Chapter 3
1344 Words
Rochelle stepped out of the car, her arms holding one of the twins while Alexa walked with the things she had got her from the mall.
The moment she took off her shoes, a wave of emotion surged through her — familiarity laced with pain, comfort wrapped in betrayal.
It was a feeling she had tried so hard to ignore but the ache seated deeply in her bones.
She felt rage in her heart as the memory of how Elsa kissed Eric filled her head.
The betrayal was worse than the pain she felt.
She had never expected.
But it didn't change the fact that she was no longer the same woman who had walked out of her husband's house years ago with pity and misery. She became different—glowing with dreams of love, growth, and children.
She took a shaky breath and looked down at her babies as they immediately started playing with their toys. Her heart squeezed.
These two miracles were hers and hers alone — her redemption and her resolve. Nobody would take them away from her, not after what she suffered raising them alone.
Inside the house, sunlight streamed through the kitchen windows. She had taken a moment in the shower to think about something else, but then, like a ghost, his face returned.
Eric.
Her ex-husband.
The man she once believed would fight heaven and hell for her.
The man who promised eternity—and then chose her best friend, Elsa, instead. They broke her heart beyond measure that she thought she could never recover from the pain.
Rochelle turned her thoughts away for him, her jaw tightening.
They had been trying for a child for three years. Fertility treatments, endless doctor visits, prayers whispered in the dark.
Every negative test felt like a dagger. And through it all, Elsa had been by her side. Her best friend. Her maid of honor. The woman she cried to after every doctor appointment.
And yet, it was her who had taken her place in Eric’s bed.
“I just want a family, Rochelle,” Eric said to her. “I need a woman who can give me that. I don't want to end up being a man who has nothing. You can't give me the happiness I crave.”
The words echoed in her mind like a curse. Back then, they felt like the final nail in her coffin.
He didn’t just leave — he destroyed her.
He humiliated her.
Made her feel like a failure, like she was broken. And worst of all, he walked straight into the arms of the very person who should’ve held her up, not stabbed her in the back.
Rochelle clenched her fists and moved to the sink, staring out the window into the yard.
She remembered the day she found out Elsa was having an affair with Eric— just six months after the divorce was finalized.
It was in a social media post filled with flowery captions and fake smiles.
The betrayal had nearly killed her.
But life… life had other plans.
The twins were just something to hold on to. It was a long, grueling, and emotionally painful journey — but she made it. She became a mother. Without Eric, without Elsa. If only he had been patient and loved her, too.
And now, every time she looked at her babies, she saw strength.
Proof that she wasn’t broken.
That she was worthy of love, of family, of happiness.
But that didn’t mean the anger had disappeared.
That didn’t mean she had forgiven.
Rochelle sat on the edge of her bed that night, her hands curled tightly around a lukewarm mug of coffee. The house was quiet—too quiet. The twins were finally asleep in the next room—it was the only time Rochelle had to sleep or rest. But Rochelle’s mind was anything but still.
She stared blankly at the wall, but all she could see was them—Eric and Elsa.
Her ex-husband and her former best friend.
The names alone sent a wave of bitterness down her spine. She thought she was over it but seeing them again triggered a feeling in her. It awakened an anger that she thought had gone.
Five years ago, she was married to Eric, blissfully believing they were building a life together. She had stood beside Elsa since college—through heartbreaks, career changes, and weddings. Elsa was supposed to be family. She was there when Rochelle cried over negative pregnancy tests, always patting her back and offering encouragement.
And yet, when Rochelle needed them the most, they betrayed her in the worst way imaginable.
Eric left her. Not because she was cruel, not because she was unfaithful but because she couldn’t give him children. And Elsa—she didn’t hesitate to slide into Rochelle’s place, first emotionally, then physically.
It was barely months after the divorce was finalized, they were seen holding hands at an event. Rochelle hadn’t even healed from the wreckage when the engagement announcement popped up online. No apologies. No remorse.
Just a cruel display of their new life.
But fate had a different plan.
When she had given birth, she hadn't told anybody. Not publicly. She had vanished from town, focused solely on healing and preparing to become the mother she always wanted to be.
Now she is back. Stronger. Wiser. No longer the woman sobbing on bathroom floors.
And she wasn’t here just to live quietly.
She wanted him to suffer, she wanted Eric to see what he lost.
She wanted him to fall on his knees and beg.
Rochelle stood and walked over to the mirror. Her reflection stared back, unrecognizable from the shattered woman she once was. Her long hair was curled into soft waves, her cheekbones more defined, her eyes sharp with purpose. She had rebuilt herself brick by brick, and now she was a fortress.
Let them see her now.
Let him see.
She didn’t want Eric back—not really.
What she wanted was power.
The kind of power that comes when the person who broke you realizes they made the biggest mistake of their life.
And she would make sure he realized it slowly and painfully. The door clicked shut behind Eric, but Rochelle’s peace didn’t last long.
She remembered seeing them again that afternoon, while driving home from the grocery store, she saw them—Elsa and Eric—standing outside a café, laughing.
Elsa had her hand resting possessively on his arm, the diamond ring on her finger catching the sunlight. Eric leaned in close, whispering something into Elsa’s ear that made her giggle.
To the world, they looked like the perfect couple. To Rochelle, they looked like the sharp edge of every wound she’d ever tried to heal.
Her fingers tightened on the steering wheel.
They weren’t suffering.
They weren’t broken like she had been, and that was what made her mad more.
They had no remorse.
While she lay in a hospital bed with swollen feet and tear-streaked cheeks giving birth alone, they were planning wedding colors.
Seeing them together wasn’t just a slap in the face—it was gasoline on the fire inside her. It awakened the rage inside her and the hunger to yearn for revenge.
Rochelle didn’t want to just hurt them anymore. She wanted them to regret deeply and desperately.
She wanted Elsa out of Eric’s life so bad.
And that meant more than silence and distance.
It meant stepping back into their world and turning every spotlight in her direction. No more hiding, and she would become unforgettable.
Over the next few days, Rochelle put her plan into motion. She updated her wardrobe with sleek, confident pieces.
It was time, and so she began attending social events again—not just attending, but owning the room. She wanted to be seen so Eric would know she survived without him.
She joined the board of the town’s youth foundation, where Elsa had once held influence, quickly making herself indispensable.
- Writer
