Heels Of Revenge

Chapter 2 – Flashback

Zara walked gracefully through the lounge area behind the ballroom, her heels softly clicking against the tiles. The applause and excitement still sounded clearly behind the closed doors, but here, in the lonely hallway, it was just her and the burden of flashbacks weighing down.

She gripped the award tightly. The silver felt cold, unwavering, a glimmer of the armor she had built around herself. Years of victory, of climbing her up through nothing, then suddenly engulfed by one manufactured announcement! Her mind shifted, unwilling but unstoppable.

The presidential suite. The pictures. The lies. The betrayal. The misunderstanding. That cursed night. Adrian had walked in at the wrong moment. The moment where her reputation was compromised and ruined. And her unworthy best friend… she had smirked, feigning innocence, while planting the seed of doubt that spoiled everything.

Zara’s hands moved slyly to grab the flower vase on the side table in the hallway, but she didn't. She had never acted on impulse.

Strength isn't seen in shattering stuff, but in standing tall when the world tries to break you. Yet for a split second, the pain pierced her carefully built armor… she vividly remembered the look on Adrian's face. The anger, disappointment, and disbelief. He was silent for a moment, she had felt the first real stab of betrayal. Not from him, nor from circumstances…but from the only person she had put all her trust in. The memories pierced her heart deeper, like a double-edged sword, sharper than any failed contract, corporate criticism. The words she had never spoken before, the explanations she had refused to give to anyone, they all flashed back like a broken record in her mind.

“I will not be like my mother," she muttered under her breath.

The words keep her trembling hands steady.

Her mother had lived in fear, basking in betrayal and hardship without protest. Zara had sworn never to live like her. But the irony wasn't lost on her, she had stayed silent then, out of stubbornness, and it had cost her everything.

A soft ding pulled her from her thoughts. A notification from Adrian, she opened the text. “Where are you now?” She gnashed her teeth. Part of her wanted to overlook it, to walk away and let the past remain in the past, while the other part still yearned for him, wanting to hear his voice. To see if the man she had once lived with her entire being had truly changed, or if he still believed the lies.

She dug her almond-shaped fingernails deep into her purse, snook and leaned on the wall, exhaled calmly. This wasn't about love anymore. This was about survival. About proving to herself that absolutely nobody, not even Adrian, not the sly fiancée or even Faye itself, could make her feel powerless or vulnerable again. Her mind raced a bit, could she trust him? Could she trust herself enough to face him without breaking? Several questions rushed through her mind.

The sound of shoe heels walking down the corridor made her stiffen. But luckily it wasn't Adrian. Just one of the waiters at the event. She sighed a sigh of relief. It was just her imagination playing tricks on her. Yet the message still lingered on her screen like a diamond cutting through a thick glass.” Where are you, now?” She stared at it for a long moment. Pride laced with curiosity. Finally, she typed a response: “In the hall close to the lounge area."

Not sounding weak or pleading. It was enough, direct and concise. She wasn't about to allow herself to be trampled upon again – not now. She placed her phone back in her purse, adjusted her blazer and walked straight towards the empty VIP lounge in the hotel . On the outside, the world celebrated success. On the inside, she carried the burden of the past, carefully blending into her poised exterior. Because she had learned years ago how the world revolves, it doesn't care about your pain or whether you are weak, it only respects power and your capability. And strength… she has in abundance.

The shadow of her past hooked onto her like strong Arabian perfume — familiar, inescapable and dangerous. One step closer to Adrian now, one careful step towards the confrontation she both desired and feared. And for some reason, deep down, a small voice whispers, the one she had tried to silence for years now.

“ I will not lose this time."