Bloodstained Vows: Recipe For Revenge

Ashley was thinking about how her boyfriend's reaction would be like with a smile on her face. He loved hearing her talk about her cooking and was always eager to hear whatever new recipe she had.

Ashley practically skipped up the steps to her apartment, a wide grin plastered on her face.

She put her key in the door and pushed it open with the hand that was clutching her recipe book with her fingers bookmarking the page.

Her other hands were holding two grocery bags filled with the ingredients she would need to make the meal for the both of them.

"Babe!" Ashley called out as she opened the door. She lifted her head, her gaze fixed on the place where he always stood every time, she came back home.

He always knew when she was back and would already be on his way to the door by the time, she opened the door. But today, he wasn't there.

The air in the house suddenly grew cold and eerie. The hairs on her neck rose as goosebumps spread all over her arms.

She shook her head and told herself to stop thinking such negative thoughts. He was probably too tired to meet her, or maybe he was down with a mild sickness? Or perhaps... he didn't hear her.

"Babe, I'm home!" She called out again, despite the feeling in her gut telling her that wasn't the case.

She took a slow step into the house and instinctively looked around the house to check if anything was amiss.

"Peter!" She yelled little louder, her voice bouncing eerily off the bare walls.

No answer.

A knot of unease tightened in her stomach. She ventured deeper into the apartment, her smile long gone, replaced by a frown.

The TV blared mindlessly in the living room, casting flickering shadows on the walls. A newspaper lay abandoned on the coffee table, its headline screaming about a child trafficker that had been apprehended.

To her relief, everything was in order. She calmed down and let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding.

She dropped the grocery bags on the table and wiped her face with her palms.

'I really should be more positive' She said to herself and laughed, feeling silly. 'Who knows? He may be in the shower,' she thought again with a sly smile spread across her face.

She rushed to the room, the previous excitement about sharing her recipe with him returning, but the moment she entered the room, she wished she never did.

Ashley's eyes widened as she took in the scene in front of her. A blood curdling scream erupted from her due to the shock, anger and grief coursing through her.

She fell to her knees beside her boyfriend who lay face down on the ground. Blood and what looked like brain matter was splattered on the walls.

There was a gun a little close to him, which she would have imagined fell when he shot himself... Well, if he did it.

The tears fell from her face fast and hot as she repeated "No. No. No"

She couldn't bring herself to move closer to him, because she didn't want to believe anything. It had to be a nightmare.

Shortly after, as she knelt there screaming and crying, her neighbors rushed in. She heard them curse and mutter words like "Jesus, what happened here?" But she was too mentally weak to speak.

Kira hugged Ashley to comfort her, covering her mouth to muffle her own sobs as she stared at Peter's body, limp on the floor.

Kira's husband, Henry called the police, and then helped his wife move Ashley to the sitting room.

The insistent wail of sirens pierced the eerie silence that had descended upon the apartment. A moment later, two uniformed officers burst through the door, their expressions grim.

They asked a few questions and were directed to where the scene was. Ashley trailed behind the police with Kira and her husband right by her side.

One officer, a woman with a kind face and steely eyes, knelt by Peter's body, while her partner, a tall man with a shaved head, scanned the room, his gaze lingering on the gun lying near the body.

"Stay calm, ma'am," the woman said gently to Ashley, who was beginning to break down again as she took in the scene, tears streaming down her face.

"My name's Officer Miller. Can you tell me what happened here?"

Ashley shook her head mutely, unable to form words. Kira, her voice thick with emotion, explained how they had found Ashley in a state of shock and pointed to the gruesome scene in the bedroom.

The male officer, Officer Harris, moved towards the gun, and picked it up with gloved hands. "Did Mr. Cornwell have any enemies?" he asked Kira, his voice a low rumble.

"Peter? No, not at all," Kira replied, her brow furrowing in confusion. "He was a kind soul, always willing to help anyone. This doesn't make any sense!"

Officer Miller gently nudged Ashley towards the living room. "Come and sit down, dear. Can you tell us when you last saw your boyfriend alive?"

Ashley's voice, barely a whisper, rasped, "When I left this morning. And I came home from grocery shopping, excited to cook for him." She buried her face in her hands, her body wracked with sobs.

Officer Miller placed a comforting hand on Ashley's shoulder. "It's okay to cry, honey. We're here to help you."

Meanwhile, Officer Harris examined the scene with a carefully practiced eye. He noticed a broken window with shards of glass scattered on the floor. He called Officer Miller over.

"Looks like a forced entry, Miller. Robbery gone wrong, maybe?"

"Could be," Officer Miller replied. She turned to Ashley, who followed behind her, now slightly calmer. "Did anything seem out of place when you arrived, Ashley? Missing valuables, anything like that?"

Ashley shook her head, trying to think through her grief. "No, I don't think so. At least not in the living room, I haven't checked everything yet."

Officer Harris took pictures of the broken window and the crime scene while Officer Miller continued talking to Ashley. They asked about any arguments or threats Peter might have received, but Ashley's mind was clouded and hazy with grief.

Officer Miller gave a small, sad smile. "We understand this is a difficult time, Ms. Peterson. But anything you can tell us, even if it seems insignificant, might help."