4 Off the Cliff

Sabrina groaned as a sharp pain tore through her ribs. A foot slammed into her side again, harder this time, forcing her eyes to fly open. Her body felt unbearably heavy, her limbs weak, and her head pounded so fiercely that she could barely think.

The cold earth beneath her palms was littered with leaves, sticks, and jagged stones pressing into her skin. She tried to push herself up, her vision swimming as she struggled to take in her surroundings.

When her gaze finally focused, her heart sank.

She was in the woods, or more precisely, at the edge of a cliff. The air was cold, the wind biting against her skin as it howled through the trees. Standing a few feet away were her fiancé Kyler, her best friend Charlotte, and her half-sister Reliana, their expressions a horrifying mix of malice and satisfaction.

Kyler stepped closer, towering over her. His face twisted into a cruel smile she’d never seen before—one that turned her stomach.

“Finally awake,” he said mockingly, crossing his arms over his chest. “Good. Saves us the trouble of waking you up again.”

Sabrina tried to sit up, clutching her throbbing head. “W-What’s going on? Why am I here?”

“You’re here,” Kyler said coldly, crouching down to meet her terrified gaze, “because you’re going to do something for me. You’re going to sign over the land and your shares in the company. Right here, right now.”

Her breath hitched. “What? No! Why would I—”

Charlotte cut her off with a sharp laugh, stepping forward with a smirk that sent shivers down Sabrina’s spine. “Oh, sweet, clueless Sabrina. Don’t play dumb. You’ve always been in the way. All your life, you’ve had everything handed to you on a silver platter. It’s time to share, don’t you think?”

“Share?” Sabrina repeated, her voice trembling. “You mean steal! You’ve already taken enough from me! You’ve—”

Charlotte’s expression darkened. “Taken enough? Oh, honey, we’ve barely started. You’ve had it all: the land, the company, the respect. Kyler and I? We’ve had to fight for scraps while you waltzed through life like the queen of the world. Well, not anymore.”

Sabrina’s chest tightened as she stared at the two people she once trusted most. “You were my best friend, Charlotte. Kyler, I—I was going to marry you! How could you do this to me?”

Kyler shrugged, his smile cold and indifferent. “Because you were useful, Sabrina. That’s all. But now, you’re just in the way. I was going to marry you, then give you the easy way out in the divorce. But you just had to show up and fuck things up. So here’s how this works: you sign the papers, and maybe—maybe—I don’t push you off this cliff.”

Her heart stuttered in her throat at the threat. She wanted to believe that he would never do something like that to her, but the look in his eyes told her that he would. If it meant he’d get his way.

Tears streamed down Sabrina’s face as she glanced desperately at Reliana. “Reliana, please… You’re my sister! You don’t have to let them do this. Help me!”

Reliana scoffed, stepping closer with a sneer. “Sister? Don’t make me laugh. The only thing we’ve ever shared is a house. Or what do you think because we share the same father we were actually going to become a big happy family?”

Sabrina’s heart stopped. “You- you knew…” Sabrina choked out, shaking her head.

Reliana’s laugh was sharp and bitter. “Of course I knew, why do you think I hated you so much? You got to live with our father. My mother and I struggled while you had everything handed to you. Well, not anymore. I’m done living in your shadow.”

Kyler tossed a folder onto the ground in front of Sabrina, cutting off her attempt to respond. “Enough talk. Sign it. Now.”

Sabrina’s hands shook as she picked up the folder, the weight of it crushing her spirit. The documents were all there—everything Kyler needed to take control of her mother’s company and land. Everything she was determined to preserve after her death.

A stubborn part of her didn't want to sign it… but—

“I…” Her voice broke as she gripped the pen, her tears blurring the words on the pages. “I’ll sign. Just please, don’t hurt me.”

Kyler smirked triumphantly, watching as she scribbled her name across the papers. When she was done, he snatched the folder from her hands and passed it to Charlotte, who grinned as she reviewed the signatures.

“Good girl,” Charlotte mocked, flipping through the papers with a gleeful expression. “See? That wasn’t so hard, was it? Always so obedient when you’re scared. I almost wish we could keep you around for entertainment.”

Sabrina’s tears fell faster, her breath hitching in sobs. “Why are you doing this? I trusted you, Charlotte. I loved you like a sister!”

Charlotte crouched down to meet Sabrina’s broken gaze, her voice dripping with mockery. “And that’s exactly why this is so satisfying. Watching you finally realize you’re not as perfect as everyone thinks. You’re weak, Sabrina. Always have been. And now the world will see it too.”

Kyler’s voice cut through her sobs. “Shares. Sign those too.”

Defeated, Sabrina signed the second set of documents, relinquishing her shares in the company to Charlotte. Her hands trembled so violently that she almost dropped the pen.

When it was over, Kyler and Charlotte exchanged satisfied glances before turning to leave.

“She’s all yours now,” Kyler said to Reliana, his tone dripping with indifference. “Make sure she doesn’t cause any trouble.”

Sabrina watched as her former fiancé and best friend walked away, their laughter fading into the distance. She turned to Reliana, her eyes pleading. “Reliana, remember what you said back in the house? You said we could be a family, you wanted to make up for everything. Please let’s just—”

Reliana crouched down, her expression twisting into one of pure malice, she laughed in Sabrina’s face. “And you actually believed that crap? The thing is that can’t happen, because as long as you exist, I’ll never be free. You’ll always be the better one. The favored one. And I can’t stand it.”

Tears welled in Sabrina’s eyes. “Reliana, please… You don’t have to do this. We can fix this. We can—”

But her words were cut off as Reliana’s hand shot out, shoving her shoulder with surprising force. Sabrina gasped, stumbling backward. Her foot slipped on the loose soil, and she teetered dangerously close to the edge.

Reliana leaned in, her voice a venomous whisper. “Goodbye, Sabrina.”

Before Sabrina could react, Reliana shoved her hard, sending her plummeting backward.