On the day of my mother’s funeral, I ended up in the river.
To this day, I still don’t know whether I slipped… or if someone pushed me.
The whole day had passed like a blur. People hugged me, said words of sympathy, quietly cried, and placed food on the memorial table. I heard voices around me, but it all felt distant, like I was underwater.
By evening the guests started leaving. The house suddenly felt heavy and suffocating. I needed air, so I quietly walked down to the river near our house.
It had rained earlier, and the ground along the bank was wet and slippery. I stood right at the edge of the water, staring at the dark current.
And then suddenly the ground disappeared from under my feet.
I didn’t even have time to scream before the icy water closed above my head.
The current was incredibly strong. My dress instantly became heavy, dragging me down, and my shoes made it almost impossible to move. For a few terrifying seconds I swallowed water and thought that this was the end.
But years ago, when I was younger, I used to practice swimming. My body reacted faster than my fear.
I forced myself onto my back, kicked hard, and began swimming toward the reeds growing along the shore. My fingers finally touched the stiff stalks. I grabbed them with all my strength and slowly pulled myself out of the river.
I collapsed on the muddy bank, gasping for breath.
And that’s when I heard voices.
Someone was standing on the edge of the bank right above me.
I carefully looked up through the reeds… and froze.
It was my husband and my best friend.
They were standing very close to the edge, looking down at the water.
“She won’t make it out,” my husband said calmly. “Even experienced swimmers would struggle here.”
My friend sounded nervous.
“What if she does?”
“She won’t. Besides, everyone saw she had a little to drink after the funeral. She slipped and fell.”
My friend quietly laughed.
“Right. I’ll say I saw her fall. I’ll say I tried to help but couldn’t reach her in time.”
“Exactly,” my husband replied.
In that moment a terrible thought struck me.
What if I hadn’t fallen by accident at all?
There was a short silence before my friend asked another question.
“Alright… but what about her mother’s death? Did you pay them?”
My husband answered as calmly as if he were discussing the weather.
“Yes. Everything is under control. Everyone believed it was a heart attack.”
Something inside me shattered.
My friend chuckled softly.
“Now that both of them are almost gone… tell me the truth. Why did you need to get rid of them at the same time?”
There was a pause.
“Because they knew a very important secret.”
“What secret?”
I held my breath.
And when my husband answered, an icy chill ran through my entire body.
That was the real reason he had gotten rid of my mother…
…and why he had just tried to get rid of me too. 
