~Elena~
My body trembled where I stood, witnessing the shocking scene of my husband with another woman, and not just any woman, but my half-sister. I didn't want to believe it was her until I heard her moaning out loud.
"Yes, Owen, go harder!" she screamed.
They were oblivious to my presence in the room, blissfully enjoying the moments of their lives. I wanted to scream at them to stop, but I remained there, powerless to intervene. My heart bled; I never expected such betrayal. I should have recognized the signs and understood what was happening but had been blinded. The blind dates my sister posted and her invisible man, whom she always mentioned, turned out to be my husband. I had noticed how she had continuously talked about falling in love, but I had been a fool not to see it all.
How could they do this to me? I thought as I placed my hands over my mouth, suppressing the scream threatening to escape. Tears blurred my vision, unstoppable.
I was a fool not to have seen it all from the beginning of our marriage. It was all a sham, a partnership between our families. I was just a pawn; now, the truth was glaring right before me.
"Oh my goodness!" my sister exclaimed as her eyes met mine. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Owen rolled off her, covering his naked body, and then turned to face me. "You shouldn't be here. Didn't you say you'd be running late? What the hell are you doing here?" he yelled.
How dare he yell at me? I should be the one shouting after everything he had done. He shouldn't even be able to talk to me, yet he showed no remorse, his hands still around my sister.
"What the hell are you doing?" I shouted at them. "How could you...?" I gasped for breath, my chest rising and falling, feeling as if I might have a panic attack. I held my chest, leaning against the wall for support.
My sister burst into laughter. "Relax, and don't kill yourself over the fact that Owen wanted me more than he wanted you!" she said, wrapping the bed cover around her and approaching me. "You've been married for years and still haven't borne him a child. Now, you act as if the family needs you."
I bit my lower lip as tears streamed down my face, recalling my challenges as Owen's wife. His mother hated me, making life unbearable, calling me names and insisting I didn't deserve to be a part of the family.
Now fully clothed in his boxers, Owen stood up and walked toward me. "What will you do about it?" he asked, bursting into laughter. "I've always loved your sister, not you. You mean nothing to me, so why should I bother about you?" he shouted, grabbing my chin and pushing my head backward, my head hitting the wall.
My head throbbed with an intense ache, and dizziness gripped me. I held my head, the doctor's words echoing in my mind about my condition.
"Last stage Glioblastoma!" The words reverberated incessantly, haunting me.
My sister snapped her fingers in front of my face, her hand resting on her stomach. "For your information, dear sister, I'm pregnant with Owen's child. Something you couldn't do for years," she taunted, laughing. "So pathetic."
Owen joined in, mocking me. "She means nothing. It's useless since she can't give me a child or inherit anything. She's a nobody!"
I looked at my sister, and my hands instinctively went around her neck, squeezing the life out of her. "How could you do this to me?" I screamed. "You've made my life unbearable, and now you're pregnant with my husband's child!"
"How dare you!" Owen shouted, pushing me away and slapping my face. He grabbed my throat. "How dare you touch the love of my life! How could you raise your hands against her!"
"Owen..." I reached out, but he slapped my hand away, slamming my head against the wall.
Groaning, I slid down, clutching my stomach. Unbearable pain surged between my legs, and I saw blood flowing. Oh no, my baby, I cried inwardly. "My child!" I yelled, watching the blood pool. My vision blurred, but I couldn't stop screaming.
Ignoring me, Owen turned away and tended to my sister, who complained about her neck.
"Do you think her grip will harm the baby?" Ariana asked.
Owen shook his head, gently settling her on the bed. "Don't worry, my dear," he cooed, kissing her forehead. "You and the baby will be fine, I promise."
I lay there, bleeding, losing our baby, while he showered her with affection he never showed me in our three years of marriage. Was this betrayal? Was this being cheated on? If this was betrayal, then I had been cheated on.
I questioned where I'd gone wrong and what I'd done to deserve this torment. How could they do this to me? I pondered while lying on the ground, bleeding out.
"Owen..." I reached out to him, bloodied hand, expecting some reaction, but he walked to the closet, returning with papers in hand.
"Let's get a divorce!" he declared, tossing the papers on the bed. He came back with one of my designer clothes, wiping the blood from my hand and thrusting the papers towards me. "Sign them!" he ordered.
I shook my head. "I won't do it!" I shouted. "There's no way you'll force me to..."
He slapped me hard. "Shut up, you're worthless!" he yelled, gripping my throat. "I regret marrying you; you're nothing. Your sister Ariana is the legitimate one; you're just an illegitimate child!" He forced the pen into my hand. "Sign the paper!"
"owen, I—"
He tightened his hold, silencing me. I struggled for breath, face reddening, feeling life slipping away. Tears streamed down as I saw my sister grinning and Owen giving me that usual murderous look.
I wanted to tell him about my cancer and the pregnancy, but now he was with my sister. With his firm grip, I signed the paper, and he snatched it away, releasing my neck.
"Pack and leave now. I'll generously offer one million dollars because you're worth nothing for not giving birth in three years."
I gasped for air, hands on the ground, tears blinding me, the pen still in my grasp. I had lost it all—my child, my marriage, my inheritance. There was no hope; death loomed. There was no reason to delay my decision.
If I was going to die, they needed to die with me. I screamed, rising and lunging at Charles, stabbing his hand with the pen.
He went unnoticed as he engaged in conversation with Ariana. A loud groan escaped him as he forcefully pushed me backward until my back collided with the wide-open window.
"How dare you!" he exclaimed.
"You've ruined my life!" I screamed, launching myself at him. "I'm going to kill you!" I raised the pen again, ready to strike, but he countered by pushing my neck outside the window.
"How dare you attack me, fool!" he shouted, wresting the pen from my grasp and letting it fall to the ground. "You should die!" he declared, tightening his grip around my throat.
I grinned defiantly and spat in his face. "Go to hell!" I shouted, then glanced at my sister, who had risen from the bed and was approaching.
"I hope you find peace, Elena," she laughed. "I told you I would have everything you do, and now I do! If she's still alive, she'll ruin our plans. She needs to die!" she insisted.
Owen nodded in agreement. "Then I have to let her go," he said, releasing his grip on my neck. "I guess this is your fate," he chuckled, pushing me out of the window before I could respond.
Time seemed to slow as I reached out, hoping for someone to grab my hand. Instead, they both watched as I fell to my demise. I dropped my hands and blinked as a tear rolled down my cheek.
My sister and owen shared a kiss as I descended, their laughter echoing.
This was it. I was about to die, and they would be victorious. After enduring everything, this was the end. I closed my eyes, spread my arms, and embraced the fall. I landed on the ground with a resounding thud, my head meeting the ground first, limbs scattered.
It indeed was the end.
I stared as my blood pooled around me, weeping one last time, thinking about the baby I couldn't protect.
~Owen~I groaned and clenched my teeth as another slap landed on my face again. As my face turned to the other side, my eyes met with my mother’s, who was on the ground, her back against the wall, crying out for my father to stop, but he didn’t. Instead, he continued to hit my face, and I had lost count of how many times he had hit me.It was all because of my mistake. I had thought that bringing up the images and videos of Elena and me would change everyone’s perspective about her. I had thought it would ruin the engagement, but instead, it made things harder for me. For once, I had thought my father was going to be proud of what I had done, but it turned out to be for nothing.Christian outsmarted me like he was already ready for it to happen and showed pictures of me with different girls. I had no idea how he had gotten them because I had been discreet for so many years, but it looked like he had me followed, and because of him, everything was ruined.“Do you realize what you’ve do
~Ariana~“Where is she!” My father’s loud voice echoed as he made his way toward my room. I already knew he was going to question me about my actions at Elena’s wedding. I had been a fool to believe that Owen’s plan would work. He had made me believe it would succeed, and I had trusted him, but it turned out we had played into Christian’s hands.That smartass. If not for him, we would have successfully ruined Elena’s reputation. I should have been the bride. Everything Elena had now was supposed to be mine, but somehow, she had beaten me to it. This had never happened before. I was always ahead of her in everything, but now, it seemed like she knew what was coming and was winning at everything.The door to my room burst open, and I jumped off my bed in fright. My heart raced as if I had run a marathon, and I clutched the dress I hadn’t yet removed.“There you are!” he yelled, pointing a finger at me. “I am so disappointed in you. Why are you trying to ruin your sister’s happiness and
~Elena~When I had thought all hope was lost, Christian stood up and raised a hand, silencing the crowd, and the way the hall suddenly went silent sent shivers down my spine. He commanded so much attention, and the aura around him was so great that it was difficult not to respond to him. “You are done, Owen,” he gently let go of my hands and then walked towards Owen. “I warned you didn't i not to mess with her anymore but you refused to listen!” he yelled at him and raised his hand and when i had thought that he was going to hit him, he didn't instead he pulled out his phone and scroll through and on the projection were series of images with him and other women and the timestamp it was taken. It proves that they were taken while he was still with me. The crowd gasped, but Christian wasn't done. He clicked on his phone again, and more images appeared, showing Ariana and Owen kissing. My eyes widened in shock because not even I had seen the image, and I wondered how Christian had got
~Elena~ I felt my heart tighten against my chest as we both walked to the front of my hall, and I saw them. They were seated at separate tables, but somehow it seemed like they were together, judging me with their eyes. Ariana was seated at our family table wearing a black shimmering dress that calls for attention. It was impossible not to recognize her in the crowd, and as for Owen, I had not expected that he would come, not after how he was being treated by our grandfathers, but he was there seated shamelessly on the table with Christian’s family. Landon, his father, and the rest of their family were also at the table, and as our eyes met, my heart started racing fast, and I grew stiffen in Christian’s hand. He seemed to notice as he looked at me. “Elena, are you alright?” His eyes searched mine through his matte-black mask. When u didn't respond, he looked around and seemed to understand why I had suddenly become like that. Hethen placed his hand gently around my waist and le
~ Elena ~It was tonight.The engagement masquerade gala Christian’s grandfather had planned for us was finally here. After a week of preparation—days where Christian and I didn’t see each other, communicating only through texts—I couldn’t wait to see him again.The limousine door opened with a soft click. A rush of cool evening air swept over me, tugging at the gossamer cape draped across my shoulders. I hesitated, one gloved hand gripping the edge of the seat, the other clutching the sapphire pendant at my throat. The midnight-blue gown felt heavier than it had in the dressing room, its corset hugging my ribs—a reminder to breathe, or perhaps a warning not to.I glanced at my Grandfather and his sharp eyes beneath his golden mask stared back at me. He offered me his arm with a reassuring smile. “Ready, my dear?” he asked.I nodded, though my stomach twisted at the thought of what awaited at the gala. Stepping out, the hem of my skirt shimmered, silver threads catching the light like
~Christian~I heaved a deep sigh as I arrived at the front door, ready to soak myself in my bathtub for hours after enduring hours of engagement preparation with Elena’s family and my grandfather, whom I had called during dinner to inform him about the announcement. We had a video call, and he was happy when he heard the news. In the blink of an eye, he made plans for the engagement ceremony, so we started preparation, and it was fixed in a week. Now I was back home, ready to hit the bathroom and get rid of the tiredness, and also Elena. We’ve been together the past few days, and I can’t stop thinking about her and the kiss we almost had. When I confronted her and she waved the discussion off, I knew she probably didn’t want it, so I didn’t want to push it, so I dropped it. After all, we were together for revenge, but I wished for more. I noticed a brown package at the entrance as I reached my door. I had placed an order, and, thinking it was it, I picked it up. When I reached my l