The Ultimate Revenge

.It had been a long, hectic day at work, and all Celeste Monroe wanted was to be in the comforting presence of her boyfriend, Tristan Steele. He was her personal stress reliever. All he needed to do was smile at her, and her worries would automatically wipe away. A sense of anticipation filled her as she inserted the key in the keyhole. She was supposed to be away for the weekend, but she ended up canceling her plans. She thought Tristan would be so surprised to see her, but little did she know, her world was about to be shattered into a million pieces. As the door creaked open, a wave of silence greeted her, and a faint scent of rose-flavored perfume lingered in the air, a scent that was quite unfamiliar to her, for she knew all of Tristan's scents. Her brows furrowed, and a flicker of unease danced in her eyes, but she shook her head in an attempt to brush it aside, attributing it to her overactive imagination. As Celeste stepped into the apartment, her footsteps seemed to echo through the deafening silence. Her heart pounded in her chest and reverberated in her ears when she saw the two used glasses sitting on the table, a rhythm that matched the racing thoughts in her mind. Something was not right. Celeste's hand trembled as she reached for the doorknob. Her heart thumped even faster in her chest as she was not mentally prepared for what she would discover. With a deep breath, she pushed the door open, and her world came crashing down. The sight before her would forever be etched in her memory—an image that would haunt her for a lifetime. On the bed, was her boyfriend of three years; his arms wrapped around another woman, and her face buried in the crook of his neck. Their bodies were entwined in a way that left no room for doubt. Time seemed to stand still as her mind struggled to comprehend the scene before her. It had to be a dream. A nightmare. The air in the room grew heavy with betrayal; suffocating every breath that left her nostrils. Celeste was trapped in a state of shock. She couldn't bring herself to even move an inch. Her legs seemed to be glued to the floor. The woman looked up, and the moment their gazes met, her eyes widened; a mix of fear, surprise, and shame etched her demeanor. She seemed genuinely startled by the intrusion. Celeste realized they were both victims of Tristan's deceit. Or so she thought. "Tristan," the woman slapped his arm, making him groan and mutter something incoherent under his breath. A whirlwind of emotions crashed over Celeste like a tidal wave. Anger, hurt, and disbelief mingled together, threatening to consume her being. Her body shook with a mixture of rage and heartbreak as she recalled the fake promises he had made to her, the memories she thought were dear to the both of them. It had been a lie all along. She had been living a facade. The weight of the truth bore down on her, threatening to break her spirit. Tears prickled her eyes, blurring her vision. Words failed her, rendering her speechless in the face of such betrayal. Despite how hard she tried to find her voice, her efforts were futile. The silence in the room was deafening, only broken by the sound of her shattering over and over again. "Celeste?" Tristan finally spoke, breaking her out of her trance. Shock was written over his face, and the sounds of rustling sheets filled the once silent room. "Celeste, please—" "Stop!" She yelled, stopping him from getting closer to her. Looking into his eyes—the eyes she had always been lost in and loved so badly, she reached for the necklace he had given her on their first anniversary. The pendant, once a symbol of their unending and passionate love, now felt like a heavy burden around her neck. In one swift motion, she unclasped it, letting it fall to the ground, a physical representation of the shattered bond between them. She wanted absolutely nothing to do with him anymore. She was done. The w***e can have the lying cheat all to herself. They deserved each other. With a final glance at the heart-wrecking scene before her, Celeste turned on her heel; her steps heavy with sorrow. As she walked away, her mind replayed the horrifying images she had just witnessed. The sight of the man whom she believed was her soulmate wrapped in the arms of another woman tore her apart Celeste's steps became slower, each one heavier than the last. The weight of the sorrow she carried in her heart threatened to crush her spirit entirely. The pain was simply unbearable for her. She felt helpless, knowing that the relationship she cherished with her life was broken for good. No amount of apology from Tristan would undo the damage that had been done. "Celeste!" Tristan yelled; the sound of his heavy footsteps reverberated in Celeste's ears. She increased her pace. The last thing she wanted at that moment was to confront him. She was too angry and was afraid of what she might do to him in that state. "Please hear me out," Tristan begged, getting in front of her and blocking her path. "Just this once. I can explain. I will explain everything to—" "I don't need your bloody explanation!" Celeste's chest tightened as she spoke at the top of her lungs. "What I saw earlier was self-explanatory. We. Are. Over!" She enunciated each word with a heart as heavy as a rock. "there is no redemption. You know me." "It's not what you think." Celeste let out a loud, humorless laugh. "Same boring, clichè lines. Get creative, dumbass!" "It's really not what you think," Tristan continued, massaging the bridge of his nose. "If only you will calm down and—" Smack* He was cut off by a resounding slap across his face. "That's for making me believe all the lies you fed me with, and this," her palm collided with the other side of his face. "Is for ending us." "I don't love her, okay!" He roared. "I don't give a flying fu*k about her. I have only ever loved you. What happened was a mistake. I wasn't in the right state of mind when—" "Fool me once, fool me never again. Thank you for breaking my heart, Tristan," she said, trying hard to fight back her tears. She didn't want to break down completely in front of him and give him the satisfaction. "I want you to mark this day. You're going to regret ever messing with me. I'm not one of those girls you can hurt and get away with. What I'm going to do to you, you're not going to expect it." "Celie," Tristan swallowed, calling her by his nickname for her, probably believing it would soften her. "I know you are hurt. I'd be too, but you just have to listen to me. It's not what it seems. I love you." Gone were the days when those three words from him erupted butterflies in her stomach. Hearing him say those words to her infuriated her. She felt the need to hurt him. So badly that he would never be able to open his lying mouth to utter those words to anybody again. "I hate you, Tristan. From the bottom of my heart. Don't you ever show your face to me again. I meant it when I said we are over. Stay away from me. You're a bastard. You and that b***h deserve each other. A bastard and a b***h, what a lovely couple. Good luck to you. You're going to need it, trust me." With that said, Celeste turned around and began to walk away from the wreckage of her relationship; her eyes filled to the brim with tears. In that critical moment, she vowed to rebuild herself—to find the strength and move on from anything relating to Tristan. Letting go of the cherished memories she had saved on her phone would indisputably be the most difficult thing for her to do. Deleting his contact from her phone would be useless as she had it memorized in her head. Blocking him seemed to be the only resolve. In that moment of heartbreak, a newfound strength surged through her veins, replacing the heartache with a fierce determination. She had made the biggest mistake of her life when she decided to give love a chance, but she was going to rectify her mistake. Her eyes narrowed; her lips curled into a sinister smile. The last thing she was going to do was let him get away with his betrayal. There was no room for mercy or forgiveness in her heart. He would be a fool to think she would just let everything go and move on. She was going to inflict upon him the same pain that had shattered her soul. In a nutshell, she vowed to make him suffer to the point that he would curse the day he met her. He didn't deserve the love she had shown him. What he deserved was to rot in the deepest pits of hell. Celeste vowed to stop at nothing until her heart was mended, and until she had reclaimed her power from the ashes of her broken dreams. •