. They exchanged pleasantries, a brief, polite conversation about a shared patient.

 Small talks, Something Clara despised.

 “Heard about your promotion,” Ian said, a genuine smile lighting up his face.

 Clara beamed, basking in his compliment. “Last week! I had a small celebration.” She immediately regretted not inviting him.

 Moving her hair to behind her ear, she waited. She had nothing else to say but walking away felt more awkward.

 “Heard about the divorce too,” he said softly, a change of tone. “Tough times, those. I went through the same thing a few years back. Takes a while to get over."

 Just when she thought she would be out of Kage's shadows. 

 “I’m fine,” Clara insisted, a little too quickly. “I wanted this.” The words were barely out of her mouth when she realized the implications. If people believed she was broken, she could use it to her advantage.

 She could make him look like a bad person. She could get him fired.

 And then, the carefully constructed facade began to crack. “I’m not fine, not actually." she confessed, her voice trembling slightly. “I want peace. Kage… he has such a terrible.... terrible temper. It was hard at home. I wonder how he deals with patients.”

 She tried but the tears weren't coming. Clara then had to rely on her expressions.

 As if summoned, Kage wheeled past in his wheelchair, Salomé, his seemingly new companion, by his side. Clara overheard Salomé's laughter, it could be something else, really. But the fact he was doing well, the fact her damn assistant was doing okay with him vexed her. Fury threatened to consume her.

 “Oh, he's had a relationship with a patient before, you know,” Clara said, her voice dangerously low, almost a whisper. At that moment, all she wanted was to see Kage break more than he was. If only she had completed the job back then. Her gaze turned to Ian who nodded, his expression thoughtful, believing her words.

 Good. Very good.

  Clara feigned a few tears, offering a shaky apology. “I… I should go. I'm sorry.” She mumbled and excused herself.

 Ian watched her leave, a thoughtful frown creasing his brow. He’d known Kage for eight years, watched his steady ascent in the profession. Clara had only been there for five. It was such a shame no one knew her real struggle.

 People could be monsters in private, Ian mused, their carefully cultivated public image a thin veil hiding their true selves. He shrugged, understanding nothing, yet understanding everything at once.

 Meanwhile as Clara burst into her office, the adrenaline of the encounter with Ian still coursing through her veins. She knew she went too far; she couldn't even believe her own words but they had to be said.

 Buzz.

 Buzz.

 Another notification from her home security camera’s system.

 She immediately checked the security camera feed . Her breath hitched. Matt was loading two large duffel bags into his car. One of the bags bulged ominously, revealing a small blue plastic container peeking out—like a medication cup.  

 She was beginning to feel uneasy. Her stomach tightening, her heart beating fast. Worst, she still couldn't leave the hospital yet 

 "Stupid slow clock" she glared at the wall clock 

 Clara called him immediately, her voice tight with a mixture of apprehension and anger. “Matt, what the hell is really going on? I saw you on the camera. Don't even try to lie to me.”

 His response was hesitant, evasive. “Honey, It’s… it’s for another time, Clara. The last one went well, but I think someone at the company is onto me.”

 It?

 Last one?

 Someone being onto him?!!

 The pieces clicked into place with horrifying clarity. “Drugs, Matt?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper, the question hanging heavy in the air. His silence confirmed her worst fears.

 “What the fuck is wrong with you? What if you get caught?” she demanded, her voice rising.

 “I logged in fake prescriptions,” he said, his tone surprisingly calm, almost nonchalant. “No one will ever know. I packed them well. Once it hits the streets, it’ll be gone.” He went on to explain how he had meticulously planned everything. 

 Fake prescriptions, careful packaging—it was all laid out in a disturbingly calculated manner. He would sell it quickly once he got it into the streets. Clara sensed it wasn't the first time he had done it.

 A wave of disappointment washed over Clara. This was far beyond the casual infidelity she’d initially anticipated; this was criminal, dangerous. “Unbelievable! I don’t believe you, Matt,” she said, her voice flat, she was disappointed to the core as she ended the call.

 The weight of his deception pressed down on her, filling her with dread. The implications unfurled before her—what could happen to Matt, to her, and the unsettling realization that she was in way over her head. This was far more dangerous than she had ever anticipated.

 "I can't report him, right" she spoke to herself "I am an alibi, he is in my house! Fuck!!"