by Michael checked his watch and closed his laptop, putting his commissioned art on hold for his impending guest. The messy hotel room didn’t concern him; he prioritized a shower and donned a casual outfit. A knock on the door signaled his guest’s arrival—Lucy, the maid.
If only Michael knew Lucy’s reality, he would’ve never let her in. His judgment had been clouded. He welcomed her inside, closing the door behind them.
Lucy disliked being near Michael, but right now, she was only focused on her revenge. She knew she wouldn’t get a better chance to get back at the couple for what they’d done to her.
“I’ve been waiting so long for Friday when you’d finally come back to me,” he said, leading her toward the bed.
“I’ve been waiting too, my dear. I wish we could do this every day,” Lucy replied, hiding her disgust.
Suddenly, a loud knock on the door interrupted them.
“Did you order anything?”
“No,” Lucy shook her head.
Michael answered the door and froze. His wife, Mary, had unexpectedly returned from a business presentation. “Surprise!” she yelled.
“Mary, my beloved wife!”
Panicking, he pretended everything was normal, trying to keep Mary from entering the bedroom. But Mary was suspicious.
“Enough lying. Where is she?” Mary snapped, pushing past him.
“I don’t know who you’re talking about!” Michael said casually. But ignoring him, Mary approached the en suite bathroom. Michael panicked.
“Honey, please tell me what’s going on. We should go down to the hotel restaurant…”
Mary flung open the bathroom door—empty. But the bed’s condition hinted at recent activity. Still, Lucy was gone.
“See? There’s no one here, honey. You’re just overthinking. The pressure at work has made you anxious.”
Mary sighed, and her tension seemed to ease. She smiled at him and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“If you love only me, prove it,” she said, teasingly.
Michael gently led her to the bed, whispering softly. Mary laughed, but a phone ringing under the bed interrupted their moment.
“Whose phone is that?” Mary asked.
“Oh, uh…it’s mine,” Michael replied.
Desperate, Michael reached under the bed. Thankfully, Lucy discreetly slid the phone to him.
“You see? I just changed the ringtone,” Michael said. “That way, I can tell when it’s work or when it’s you calling.”
Mary frowned. “It’s just strange. I swear I could smell perfume…”
Michael put his arm around her. “There’s nobody here, and there never was. It’s probably the air freshener,” he said.
Mary glanced at the device on the wall. “Maybe you’re right,” she nodded.
Michael smiled. “You just need some fresh air. Later, we’ll have lunch and maybe I’ll remind you how much I love you.”
“Okay.” Mary smiled and kissed his cheek. “I’ll take a walk by the pool. Be right back.”
Michael exhaled as Mary left. “That was close!” Lucy whispered, sliding out from under the bed.
Early that evening, Lucy pushed her cleaning cart down a corridor, satisfied with her plan. Suddenly, a voice startled her.
“Hey.” Mary appeared.
“Hi,” Lucy replied nervously.
“How do you like my husband?” Mary asked, and Lucy froze.
“Er…what do you mean?”
“I mean, do you like him?” Mary asked calmly.
“No! I mean, yes… no. He’s just a guest,” Lucy said. “Personal involvement is against hotel policy.”
Mary smirked. “Oh! I’m just kidding.”
Lucy relaxed. But Mary added, “Did you see him with anyone today or last Friday?”
“I didn’t, ma’am.”
“I need to see the hallway security footage.”
“Sorry, that’s against policy,” Lucy replied.
“There’s a nice tip in it for you.”
“I can’t. I really can’t.”
“Then I’ll just talk to security myself. I’ll say I lost my wallet.”
Lucy panicked. “Don’t do that. I’ll help you.”
In the surveillance room, Lucy hesitated at the monitor.
“Turn the footage back to around 11 this morning,” Mary instructed.
“Okay…” Lucy said, trembling.
The screen showed Lucy pushing the cleaning cart. “Nothing special here,” Lucy said.
“Let’s keep watching.”
Lucy used the moment to text Michael, and Mary stepped aside to take a phone call.
On-screen, Lucy returned to Michael’s door. Michael stepped out and greeted her warmly.
Mary returned to the monitor just as Lucy entered the room across the hall.
“And there you are,” Lucy added, pointing to Mary arriving a few seconds later.
Mary sighed. “I’m sorry. I doubted you.”
As she turned to leave, Lucy’s phone rang.
“One more thing,” Mary said. “Send someone to carry my luggage. I’m leaving for another trip.”
Lucy nodded. As Mary left, Lucy sighed in relief. Phase two of her plan had begun.
Back in the hotel room, Michael’s phone rang again. A masked number. He knew what it was.
“Hello?” he answered.
“Michael. Ready for our final transaction?”
Michael glanced around. “Yes. I’ve got the money.”
“Good. This is the last one, Michael. Don’t mess it up.”
“You’ll get it. Just wait a second.”
He logged into Mary’s account. He had been withdrawing money from her for months, pretending it was for art expenses—but really to stop this blackmailer. Now, he needed $50,000 more.
“Mary won’t notice,” he muttered.
As he clicked send, the phone rang again.
“What’s the delay?” asked the altered voice.
“I’m doing it! You’ll get your money.”
“This is your last warning. Fail, and your secrets go public.”
“You’ll get it,” Michael said, completing the transaction.
But even as the screen showed $0, he knew this nightmare wasn’t over.
Later that night, Michael returned to the room. Lucy was near the bed, cleaning.
“Now that Mary’s gone, it’s just us,” he grinned.
A knock interrupted him.
“Not now!” he called out.
He turned back to Lucy, only to hear another knock.
When he opened the door — Lucy was there, in her uniform.
He turned around and saw Mary, now dressed identically.
“Hello, husband!” she greeted him.
“Mary! You look… incredible.”
“You’re caught, Michael. I knew she was under the bed this morning!”
“This is just a misunderstanding!” he begged.
“Save it! I want you gone. In an hour!”
As he knelt to plead, Mary turned to Lucy. “And you—time to get fired.”
But Lucy smiled. “I don’t mind. Because now, my sister Samantha has her justice.”
Michael and Mary froze.
Samantha, their former maid, had once been falsely accused by Michael to hide an actual affair. Mary believed his lie. Samantha, pregnant and struggling, lost her job and later her baby. She fell into despair and took her own life.
Lucy, her sister, only found out the full story through a final letter.
Michael realized: Lucy had been the blackmailer all along.
But there was nothing he could do. He had lost everything.
As Lucy walked out of the hotel, she whispered, “I got your revenge, Sammy.” She donated the money to a charity for orphaned children.
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