Revenge on my ex husband

Elena’s POV The table was draped in silk whose cost was more than my father’s monthly pension, and as I waited for Marcus I ironed out the wrinkles for close to an hour. Since it was our third anniversary, I had spent the day cooking in the kitchen his all-time favorite beef bourguignon and I made sure the sauce was rich and the meat was soft. I was wearing the red dress he got me last year, and I took a look at myself in the mirror in the hall as I played with the gold locket. My mother-in-law was sitting in the living room drinking her tea and I could feel her watching me, a weird blank look on her face that I couldn't really place. “Elena, you need to take a seat and stop pacing you’re making me dizzy!” Beatrice said, placing her teacup down with a faint clatter. I dusted off my hands on my apron and gave her a faint smile, believing that she was being nice at last. "I just want things to be right for Marcus, especially since he’s been working such long hours lately and looks so freakin’ stressed out," I said as I pulled out a chair. Beatrice didn't smile back to my utter despair, but instead, she took out a small velvet pouch from her pocket. “Marcus is under more pressure than you think, and a dinner? It fixes nothing” she muttered, eyeing the front door nervously several times. When finally the engine of Marcus's car rumbled into the driveway, I rushed to the door to greet him with a hug, but he didn't reciprocate. “Happy anniversary, sweetheart,” I breathed into his chest, but all I got was a tap on the shoulder before he walked by me. "Is dinner ready? Marcus said, sitting down at the head of the table. "I have a very long night ahead of me and I must not indulge in too lengthy a celebration." I was disappointed as I filled my plate. “I made your favorite, Marcus, I figured we could at least open a bottle of wine and have a conversation that doesn’t revolve around work for once,” I said, but Beatrice continued whispering to him as I filled the wine glasses. Marcus downed a great deal of his wine and gazed at me with an expression that seemed more like pity than love. “You know, Elena, we’ve discussed the growth of the family business and how I’ve been under so much stress to bring about a merger with the Thorne group,” he began, his voice indeed sounding rehearsed. "I know it’s boring but really do we have to do it tonight?" I said as Beatrice then on to place a little white tablet next to his glass. "She’s a sweet girl, Marcus, but she’s an anchor around your neck and you know that Sarah is the only one that can bring the capital we need to keep this house," Beatrice said, her voice dropping into a hiss. I glanced at the pill then at my husband. “Who is Sarah? Marcus, what is your mother saying?” I asked, my voice quavering as I reached to touch his hand, but he withdrew. “Sarah is the daughter of the guy who owns half the shipping docks in the country, and she’s pregnant, Elena,” Beatrice cut in, scowling as she moved the pill closer to Marcus. “It’s a scandal we can’t have, and an ex-husband stealing away those shares of Marcus’s is a scandal we certainly can’t have, so we’re thinking it’s in all our best interests if you just... go away quietly.” My face felt like it was drained of all blood as I tried to get up but my legs wouldn't move and the room started to spin. "You're killing me? With the contract and the mistress?" I gasped, clutching the table. "Don't make this harder than it has to be, because we wouldn't be in this position if you'd just been a bit more useful or come from a better family," Beatrice said, signaling Marcus to rise. “Marcus, catch her arms before she fell and smeared the carpet.” “I’m sorry, Elena, I truly am, but my mother was right about the business,” Marcus mumbled, as they hauled me out to the car. My toes dug into the rocks on the driveway as I tried to yell, but my throat was stuffed with cotton. "Where are you taking me? Marcus, please, we should talk about this," I gasped, but he was silent as he headed for the old bridge that sat on the edge of town. Beatrice sat in the backseat holding my phone. “I'm erasing your messages, honey, so there’s no paper trail to find, and you shouldn’t try to get any help," she said nonchalantly. The air was biting cold as I felt it on my face when the car came to a halt. "I'm sorry, Elena, but I really do love her and she can give me the life that you couldn't," Marcus breathed, the tremble of his hands finding rest on the chilly metal railing. "You're a coward Marcus, and your mother is a monster," I barely managed, but then Beatrice approached from behind him. “Stop talking, now, and let’s get it over with before someone drives past,” said Beatrice, with one last firm push that sent me rolling into the darkness. The fall seemed to last forever before I hit the icy water beneath, the impact breaking my ribs and filling my lungs with ice. With a tenuous hold, I managed to hook my fingers into a crevice between two stones and pulled my shattered body onto a muddy embankment, coughing blood and shaking. Up above me, the lights of Marcus’s car receded, growing farther and farther away. I was supposed to be dead, but as I looked up at the stars, I felt a spark of something hotter than the pain—a burning need for revenge. I could hear a faint sound of a car crashing in the distance, further up the road, and I knew I had to move or the cold would finish what my husband started.