Kevin sat at an old, rickety table. Exactly two weeks had passed since his wife had finalized the divorce, and he had been left without a penny to his name.
He had gotten absolutely nothing from the union. He could sit for hours, drowning his sorrows in cheap liquor, but he hadn’t taken a single step to resolve his situation. – Kevin, maybe you should get a job? We need to eat.
Rita said calmly, looking at her lover. They were now living in the apartment she rented. – You need to eat? Then you go get a job, – he snapped, refilling his grimy glass to the brim.
– You’re driving me crazy! Did I just leave one shrew to move in with another? If you keep nagging me, I’ll leave you too, – he said harshly. He glared at her with malice but saw only indifference in her eyes. She didn’t care anymore, just as his wife—now his ex-wife—had suddenly stopped caring.
– You know what? Maybe you should just go, huh? – Tiffany said. – Pack your things and go wherever you want.
– I was a fool to ever believe you! The only people I’m ashamed in front of now are your ex-wife and my future child, for choosing someone like you. I’m not going to pity you, console you, or feed you. Get out! – Tiffany repeated.
Enraged, stunned, and utterly bewildered, the man slammed his fist on the table. It groaned ominously, nearly collapsing under the force. He quickly threw his belongings into a duffel bag and walked out of the apartment, unaware that he would never return. He was furious…
Hatred boiled within him. But then, a brilliant idea struck him. He stopped in his tracks and burst out laughing, replaying the idea over and over in his mind.
It was the perfect plan for revenge. His spirits lifted, but a few problems remained. First, to carry out his plan, he needed to get to the location.
Second, he had to get away from there as quickly as possible. Kevin no longer had his car, and Owen had cut all ties with him. He decided to take public transportation.
It would be a long journey, but it was the better option, and it might even help provide him with an alibi if needed. Kevin made his way to the bus terminal, bought two tickets for connecting routes, and waited for his bus to arrive. A dark blue bus with a white stripe, its windows covered in dark tint, pulled around the corner.
It rattled slightly, looking as if it might fall apart mid-journey. But no one was surprised; in this city, most of the public transit system was held together with duct tape and a prayer. Kevin waited his turn and boarded the old bus, which was filled with the smell of old socks, sweaty feet, and a cloying mix of cheap perfumes.
He found a seat and popped a piece of mint gum into his mouth to ward off motion sickness. He had dropped his duffel bag off with an old acquaintance before leaving, so he wouldn’t have to carry it with him. He reached the affluent rural town relatively quickly.
All that was left was to find the house his ex-wife had inherited from her great-grandmother. Kevin wandered through the village until he found the place. It was a massive mansion with turrets, ornate fences, and crossbeams.
It looked like something out of a fairy tale, a stark contrast to the standard suburban houses surrounding it. At that moment, Kevin had no idea how many problems his imperfect revenge would cause. He noticed that the house appeared to be unoccupied.
He spent half the day circling the property, monitoring for any activity, but there was none. When night fell, Kevin slung a gas can, which he had stolen from an old acquaintance a few streets over, onto his shoulder. Stealing was easy these days.
Many of the town’s wealthy residents were still away for the season. Kevin snuck onto the property and began his act of vengeance. He trembled with a mix of excitement and glee, picturing his wife’s face when she learned that her precious great-grandmother’s mansion had been burned to the ground.
When the magnificent wooden house caught fire, no one noticed anything suspicious at first. It seemed the neighboring houses were also empty. But when the flames engulfed a large portion of the structure and the blaze became visible from a distance, people began to stir.
They immediately called the fire department, formed a bucket brigade, and tried to douse the flames until help arrived, but the mansion could not be saved. Doused in gasoline, the house had burned substantially before the fire trucks arrived, leaving behind nothing but a blackened skeleton. Early the next morning, as a police car pulled up to the property, Kevin stood on a street corner, watching the scene unfold.
He kept waiting for his wife to arrive at the scene of the crime. But she never came. He nervously bit his nails as a tall, thin man got out of a car, followed by a stockier man who bore a slight resemblance to the first.
Kevin decided it was time to leave. Who knew what the police might find. Maybe he had left traces behind.
The bus arrived at the station two hours later. A sizable crowd had gathered, but Kevin didn’t get a chance to leave. He was flanked by two men who escorted him to a police car.
Driven by his desire for revenge, Kevin had made a series of unforgivable mistakes, which provided the police with irrefutable proof of his guilt. At the station, Kevin demanded that his ex-wife be brought in. The officers exchanged puzzled glances, unsure what to make of it.
But Valerie, upon learning what had happened, decided to come on her own to speak with her ex-husband. Kevin would never forget that conversation. He sat handcuffed to a table, staring through a thick pane of glass at Valerie, who now seemed far more beautiful to him than she ever had during their marriage.
He looked at her, saying nothing. His eyes burned with anticipation. He was just waiting for her to break down in tears, mourning her grandmother’s house.
– You didn’t just burn down my great-grandmother’s mansion; you destroyed a piece of history, the famous Ivanson estate. I hope you’re satisfied, but I also hope you understood what you were doing. I sold that mansion six months ago, almost immediately after I inherited it.
– You see, a huge wooden house requires meticulous upkeep, and I had neither the time nor the desire to deal with it. I sold the house to the person who offered the highest possible price. That was Donovan.
She had only to say the name for Kevin to realize the monstrous mistake he had made. He stared at his wife. His eyes widened and filled with sheer terror.
He looked at her, unable to utter a single word. Valerie stood up and left the room, and he was taken to a cell. He had burned down the house of Donovan, the infamous billionaire with a ruthless and often frightening reputation…
In that moment, the man understood that he wouldn’t be getting off with a simple suspended sentence. And he was right. He received a substantial prison term.