Ring Of Death

~RING OF DEATH~

AMELIA Smith was known for her muscular build. She was strong and flexible by all standards. Her heavy-set body and strength were not the only products of the years she served in the Army. Amelia's dark eyes had an unfathomable look in them, her expression undecipherable. Many considered her mysterious and moody, but only a handful knew her true characteristics. Her husband, Jason Smith, was one of the handful.

"Goodnight and sleep tight, sweetheart! I'll be back around five in the morning!" Jason smiled at his wife and leaned in to kiss her.

"Gah! I just hate that job you have! Unpredictable shifts, I tell you!" Amelia pouted. "I never get cuddle-time with my husband anymore! And you know I'm never awake when you get back!"

"I know, love. We'll sleep in late tomorrow, alright?" Jason gently brushed his hands across Amelia's pale cheeks, her skin glowing slightly from the nightlamp next to the bed.

"Fine. Goodnight!" Amelia gave him a final wistful kiss and slumped back onto her pillow, watching Jason leave their bedroom. The front door slammed shut a moment later and Amelia heard Jason's Audi purr to life through the open window.

The next second, Amelia was out of the bed and in the hallway in her nightgown. In the last few weeks, the sharp-minded woman had detected no clinical scent off his husband whenever he returned from one of his late hospital shifts. Instead, she only sensed a slight bleariness in his eyes the next morning after they both pretended they were asleep throughout their time in bed. She had questioned this, of course.

"I'm tired from all the patients, love. I just wish I was with you throughout the night!" He would always tell her. Oh, I'm sure you do... Amelia would always think, her suspicion growing every time it happened.

So that day, the perceptive woman had 'accidentally' slipped a small amount of strong vodka into Jason's usual evening drink of brandy and a splash of wine. As expected, Jason was a little muddled and unsteady in his actions, though not as much as he should have.

A daily intake of stronger alcohol causes this... Amelia had deduced. Jason is so used to this heady feeling that he doesn't notice it anymore.

To prove Amelia's suspicions completely right, Jason needed only do one more thing than what he did everyday. And he would do it, since he had already drank more alcohol than he was used to everyday.

At exactly three-thirteen in the morning, it happened.

Jason brought a girl home.

He stumbled into the house, his hand clutching at the girl's waist. They didn't glance at the dark interior of the house as they kissed against the door. If they did, perhaps, they could have seen the woman lounging across the couch. If they did, perhaps, they could have seen the tears of betrayal in her dark eyes as she stared at them. If they did, perhaps, they could have seen her strike before she did.

Because with stunning grace and agility, Amelia leaped across the room and conked Jason hard on the head with something. He fell, bringing the girl down with him in his arms. Amelia's strike was sinuous as a snake's, all her strength put into the swing of her arm as she smashed her engagement ring into her husband's head. The large diamond hit a nerve and Jason was dead before he hit the floor. The girl sprawled under his body, unconscious from shock and the alcohol running in her bloodstream.

Amelia dropped to the floor beside them as the reality of what had happened hit her. She raised a shaky hand and felt for her husband's pulse. She got the expected result- no life. For not the first time in her life, Amelia felt numb. Numb from the pain caused by her cheating husband. Numb from the guilt caused by his murder. Numb from the doubt that plagued her, not knowing what to do. She stared at the corpse infront of her as the sun rose and stars faded.