A CHANCE FOR REVENGE

MARIANNE

If it weren't for the date and time stamp on the video, I would have thought Paula was lying to me. As I watched the video, everything began to piece together in my head.

I recalled when Tony had first approached me for a relationship. I had refused his advances, especially since I had just clocked eighteen, but Britney kept encouraging me to give him a chance, claiming we were perfect for each other and would be together forever.

Back then, I was amazed at how Tony and I had the same tastes, interests, and even fashion sense. I believed he was truly destined for me. Only after Paula's revelation did I realize that Britney had planted him in my life and told him about my likes and dislikes.

No wonder he seemed so perfect in my eyes and I ended up falling in love with him.

They deceived me for so long and plotted my downfall. The false testimonies from my secretary and Tony's sister finally made more sense to me.

I felt so much anger surge within me and a deep yearning for revenge. Tony, Britney, Tony's sister, my secretary, the policemen, and others; they all had to pay.

I had been so foolish that I believed Tony was dead just because those policemen said so. Yes, I was the fool and that was why I was in prison while Tony and Britney had taken over my company and assets.

"Listen, I do not care about you in the slightest," Paula spoke when she saw the tears in my eyes. "I am here because I cannot watch Dad's wealth fall into the hands of those outsiders. I can help you find a good lawyer, expose Tony and Britney, and get you out of here.

In return, I want fifty percent of everything you own, including your company, Ray Industries."

I clasped my hands together as I promised, "Paula, I swear, if you get me out of here, I will give you not just fifty percent but everything I own. Right now, the only thing I want is a chance for revenge."

She smiled, "Now, that is an offer I cannot afford to refuse." Taking out a document from her bag, she said, "First of all, you need to sign this."

I stared at the document and noticed it held the rights to my foundation that helped homeless kids. I had more than three hundred million dollars in the foundation's purse at that moment.

I gazed at Paula in surprise and she shrugged, "The people I'm up against are very rich and powerful, thanks to you, Anne. If I am to go after them, I need this money."

"But you have enough money to fight them," I reminded her.

She smiled, "What do you take me for? I can't use my personal money to do this. You trusted them more than me so you have to fund everything. Just sign this foundation over to me and within one week, I'll get you out of this hell hole."

I didn't trust Paula in the slightest but I was desperate. After hesitating for a few seconds, I signed the document and Paula left.

From the moment I learned that Tony was alive, peace eluded me. I had sleepless nights as I waited for Paula's return and planned my revenge quietly.

One week turned into two and two weeks into a month but Paula did not return. After two months of waiting for her, it became clear as crystal that I had been scammed.

I wasn't surprised though. If Britney whom I had considered my best friend could betray me, then who was Paula? They could even be in the same boat, working together to ensure that I was left with nothing, including my will to live.

After two months, two weeks, and twenty-four hours of being in the island prison, I sat in my cell thinking about what to do. That night, the winds howled through the prison's corridors like a chorus of lost souls, adding to the sense of desolation and hopelessness I felt.

The man I had called my husband, the one whom I would have gladly given my life for, the one I had supposedly killed, lived in affluence, lavishing my fortune while I was condemned to spend the rest of my life in an island prison for his death.

What could be worse than such a fate?

I woke up in the morning with a determination; If being in the island prison was truly my fate, then I would fight it until my last breath.

I would take my chances with the Norwegian Sea.

After the routine call that morning, I ate the food I hated because I needed all the energy I could get.

Throughout the morning, while working, my focus kept shifting to the escape route I had settled on. When I spotted three female inmates staring at me, I turned my face away.

I focused my attention on the male inmates. They fared worse because they had to work with chains binding their hands and feet, as opposed to female inmates who were allowed a measure of freedom while working.

Clad in worn uniforms, the male inmates toiled in the scorching sun, their bodies weary from the endless labor. The air was thick with dust and the smell of sweat, as they hauled heavy loads of stone and rock. The sound of pickaxes striking stone echoed through the quarry, a constant reminder of their confinement.

I turned my face away from them when the alarm sounded, indicating it was time for our lunch break. During this time, the guards, securing the perimeter around the female section of the quarry, left to have lunch.

The guards in charge of leading us out of the quarry came as usual and we were made to form a straight line.

With two guards in front, a guard at the back, and thirty female inmates in between, marching, I stayed in the middle, my gaze on the Cliff which could grant me my freedom, if only I could go over it.

I knew I was courting death by even harboring such a plan, but everything else was better than being a prisoner on the island.

A lady behind me who noticed the direction of my gaze, asked, "Are you curious about what is after the Cliff or what would happen if you jumped off of it?"

I turned and stared at her briefly. She flashed me a smile but I did not return it. I didn't know what she was trying to do but I was done making friends.

I looked away from her and focused my attention on the Cliff. I already knew what was after that Cliff because I had seen it on the day I arrived on the island.

A sudden scream from the part of the quarry where the male inmates worked, diverted everyone's attention. Once they all turned to see what was going on, I took that as my cue and began to run toward the Cliff.

In my entire life, I had never run so fast. Just as I got close to the Cliff, the sound of a loud whistle filled my ears, just as the sounds of gunshots filled the air.

Without a moment of hesitation, I jumped off the Cliff, plunging into the Norwegian sea. I began to swim as fast as I could, away from the island while several bullets kept passing by me as the sounds of the gunshots intensified.

I swam even deeper, in order to make the guards give up. However, a bullet finally caught me and penetrated my shoulder.

I cried out as I felt excruciating pain. I tried to swim further but could not move my arms anymore. I was bleeding too fast and the water around me changed to a red color.

I found myself sinking and began to see my life flashing before my eyes, still, my heart burned with a vengeance. I knew it was the end of the road for me but I was not ready to give up yet.

In my heart, I began to pray. I wished for a second chance, an opportunity to live, even by some miracle.

As I felt my life slowly ebb away, I saw the face of the one person who had loved me from childhood to adulthood.

"Dad!" I whispered, right before darkness engulfed me.