Chapter 1: The Taste of Betrayal
887 Words
The bitter taste of medicine lingered on Amber Sterling's tongue as she sat alone on the cold prison floor. Rain hammered against the tiny barred window above her head, and thunder echoed through the dark corridors.
Three years.
Three years since she had been dragged away in handcuffs.
Three years since her husband had looked into her eyes and sworn he believed she was guilty.
Three years since her best friend had stood in court and testified against her.
Amber wrapped her arms around herself and laughed bitterly.
What a fool she had been.
She had loved Ethan Carter with everything she had. She had ignored every warning sign, every suspicious glance, every whisper from people who claimed he only married her for her money.
And Bliss...
A tear slid down her cheek.
Bliss had been her best friend since childhood.
The sister she never had.
The woman she trusted with her deepest secrets.
The woman who had stabbed her in the back.
A metallic clang echoed through the corridor.
Amber looked up.
A prison guard approached her cell carrying a tray of food.
"Your dinner."
The woman slid the tray through the opening without meeting Amber's eyes.
Amber frowned.
The guard looked nervous.
Very nervous.
Before Amber could ask anything, the woman hurried away.
The prison fell silent again.
Amber stared at the food.
For some reason, a chill crawled down her spine.
Something felt wrong.
She pushed the feeling aside.
It wasn't as if she had a choice.
Slowly, she picked up the spoon and began eating.
The food tasted strange.
Bitter.
But prison food was never good.
She forced herself to continue.
Minutes later, a sharp pain exploded inside her stomach.
Amber gasped.
The spoon fell from her trembling fingers.
"What..."
Another wave of agony hit.
She doubled over.
Her chest tightened.
Her breathing became difficult.
Fear flooded her body.
"No..."
She crawled toward the cell door.
"Help..."
No one came.
The pain worsened.
Amber collapsed onto the cold floor.
Footsteps echoed down the corridor.
Slow.
Unhurried.
As if someone had been waiting for this moment.
Amber's vision blurred.
Then she saw them.
Two familiar figures standing outside her cell.
Ethan.
And Bliss.
Her heart nearly stopped.
Bliss wore a designer dress worth more than the prison's yearly budget. Diamonds sparkled around her neck.
The necklace had once belonged to Amber's mother.
Ethan stood beside her in an expensive suit.
Both of them were smiling.
Smiling.
As Amber lay dying.
"Why?" Amber whispered.
Bliss laughed softly.
"Oh, Amber. You're still asking that question?"
Tears filled Amber's eyes.
"Ethan..."
Her husband looked at her with complete indifference.
No guilt.
No remorse.
Nothing.
"The poison is working faster than I expected," Bliss said.
Amber froze.
Poison?
"You..." she gasped.
Bliss crouched outside the bars.
"Yes. Me."
The world spun around Amber.
Her best friend smiled sweetly.
The same smile Amber had trusted for years.
"The prison warden was surprisingly easy to buy."
Amber's entire body trembled.
"No..."
"Oh yes."
Bliss's eyes glittered with victory.
"After all, dead women can't reclaim their inheritance."
Amber's heart shattered.
So it was true.
Everything.
The affair.
The betrayal.
The framing.
The stolen money.
All of it.
Ethan adjusted his cufflinks.
"To be honest, Amber, you made everything easy."
Amber stared at him.
The man she had loved more than her own life.
"You trusted everyone."
His lips curved into a cruel smile.
"Especially us."
A sob escaped her throat.
The pain inside her body became unbearable.
Bliss wrapped an arm around Ethan's waist possessively.
"You know what the funniest part is?" she asked.
Amber couldn't answer.
"We started seeing each other before your wedding."
Amber's eyes widened.
"What?"
Bliss laughed.
"Almost two years before."
The words struck harder than the poison.
Two years.
They had been laughing behind her back for two whole years.
Every smile.
Every hug.
Every promise.
A lie.
"You stole my life," Amber whispered.
"No," Bliss replied coldly.
"We took it because you were too stupid to protect it."
Amber felt her last bit of strength slipping away.
Hatred burned inside her chest.
For the first time in her life, she truly hated someone.
No.
She hated both of them.
If she could start over...
If she could have one more chance...
She would destroy them.
Take back everything.
Make them pay.
The prison walls began fading.
Darkness surrounded her.
Bliss's laughter echoed in the distance.
Ethan's cold face became blurry.
Amber clenched her fists.
"I swear..."
Her voice was barely audible.
"If I get another chance..."
Darkness swallowed everything.
"You'll regret ever betraying me."
Then—
A loud crash echoed through the room.
Amber's eyes flew open.
She sat upright with a gasp.
Sunlight streamed through enormous windows.
Silk sheets covered her body.
A crystal chandelier hung above her head.
Confused, Amber looked around.
This wasn't prison.
Her breathing quickened.
She knew this room.
Impossible.
Slowly, her gaze landed on the calendar sitting beside the bed.
Her heart stopped.
The date was...
Two days after her wedding.
Amber's fingers trembled.
"No way..."
A knock suddenly sounded on the bedroom door.
Then a familiar voice called from outside.
"Amber? It's me, Bliss."
Amber froze.
The blood drained from her face.
Because she had just heard the voice of the woman who murdered her.
to be continued..........
- Writer
