The words on the screen blurred.
Funeral Home Confirmation — Service Scheduled for S. Pierce.
My breath stopped halfway into my lungs.
S. Pierce.
My married name.
Not Megan.
Not anyone else.
Me.
Logan hadn’t just talked about an accident.
He had planned my death down to the paperwork.
A cold wave rolled through my body — not panic, not yet — something deeper.
Survival.
The Realization
I opened the email with shaking fingers.
There it was.
A contract with a funeral home across town.
Deposit paid.
Preferred date: tomorrow evening.
Cause of death section left blank.
But under notes:
“Vehicle accident — sudden. Family private viewing requested.”
My stomach flipped.
He had already imagined my body.
Already pictured the aftermath.
Already rehearsed grief.
I pressed my hand over my mouth to keep from screaming in the middle of the street.
Megan
I ran to Natalie’s car and drove straight to Megan’s house.
When she opened the door, I grabbed her shoulders.
“You were supposed to ride with me tonight,” I said.
She blinked. “Yeah… why?”
I handed her my phone.
She read.
Her face drained white.
“Oh my God,” she whispered.
Then louder:
“Oh my God.”
The Truth Clicks
Megan looked up slowly.
“He said… ‘your sister’s funeral,’” she repeated.
I nodded.
Tears filled her eyes instantly.
“He meant… me,” she said weakly.
“No,” I said.
“He meant both of us.”
Because if we were in the car together…
Two victims.
No witnesses.
Double tragedy.
Carolyn Pierce
By the time we reached Logan’s mother’s house, the tow truck was already parked outside.
Carolyn stood on the porch in her immaculate blazer, arms crossed.
She looked annoyed.
Until she saw my face.
“What is this nonsense?” she snapped.
I handed her the email.
She read silently.
Her lips parted.
Then something rare happened.
Fear crossed her eyes.
The Inspection
The mechanic crouched beside the car under the driveway lights.
Ten minutes later he stood up slowly.
“Brake line’s cut,” he said.
Clean.
Intentional.
Not wear and tear.
Sabotage.
Carolyn staggered backward one step.
“My son wouldn’t…” she whispered.
But she didn’t finish the sentence.
Because deep down…
She knew.
The Phone Call
Right then, my phone rang.
Logan.
I put him on speaker.
“Hey,” he said casually. “You coming tonight or what?”
Carolyn’s hand flew to her mouth.
I forced my voice steady.
“Car trouble,” I said. “Might be late.”
A pause.
Then his tone shifted — sharp.
“What do you mean car trouble?”
My pulse spiked.
“Just… mechanical,” I said.
Silence stretched.
Then he laughed.
A slow, controlled laugh.
“Well,” he said, “make sure you still come. Wouldn’t want you missing family events.”
The line went dead.
The Decision
Carolyn looked at me.
“What do you want to do?” she asked quietly.
I didn’t hesitate.
“Call the police.”
The Arrest
Two hours later, Logan was arrested at the restaurant where he was waiting for us.
Still holding a drink.
Still smiling.
Until the handcuffs clicked.
Witnesses later said his face went completely blank — like someone had pulled the plug on his personality.
The Evidence
Police found more than brake tampering.
Much more.
Search history:
“How long after brake failure before impact.”
“Average survival in car crash.”
“Life insurance payout spouse.”
And the final blow:
The funeral contract.
Prepaid.
Signed.
Dated three days earlier.
The Motive
When detectives asked why…
The answer was simple.
Insurance.
Debt.
And resentment that I had left him.
He thought tragedy would solve everything.
The Courtroom
Months later, I sat in court as evidence played.
Audio from his phone.
“…yeah, I took care of her brakes…”
The same laugh.
The same voice.
The room went silent.
Logan didn’t look at me once.
The Aftermath
Megan moved closer to me after that.
We became protective of each other in a way we never had before.
Natalie said something that stuck with me:
“You didn’t just save yourself,” she said.
“You saved your sister too.”
The Final Twist
Weeks after the trial, Carolyn asked to meet me.
She looked older.
Smaller.
“I raised him,” she said quietly. “And I didn’t see what he became.”
She slid an envelope across the table.
Inside was a transfer confirmation.
The house.
Signed over to me.
“I can’t undo what he did,” she said.
“But you deserve safety.”
I stared at the paper.
For the first time since that night…
I exhaled fully.
Final Line
I only went home for car papers.
Instead…
I walked away with my life.
And the truth that sometimes the most dangerous person in your world…
Is the one who once promised to protect you.