Five.

I shook my head rigorously. She knew what I would have said if I could speak.

"Lucia, you don't have a wolf form, how can you have a mate? Huh? Oh you do have a mate but he is dead. I guess that is why your wolf gave up and never woke up."

I was still confused. I could not understand a single thing just said. I know my wolf has been dormant but my mate is dead. She is lying. My mate is Bryan and he is standing right there. How can he be dead?

I shook my head again with confusion written all over my face.

Bryan stepped forward, intending to say something but Brittney held him back and said. "Please allow me to do the telling. I will not be happy if you do it. You have given your last gift, let me give mine."

My brain was in turmoil. I could not process a single thing she said. I stared at my lifeless hands. The only living thing I have is my head.

"Calm down Lucia. Look at me, I will explain everything to you." She said in her usual loving tone, she usually says my name in.

I really did calm down after hearing her voice. I looked at her eagerly waiting for her explanation, not blinking my eyes at all, I didn't even look at Bryan, i just stared at her alluring face.

Wanting to hear that it was a joke but… It wasn’t.

"Lucia, everything that has happened in your life was planned by me, Bryan, his father and my father. Every death in your family was planned by us including yours. We planned all of this together to take away everything that belongs to you and your Abbott family…"

As I listened, tears rolled down my eyes.

My death has also been planned?

Everything from the beginning was a trap.

"Oh Lucia, you are such a naive little girl."

I nodded at her words, conceding to it. I was extremely naive, too kind and overly trusting for my own good.

I turned to Bryan who was starting at Brittney lovingly.

Bryan turned to me, there was no trace of love at all in his eyes. All that was there, was nothing but hatred.

It was then i realized that Bryan has never loved me. I have been over thinking it on my part. It was just me that was giving too much, I even gave him my life.

I should have known. After our marriage, he rarely came home. Sometimes he doesn't come back for two days. Those days, my best friend puts in good words for him.

Why? To make me love him more?

Whenever he came I asked him why he didn't come back the previous day or two days before, he had always said that, he was following the plans I drew up and it was rather hard to crack.

It was definitely hard to crack.

He has never loved me. It's all clear now.

This couple was truly merciless.

What did my family do to suffer all of this?

I closed my eyes and reminisced about the past, Bryan said he doesn't like Brittney and doesn't want her to come around but all the while I was sick, they were living in my house together. No wonder, she could come over early in the morning and late in the evening before and after work.

I was really stupid.

"Say, how many minutes do you think she has left?" Brittney asked.

That question pulled me out of my thoughts. I looked at both of them waiting for answers.

"Five." Bryan answered coldly.

My eyes widened in horror.

What are they planning to do to me?

"Lucia, do you ever wonder why Bryan doesn't touch the banana flavored cakes I bring to you and wears a glove whenever you eat them?" she asked with a smirk on her face.

I thought of the reason. Isn't it because he was allergic to bananas? I asked in my mind. He would get rashes if he touched them or eat them.

As if she heard me, she laughed at me and pretended to trip. Bryan quickly held her to stable her. "Thank you dear."

She turned to him and planted a kiss on his cheek, she hugged him and before I knew it they started making out in front of me.

I just stared at them as that was the only thing i could do.

They stopped after a few minutes.

"That was exhilarating. Now where was I? Oh there. Lucia, every banana cake you have ever eaten was made with poison."

"I am giving you a peaceful death. I am a good friend right?"

Did she just say poison?

But why?

Why did she have to do this to me?

She is my best friend and I love her with all of my heart. She said she loved me and will always be by my side.

I feel extremely tired. My eyelids felt very heavy. This was when I knew that she was saying the truth when she said I ate poison from her hand.

I remembered something now, after cutting the cake, she did not take a single bite from it. She fed me half of it and told me stories. I foolishly ate and smiled warmly at her.

This world is so cruel.

I didn't fight to keep my eyes open, I allowed them close slowly by themselves. It was better I left this world. It was a sick cruel place filled with monsters.

"Why did you give it to her?" I heard Brittney ask Bryan in anger.

"I wanted her to have a little moment of joy before all of this. Brit, I think telling her all of this was unnecessary. You shouldn't have. What if she wakes up?"

"She wouldn't. Next time don't hide anything from me." she threatened him. "And it's necessary that i tell her. She is dying after all so it's good that she knows a little."

"My love, the necklace is a gift to you. Not her. I was just giving her a minute of joy. Let me go take it off her neck."

He walked up to me, I forced my eyes to open and look at him one last time to be sure I was not dreaming.

My eyes were so tired that only a fraction of it was opened. This is the person I have loved for more than two years with all my heart, sacrificing everything I have.

His eyes stared back at me as he removed my mother's necklace from my neck with deep hatred. He also removed the bracelet.

Tears rolled down the side of my eyes wetting my ears. This was the same man that claimed to love me with all of his heart.

I didn't want to be there anymore. The pain I feel right now is more than painful, it's killing. If there was no poison in my body that was killing me slowly, the pain from their betrayal was enough to kill me over and over again. The betrayal of my husband and best friend.

This was all my fault. I was too trusting of people, I was too naïve and I was too generous.

I remember one time my brother saw me waving Brittney goodbye. He told me that he didn't see the goodness I am seeing.

'Brother you were right. Can you forgive me for being stupid? Forgive me brother. Forgive me, I am so sorry. I am sorry.'

Tears rolled down as my eyes closed slowly. I didn't hear their voices anymore. I saw a bright light, it shone so bright that it was almost blinding.

I smiled and said. 'Mother, father, brother, I am on my way to you.'

If there is ever a next life, i will take everything and take more. I will never be this foolish to be too trusting.

Author's POV

The rain started immediately Lucia drew her last breath. It was extremely heavy that it sounded like the roof was about to come off.

"Darling, she is dead. You will be the one to announce her death. I want to stay here a while longer." Brittney said to him while drawing imaginary circles on his chest.

Bryan stared at her silently. He wondered what she wanted to do in Lucia's room alone.

She doesn't have to tell him everything, right?

He nodded and left the room.

"Lucia, killing you is not satisfactory for me. I want this face of yours but since the poison has already destroyed you, I will have to let you go. But everything you have is already mine."

She stared at the unmoving body on the bed. She took the knife she cut the cake with, she raised it up.

Her hand was in the air for a while.

Bryan walked in on this. He met Brittney standing beside Lucia with a knife in her hand.

What was she trying to do?

The butler had followed Bryan into the room, he stared at her in shock.

Was she trying to kill herself because Miss Lucia was dead?

The butler rushed to her and to take the knife away from her.

Immediately he touched her hand, she woke up from the trance she was in. She turned to him. Her face was teary, her make-up was all ruined. The remaining banana cake she brought for Lucia to celebrate her birthday was on the floor, making a mess.

The butler collected the knife and quickly stepped away to prevent her from pouncing on him.

Bryan walked to her side. The strings of his heart were pulled seeing her appearance. He carrier her in bridal style and left Lucia's bedroom.

"Don't ever do that again. Don't you dare scare me like that again." Bryan spoke to her softly. She had scared the hell out of him just now. When he saw her just now he froze. If the butler was not here, she would have done the unbelievable and he was staring at her in shock.

Brittney blinked meekly. She was not going to kill herself. She wanted to stab that bitch's face. It was because they opened the door at that moment she froze and cried that much.

He carried her into her room and dropped her on the bed. Bryan took a warm towel and wipe her face. "Go to sleep, I will handle everything." she nodded obediently.

The Brittney on the bed looked like a lost kitten, nothing like the one that stood in front of Lucia earlier.

Bryan left the room to deal with the aftermath.