A widowed woman meets a younger man who seems too good to be true. Behind his charm lurks a deadly secret. Will she outwit him—or fall prey?
Flash Fiction Prompt
First Line Grab Hold:
She hadn’t laughed like that since her husband’s funeral.
Paragraph:
Evelyn swirled the golden liquid in her glass, its shimmer catching the candlelight like captured stars. Across the table sat Marcus—tall, dashing, and far too young to be hers. Yet his smile made her feel twenty again. He spoke of love with words that sounded like poetry and touched her hand with reverence. Evelyn thought fate had finally given her a second chance at happiness. What she didn’t know was that Marcus had perfected this role before. Twice. Two women, both wealthier than she, had succumbed to his intoxicating charm—and both were buried long before their time, their fortunes transferred into his eager hands. Marcus had patience; poison, after all, was not the work of haste. But Evelyn was not entirely naïve. A sharp mind, dulled by grief, was stirring once more. She noticed how he insisted on pouring her wine, how his gaze lingered as she raised the glass. Perhaps Marcus wasn’t the only one playing a dangerous game. Was she a moth to the flame, or had he finally chosen the wrong widow to seduce?
Three Questions for Writers
- At what moment might Evelyn sense Marcus’s true intentions?
- Could she turn his plan against him before it’s too late?
- Should the story end with justice, irony, or shocking complicity?
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