Chapter 1 Betrayal

Bernice

"What the hell are you doing?!" My voice trembled with a mix of shock and fury as I stared at the scene before me.

There was Fed, my husband, bare-chested, passionately locked in a kiss with a woman. The woman was Melissa, my own sister, wearing my nightgown, in my bed.

"Bernie, weren't you supposed to be at the hospital?" Fed's voice was not his usual composed tone, and it was tinged with the huskiness that comes after sex. He looked at me, then at Melissa, his eyes darting between us as if searching for the right lie to smooth things over.

Melissa, on the other hand, seemed eerily composed, her long hair splayed across her shoulders, a smug smile playing on her lips. It was as if she had orchestrated this entire scene to torment me.

"Bernice, my dear sister, you're back," she cooed, rising from the bed and adjusting the white silk nightgown of mine as if it were her own. "I came in such a hurry that I forgot to pack. I hope you don't mind me borrowing your clothes."

My rage boiled over, a fiery inferno igniting in my chest. My hand instinctively shot toward Melissa, fingers itching to tear that stolen nightgown from her body.

But as soon as I just made contact with the fabric, Melissa suddenly crumpled to the floor, clutching her stomach and letting out a theatrical moan.

"Help me, Fed! Our baby!" she cried, her voice a perfect blend of fear and desperation.

Before I could even grasp what was happening, Fed pushed me aside with a force that caught me completely off guard.

He tenderly cradled Melissa in his arms and glared at me, his voice laced with anger. "How could you be so heartless to a pregnant woman, Bernice? If anything happens to Melissa or the baby, I swear I won't let you get away with it!"

She's pregnant?!

I recoiled a step, trembling, as I stared in utter disbelief at the two people embracing before me. I didn't expect that I would suffer a deeper betrayal.

Melissa, now nestled in Fed's embrace, continued her act of innocence. "Fed, it's okay. I feel better now. Please forgive Bernice. She didn't mean it."

But her words only served to fuel my rage. I erupted, "I am your wife, Fed. How could you do this to me? !"

"Enough! " Fed took out a document from the bedside drawer and tossed it at my feet. "Bernice, I've wanted to divorce you for a long time. I just didn't want to upset your father while he's been ill. But today, you've shown your true colors. You tried to kill my child, and I won't stand for it any longer."

I picked up the document with a trembling hand, my eyes scanning the divorce agreement, each word a dagger to my heart. I looked up at Fed, my eyes brimming with disbelief. "Why, Fed?"

"Because I've never loved you, Bernice," he sneered, his fingers digging into my cheeks, forcing me to meet his gaze. "I only married you for your family's connections, for the power and influence that came with it. But now that the Stephen Family is ruined, I'm free from the shackles of this miserable marriage."

I stood there, in the home we had shared, feeling as if I were trapped in a surreal nightmare. Fed's words cut me deeper than any physical wound. I had thought our marriage was built on love, that even without passion, there was respect and understanding. But now, I realize how utterly deceived I had been.

"How could you?" My voice was barely a whisper, my lips trembling. "All these years, all the memories... Did they mean nothing to you?"

Fed released my cheeks, his eyes cold and cruel. "Memories? You think I care about those? You were a means to an end, Bernice. And now that the end has come, you're nothing more than a burden. Sign the agreement, or don't expect to see a penny for your father's medical bills."

I signed my name with a heavy heart, the document damp with my tears. The terms were anything but fair. Fed was awarded the bulk of our assets, as if he'd forgotten that it was our marriage and my father's support that had elevated him to where he was. But I had no choice. Dad was still in a coma, and I couldn't afford the legal fees to fight back.

I was unceremoniously ushered out of the home I had once considered my own. The rain began to pour as I stepped out onto the road, the sky weeping in sync with my own tears.

"Bernice, wait!" Melissa's voice cut through the rain, her figure approaching under the shelter of an elegant umbrella.

"What do you want, Melissa?" I asked, my tone was as cold as the raindrops that clung to my skin.

Melissa halted before me, her gaze sweeping over my body with a victorious smirk playing on her lips. "Nothing," she drawled, "I just wanted to say goodbye and... admire how miserable you look. How does it feel to lose everything, Miss Stephen?"

Her words were like a knife to my already wounded heart. I looked at her, searching for any trace of the sister I had once known. "Why are you doing this, Melissa? You should be my sister."

"Don't call me sister!" Melissa's voice rose abruptly, her eyes devoid of any guilt, filled with nothing but deep-seated hatred. "Your Stephen family is nothing but liars and frauds! You deserve everything you're getting!"

The madness and venom in her words shocked me. "Melissa, what are you saying? We took you in, treated you like family..."

"Shut up!" she interrupted me, her voice filled with loathing. "You know what? Fed and I were together long before you two got married! It's only because you were the heir of the Stephen Corporation, and I was just an adopted daughter with nothing, that he had to leave me. Now, I'm just taking back what's rightfully mine! And you, go to hell with the Stephens!"

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut, and I struggled to process what I was hearing. How could this be? Fed had never mentioned a relationship with my sister when he'd courted me.

"You must be mistaken, Melissa... This can't be true..." My mind was reeling, my lips trembling as I reached for Melissa's sleeve, desperate for answers, but she pushed me away with a vicious force, sending me tumbling into the middle of the rain-soaked road.

The impact jarred my bones, and before I could even register the pain, a monstrous truck suddenly came roaring out. It came at me with terrifying speed, and I could do nothing but watch in horror as my life flashed before my eyes.

The truck hit me with the force of a hurricane, hurling me through the air. I felt my body break as I soared meters away, landing with a sickening thud on the cold, unforgiving ground.

Tires squealed and the truck disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, leaving a trail of smoke and the acrid stench of burning rubber.

The world spun around me, and I gasped for air, each breath a searing agony.

Across the street, the dim streetlight outlined Melissa's silhouette. She did nothing but stand there and watch me struggle in a pool of blood. I saw a malicious glee in her eyes, and she silently mouthed the words,

"Goodbye, Bernice."