I Caught My Husband in the Crypt and Buried Him Chapter 1

During the annual memorial at the family estate, my husband and his brother’s wife vanished. I was lighting candles by my father’s open grave with my mother in law Martha when glowing text flashed before my eyes.

It said my husband had hidden inside the burial vault with Mia, and the groundskeepers would fill the grave that afternoon. It mocked their death wish.

Then I understood. He had not gone to pick lilies. He was sneaking into the crypt to be with her.

As I stood, Declan, his half brother, stopped me. He said the wind was too strong and that he would look instead.

The text reappeared. It praised Declan for covering for them. It said Mia only married him to stay near my husband. Once she had a girl, they would trick me into believing my missing daughter was found.

But the next line froze me. It said my daughter had died long ago in an abandoned pigpen. They kept me only to drain my accounts.

I swallowed the rising bile. I turned to Martha and said the vault looked unstable. I told her we should have it filled at once.

Relatives took shovels to help. If they loved hiding in graves, they could stay there and keep my daughter company.

* * *

[Holy shit! Why is the wife filling the grave now? This isn't how the script goes!]

[It's fine. The dirt is barely at their ankles. The brother needs to step up and save the day!]

Declan stepped forward, blocking the relatives.

"This... filling the plot so suddenly might bring bad luck. Shouldn't we wait for the priest to bless the earth first?"

I leaned on my shovel, lifting my eyes to glare at him.

A year ago, Declan was the one who suggested taking my daughter out for a walk.

Penny was only three. She could barely walk straight, but she clamored to go to the store to buy candy for me because my blood sugar was low.

She never came back.

Declan claimed he took her to meet Preston and Mia. He said the moment Penny saw them, she ripped her hand away and ran off into the crowd.

I refused to believe it. I searched the streets for three days and three nights. I screamed her name until my vocal cords bled. I walked until my feet were covered in gruesome blisters.

In the end, all I could do was file a missing person's report. I sat by her empty princess bed and cried every single day for a year.

And now, these floating comments were telling me my baby girl died in a rotting, rural pigpen?

My knuckles turned white around the wooden shovel handle. A cold sneer crept onto my lips.

"Leaving a gaping hole like this disturbs the dead. We need to let your father rest."

Declan froze, his eyes darting around nervously.

"Audrey, I'm just thinking of Preston. You know how superstitious he is about the family plot. We should at least wait for him to get back and take a look."

The glowing text updated in real time.

[Good job, bro! Otherwise the dirt would be at their waists by now. How are they supposed to make a baby in that?!]

[I am so stressed! They are right in the middle of the action! Why is the wife being such a pain?]

I nodded slowly. Since he wanted to play this game, I would play along.

"Fine. We will wait for your brother, Preston. Oh, and Mia too. We can all pay our respects and seal the grave together."

Before Declan could let out a sigh of relief, I turned to the crowd and raised my voice.

"Everyone has been working hard all morning! It's time I treat you all to a proper meal."

I pulled out my phone and dialed the most extravagant southern barbecue joint in the county.

"Hi, I need five massive party platters of ribs, ten buckets of fried chicken, twenty briskets, fifty pulled pork sliders..."

Ignoring Declan's horrified stare, I let my lips curl into a slow, venomous smile.

"The walk down the hill is too steep. Let's just sit right here by the grave, eat, and wait for Preston and Mia."

The floating comments exploded into an absolute frenzy.

[She gets to stuff her face, but what about our main couple?! The oxygen in the vault is running out!]

[Ahhh this is bad! Mia is going to pass out from hypoxia!]

[Look! Preston is kissing her to share his breath! The sexual tension is insane!]

[Who cares if the bitter wife throws a tantrum? She's just a tool to push the plot forward!]

[Exactly. The main couple has plot armor. They won't actually die.]