Falling

~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.