The Seductress Revenge

3

Maya had expected this but still, the pain felt like a thousand cuts to her heart. The tears she was trying to hold back began pouring all over again. The walls felt like they were closing in around her and her chest felt too tight for comfort.

“ Why? Why would you do this to me?" Maya cried to no one in particular.

Her eyes kept darting from Chris to Candice and when, eventually, they landed on Chris, he drifted away like a coward. Candice, on the other hand, reveled in her misery.

“ Oh poor Maya!" She cooed sarcastically.

“ I know how hard it is to not understand anything. Why don't you sit down and let me explain it all to you?" She added

Candice got out of Chris' hold with a peck on his lips. She walked elegantly across the room, closing the distance between them.

“ Have a seat, darling!”

Her hands fixed on Maya's thin shoulders firmly and with very little effort, she pushed her down. Maya's eyes closed as she fell on the cushion. It was a very brief moment but it felt like she was falling into a deep pit of nothingness. She didn't open her eyes, even when she felt the soft material of the chair under her. It wasn't until Candice spoke up that her eyes flipped open.

“ Open your eyes darling. You're not dying yet" her tone was grave and when Maya's eyes shot open with fear in them, she broke into a loud laugh.

" Oh I'm so sorry! You just c***k me up everytime” she said in between fits of laughter.

Chris stuffed his hands in his jeans pocket and cleared his throat.

“ Candice!" He called. His tone was neutral but Maya could sense the warning in it.

Was that his way of standing up for her? Did that mean she still meant something to him? Maya turned to him, her eyes holding the hope she felt in her chest but when she looked into his eyes, the only thing she saw was hatred, immense hatred, pure and unadulterated

Maya's pulse quickened and her breath fell short. Fresh tears began streaming down her face and this time, she made no effort to stop them.

“ Stop crying now, Maya. You're making it seem like we did something very wrong to you” she heard Candice say.

Candice sat down beside Maya on the couch and cleared her throat, her presence suffocating to Maya.

“ Alright, fine. Let's stop dabbling about and get straight to the matter at hand, shall we?"

Her expression grew serious all a sudden and every hint of amusement in her voice faded away.

" You see, Chris and I have been together for a while now” her words sliced through Maya's despair, her tone piercing like a dagger.

Maya's eyes widened, her mind spinning.

“ A while?" She repeated, her voice barely above a whisper.

Candice nodded. She continued, her voice dripping with loathe.

“ Yes, for a while. We met a mutual friend's party and we felt a connection right away so we kicked it off and oh! How smooth it has been going since then! “

Maya's head would not stop reeling, it was like the room was swirling along with her. Memories of her marriage flashed through her eyes and all of it suddenly made sense.

Chris had been good to her during their courtship, it was the only reason she married him. She knew he didn't love her and she barely even loved him too but she thought that wasn't necessary, as long as they respected each other and he treated her right.

But he never treated her right. Two months after their wedding, he became an entirely different person. The late nights, the failed promises, the countless excuses, the recklessness, this was the reason.

Candice was the reason.

Maya swallowed, her hands fidgeting with her sleeves.

“ Why…why didn't you tell me about this earlier on?" She stammered, her tone heavy with despair and her eyes locked on Chris.

He didn't spare her a glance, his expression remained impassive.

“ That's what we're doing now, isn't it?” Candice chipped in, her voice laced with mock innocence.

“ We were waiting for the right time, darling!"

Maya was enraged. The emotion came like a sudden flood, overwhelming her heart and taking control. She got up from the couch and finally turned to Candice.

" Candice, you took everything away from me. You ruined my childhood and adolescence, you took everything, even the love of our mother. I left everything for you, I took my leave to find my own life and now I did, you want to take this away from me too? “ She questioned.

Candice laughed maniacally.

“ You're getting it all wrong again. Chris was never yours to begin with. He doesn't even love you" she stated.

Maya's heart was shattering into a million pieces but she refused to back down.

" I am carrying his child!” She suddenly said and the room fell silent.

Chris and Candice exchanged looks, their eyes widening.

“ I am two months pregnant, Chris" she repeated.

The reaction she expected was not in any way what she got. Chris walked to her with heavy strides and gripped her arm tightly, a frightening scowl etched on his face.

“ Are you lying to me?" he roared at her.

Maya could feel pain soaring through her arm from his tight hold but it was nothing compared to that in her chest.

“ I am not lying, Chris” she cried, the plea laced in her voice.

Chris' scowl deepened. His next words shocked Maya to no end.

“ You will abort the pregnancy"

Maya jerked like she had been sapped with electric. She stared at the man in front of her, unable to recognize who he had become.

“ How can you say that? I will not abort my baby” she returned.

Chris clenched his fist around her arm even more that a cry escaped her lips.

“ Chris, you're hurting me!"

“ I will hurt you more than this if you don't listen to me. You will abort that thing you're carrying because I want nothing to do with it" he commanded.

Maya was shaken with fear and pain.

“ How can you call our baby a thing?" She cried.

Chris scoffed scornfully.

" Our baby? Who knows how many men you've given your useless self to and you still have the right to call that bastard our baby? “

His words sliced through Maya's heart like a two-edged sword.

" I am not the cheating lying piece of s**t, you are! “ she spat in his face.

“ You… !”

Maya felt a sharp sting soar through her face as Chris' hand landed roughly on her left cheek.

“ How dare you speak to me like that?" He thundered, pulling her hair roughly.

Maya did not know which pain to tender to first. Her hair felt like it was being ripped from her scalp and her face felt swollen. To add to it, the room was closing in on her and she was running out of breath.

“ Chris!" She managed to say, her last option being to plead.

Chris was having none of it. He seemed to have held on his rage for way too long and this was the moment to finally let it out.

“ You think you're smarter than me now, huh? Have you forgotten? I am the man in this house, you listen to me and do as I say, without questions or objections" he stated.

Despite the pain, Maya spoke back, an action which she instantly regretted.

" You can't call yourself a man when you've never done anything to prove it” she retorted.

Chris' face turned grave and he slapped her yet again.

“ You w***e!" He blew up.

In a swift second, he ripped off his belt from his pants and began descending on her. Maya screamed, every whip slicing her skin.

“ You're crazy if you think you can talk to me anyhow you wish to” Chris roared, the belt reaching every part of her body.

“ Please… please… “ Maya cried.

" My baby!” She screamed loudly as a whip landed directly on her stomach.

Chris stopped and for a moment, Maya thought he had finally beaten her to his heart content and he felt some sort of pity for her now. She might have been right for Chris but Candice had not even begun.

“ What baby! If you won't abort that thing then we might as well help you with it" she said, her voice dripping with malice.

Maya barely got any time to understand what she meant before she was pushed roughly, obviously by Candice. She lost her balance, falling directly to the floor with a loud thud.

Pain was the only thing Maya could feel. A cold liquid began trickling down her legs but she was too weak to see what it was.

Candice’ laughter echoed in her head.

“ Perfect riddance!" She heard her say.

Her vision blurred and her head spinned. A tear fell as her eyes fluttered shut, darkness closing in.