Chapter 268 - Hello, Catherine

''Hello, Catherine; ''

His voice as cold as midwinter breezed through the room kicking every atom of sleep from Catherine's eyes; she shook on her bed, her face as pale as the snow. He was wearing all black with black gloves on his hands, if not that she didn't believe in ghosts she would have thought he was a ghost.

''You are dead… you…how are you alive… '' she stuttered in shock as she stared at him, not even in her wildest dreams did she imagine that he would be alive.

''Yea, I am dead. And you know one thing about dead people? Murder can never be traced to them. ''

A cold smile slanted Nicklaus's lips as he stared at Catherine with a cold and deathly glare. His right hand picking up a gun from the side stool.

''God! '' Catherine screamed as she jumped up from the bed, shaking like she had seen a ghost.

''Why are you screaming? You can't tell me you haven't seen a gun before, I mean, 18 years ago, you killed my parents with one, so why are you looking scared? ''

Catherine rubbed her face with her shaky hands; ''Nicklaus, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to… It was a mistake, I regret every one of my actions; please don't… don't kill me… '' she pleaded as tears fell from the sides of her eyes.

Nicklaus watched her silently for a moment and suddenly he burst out laughing. He laughed for a minute before he turned to her;

''Why did you kill them? '' Nicklaus asked, crossing his legs,

Catherine swallowed saliva down her dry throat; so many questions ran through her mind. How did he get here? Who let him in? Her eyes flashed open instantly when she remembered that Liam was sleeping at the end of the hallway and she turned to him in shock;

''Li…am, my son, what did you do to him? '' she asked, looking scared;

''You haven't answered my question Catherine;'' Nicklaus said absentmindedly as though he did not hear what she said;

'���Oh God!! '' Catherine cried out loud; ''please you can kill me, you can do anything to me but please let Liam go, he doesn't know anything. I beg you… '' He was the only reason she was still strong and had not lost her mind. She did not get married, spent her years fighting and trying not to get killed for all the evils she had done, sometimes she nearly lost it, but when she remembered she had him, she continued pushing; but now, no, no, she didn't want to think about it.

Nicklaus watched her cry dejectedly; she was staring at the door as though waiting for Liam to magically appear but he did not.

He waited until she had put herself together, she was going to die anyway; he would let her know what her tears tasted like before she joins the dead.

''I'm still waiting Catherine, you haven't answered my questions, or we could stay here all day, don't worry, no-one is coming to save you. '' He smiled wickedly, sending shivers running down her spine.

Catherine bit her inner lip, ''How could he make me fall for him and then marry another woman? He didn't want me and yet he wanted to keep me close? He knew he could never marry me because I was from a poor background, but he flirted with me until I had fallen hook, line, and sinker and then he went ahead to marry that woman!

I couldn't take it! I tried! I really tried! '' Catherine laughed derisively, she didn't want to remember, she had locked this part of her memories off but today, everything came rushing back'

''You know the worst part, after sleeping with me, he tells me to abort the baby! How can he do that! How! ''

Catherine shook on the bed, as her veins popped from the side of her face.

''And I refused and had the baby, because I loved him, and do you know, at that time, he was still engaged, I thought… I thought he would marry me since I was having his baby, but your father did not, instead, he paid me off with some meager company, which I toiled day and night to bring it up to what it is now.

And you expect me to just move on and watch him raise his kids in a home, while my son can't even call him father. I couldn't let that happen and that's why I killed him. ''

Nicklaus's fingers dug into his palm as he listed to Catherine holding back the anger raging inside of him.

''You killed my mom and my four-year-old sister too; ''

Catherine paused; '' the initial plan was to kill just him, but you see, when I realized I could get the Howells Corporation, I decided to kill all of you, haha. It was a fool-proof plan, but everything came crashing down when you went missing that day, God! I searched everywhere, I searched everywhere for you! How did you leave the house? You were just an eight-year-old! '' Catherine gripped her hair with her both hands, if she had just killed him that night, everything would have been fine,

''I was there, I was in the house. ''

Her eyes flashed to him in surprise; ''no, I made sure we searched everywhere… ''

''I was there and I saw you, Catherine, I saw you kill my both parents. I watched you shoot my mom on the neck and watched her blood fill the sheets, I watched her struggle for breath as her life slipped away from her slowly; 

I stared at my father's eyes as blood dripped from his head. He was staring straight at me as his life was forcefully taken away. I heard your derisive laughter resound in the room, as you walked away victorious, so I was here. ''

Catherine gulped as realization dawned on her. That day, the only place they didn't search was the master bedroom; they never thought that he could be there.

Her lips fluttered but she could not say a word. Nicklaus watched her for a moment and then c.o.c.ked the gun in his hand, standing up from the couch;