Valerie's love and revenge

Valerie’s pov My body writhed in agony, but it was nothing compared to the pain of betrayal from those who I had trusted with my heart and soul. As I lay on the cold floor, clutching my chest in anguish, tears welled up in my eyes at the sight before me. My best friend and husband were locked in a heated embrace, their lips locked together as if no one else existed. I couldn't believe what I was seeing - how could they do this to me? I had shared everything with them, confided in them, loved them with every fiber of my being. But now, as I watched the two people I cared about most in the world betray me in such a callous manner, I felt like a fool for ever trusting them. Catrina's contemptuous gaze burned into me as she ran her hands through Evan's hair possessively. "I would have given you a merciful death," she sneered at me, "but where's the fun in that? I want to revel in your pain and suffering as I take everything away from you." My body trembled and convulsed as the poison coursed through my veins. It felt like my insides were melting, and each breath became more labored than the last. This was how it was going to end - at the hands of the ones I loved. "It cost me a fortune to acquire this poison," Evan gloated as he wrapped his arms around Catrina from behind. "And it can never be traced back to us. We can just tell everyone you died from an illness or something." A sense of bitter irony washed over me as I realized that all those years of love and affection from Evan had been nothing but a lie. How long had he been cheating on me? And Catrina...my supposed best friend...had she really been plotting against me this whole time? "You must be wondering when it all started," Catrina taunted, bending down to look me in the eye. When I turned my head away from her touch, she scoffed. "I thought you were smarter than this," she continued with an evil glint in her eye. "Did you really think someone could love all the same things as you and mirror the exact romance you wanted? It was all a facade, all part of my plan." Her maniacal laughter echoed through the room as she reveled in my pain and gullibility. I remembered the day I met Evan on the street - or so I thought it was a chance encounter. But now I knew that it was all orchestrated by Catrina, feeding him information about my likes and dislikes to make him fall for me. “do you know how long I have been waiting for this? How long I had to pretend to be your best friend all these years. You thought I was happy for you getting everything you ever wanted while I got nothing?” she said, her voice full of spite. She smiled evilly again. “what if it tell you that I planned for you and Evan to meet right from the start” My eyes widened from the revelation. So it has been this long? I am so gullible and see where it has gotten me. “I laughed at how stupid you were, you were thinking someone just loves the same thing you do and showcased the exact romance you want, not knowing I was the one feeding him the information” Her maniacal laugh filled the room. I remember that day I met Evan. Someone grabbed my bag on the road and fled and a good Samaritan went after the culprit. He was the Samaritan, or so I thought. I had no idea it was planned all those years ago. “I just wanted you to feel worthless when the news finally break out that he was never in love with you, but I didn’t want to stop there. I mean, why destroy you and not gain any reward.” Catrina's words hit me like a punch to the gut. My heart stopped and my breath caught in my throat. I couldn't believe what she was saying - that she had been intentionally trying to ruin my life for her own gain. Before I could even react, Evan produced a file and flaunted it in front of me with a smug grin on his face. "Not only are we going to be filthy rich from the life insurance payout, but we also get your properties," he boasted, reveling in my pain. My hands quivered with rage as I yearned to strangle them both. How could they do this to me? I wish I listened to my parents all those years ago. They warned me about Catrina but I thought they were exaggerating. “Save you anger bestie, because there is more. You wouldn’t want to be gullible even at your point of death, now would you?” she laughed again. I want to wipe of that disgusting smile off her face. “What if I also tell you that your parents death wasn’t an accident?” What? What did she just say? I looked at her, wanting her to repeat what she just said. “There it is, that face of despair is what I crave for. HAHAHAH!” she kept laughing maniacally. She killed my parents? Why? How could she do this to me? I remember the funeral of how she cried beside me, and comforted me, not knowing she was the cause of the parent’s death. “I wouldn’t have gotten away with it if it wasn’t for your husband of course” she said and gave Evan a full deep kiss. Disgusting, absolutely disgusting. I wanted to speak but what came out of it was blood, I felt my life slipping away. “Remember all those misfortunes that used to happen to you at work? I planned all of that. The death of your lovely pet, I did it. And the misunderstanding between you and your neighbor friend, I did it. Cathrina said. Stop..stop..stop..I said in my mind, the pain was too much to bear. "I curse you both," I managed to choke out between gasps for air. "I will never forgive you." Catrina shrugged nonchalantly, still clinging onto Evan and kissing him like it was some kind of victory celebration. "I never asked for your forgiveness, dear bestie. Maybe in our next life," she taunted and groped Evan, their moaning filling the air as I slowly began to die. My body grew weaker as I felt death creeping closer. Despair consumed me as I thought of my parents and all the things I could have done differently. If I ever get a next life, I will have my revenge. I will make them suffer and beg for death and death won’t come for them, mark my words. Mom, dad, I am so sorry for not believing you, its my fault that you are dead. I should have listened; I should have known. Please if there is a God out there, I wish to go back in time before all these disasters took place. I prayed and slowly, I died. *** I registered the sensation of a warm, wet tongue l*****g my face. My eyes fluttered open and I struggled to make sense of my surroundings. A flood of emotions washed over me as I recognized the familiar room and my faithful dog, Ben, barking excitedly at me. "Ben?" I murmured, stunned. He should be dead by now. Wait, shouldn't I be dead too? My hand instinctively went to my chest, but there was no pain. Is this the afterlife? Before I could fully process everything, the door swung open. "Oh good, Ben woke you up," a voice said. I stared in disbelief as my mother walked into the room. Is this real? Tears welled up in my eyes as I got out of bed and ran towards her. "Mum? Is it really you?" I asked, afraid that she might disappear any second now. "What's wrong sweetie? Did you have a bad dream?" she asked with concern. Unable to contain my emotions any longer, I hugged her tightly. My mom was alive and here with me. "Yes, it was a terrible nightmare," I replied between sobs. "It's okay, your mom is here for you," she whispered soothingly while stroking my hair. In that moment, I never wanted this to end. The overwhelming joy and relief consumed me completely.