Sophie sat, legs crossed, on her couch. Her jittery leg channeled her nervous anxiety. She peered down at her watch, 6:30 in the morning. Where could he be, she wondered.

The sun must be rising. The first blue-gray light began to glow around the edges of the drawn shades. She huffed and took to her feet. She gave up, time to go on to bed. He was not coming home.

She heard a muffled thud through the door from outside. She stopped and crossed her arms, waiting for him. The screen door screeched open, the lock tumblers clicked, and finally the door swung open. It was him.

He stepped in and tried, as quietly as possible, to shut the door silently behind him. It was not until he walked into the living room that he saw Sophie standing there angrily.

“Oh, hey. Just got home,” he said nervously.

“Yeah, I see that. Graveyard shift run a bit late, did it, Blaine?” She was fuming. He smelled heavily of his cologne. He was trying to cover up another smell, she thought.

“Yeah, I would have called, but I was trying to hurry up and get out of there.” He chuckled nervously, then changed the subject, “What are you still doing awake?”

“Waiting for you. I was going to be the good wife and draw you a bath.”

Blaine smiled. “Well, you still can if you want.”

She flashed him an angry glare and then made her way to the bathroom.

When he heard the water running, he sat in the recliner and reflected. She hadn’t figured it out, he guessed, that was a close one.

She came to the end of the hall. “I’m going to bed. I’ll see you when you get done with your bath.”

“Okay, baby. I’ll be just a few minutes.” He groaned and kicked off his shoes.

The sunlight was growing brighter behind the shades. Thin strips of light trailed through the room, and gradually grew closer to Blaine. He sighed and slid his shirt off as he walked to the bathroom.

The water was still steaming. Hot, just like he liked it. Sophie always draws the best baths, he grinned smugly.

Blaine stepped into the tub. The water was very hot. Hotter than normal. He hesitated and then the intense pain flowed up his legs.

He let out a cry of pain and tried to jump out, but slipped and fell into the water instead. He thrashed around, banging his elbows and knees against the porcelain walls of the tub.

Soon the thrashing subsided and his body dissolved nearly completely. Nothing but blood and hair remained.

Sophie leaned against the door frame of the bathroom. She glared coldly into the bloody mess in the tub. He had cheated on her for the last time, she confirmed to herself. She tossed the empty vial of holy water into the trash can.