"I promise to love you till the end, Ryena," he said with a gentle smile, his hand tightly holding mine.
'Is this that damn dream again?'
I stared at the man I once loved. A man whose every word used to make my heart flutter. Now, all I felt was emptiness—no spark, no warmth. Just the ghost of a love long gone. Betrayal tainted his every gesture, and that promise? Just one of the many lies I used to hold onto like a lifeline.
Suddenly, the scenery shifted. I was kneeling in front of him in a crowded hall. My once-elegant mother stood beside me, her head bowed in humiliation. His friends were laughing. His new lover smirked while sipping champagne.
"They took our house."
"They took our money."
"They took everything."
"You're so naive, Ryena. Believing every word I say… I never loved you from the start—"
I jolted awake.
My heart thudded wildly in my chest as cold sweat trickled down my back. I sat up, panting, my head pounding like I had just slammed it into a wall.
"That jerk will be soon meeting his own ancestor's" I mumbled with annoyance feeling disgusted because of my dream about him
'ugh'
I stretched my arms, and rolled out of bed, only to stumble slightly.
"Fucking alcohol," I grumbled as I staggered toward the bathroom, my legs wobbly and my head feeling like a war zone.
The party last night had been a disaster. A chaotic, intoxicating blur. And those two perverted jerks who tried to touch me? I grinned remembering the satisfying crunch when I kicked them where the sun doesn't shine. Their cries of pain still echoed in my head like music.
I looked in the mirror.
"God damn," I muttered at the mess before me—smeared makeup, tangled hair, and a look of death in my eyes.
Buzz buzzzzzzzz
My phone vibrated.
Tina.
"What's up, gurlie! What a show you put up last night!" Her voice was too damn chipper for this hour.
"What do you want?" I croaked, grabbing a cup to rinse my mouth, then brushing my teeth with zombie-like motions.
"Well, you see… my friend is close to your ex—Vincent. Guess what? He's getting married next week!"
My hands froze. The brush still in my mouth, foamy with paste. I spat into the sink and wiped my mouth, feeling rage slowly bubble under my skin.
"I have the invitation." Tina's voice now dripped with mischief. "Wanna crash it?"
I paused, thinking for a moment before curling my lips into a wicked smile.
"You know, why don't we give him the biggest gift he'll ever receive from me?" I said sweetly.
"That's why you're my best friend!" Tina laughed. "So, what's the plan?"
"I don't want to spoil the surprise," I replied with a playful wink—even if she couldn't see it—and ended the call.
I looked into the mirror again, the grin on my lips growing darker.
"Let's plan something extravagant."
I took a long shower and slipped into something casual—ripped jeans, black boots, and a simple shirt. I had one place to go to my father's office.
The man who visited me in prison after my world had been turned to ash. He said he was my real father.
I had laughed at first. Delirious. Weak. Half-starved. I thought it was a sick joke from someone else wanting to play god with my misery. But he showed me the papers. The DNA test. The letter my mother had hidden away—never intending me to see it.
My mother… she never really paid attention to me. She was always cold, distant. Wrapped in her own world. I had convinced myself she loved me in her own way. Maybe she did. But she never showed it.
And despite all that... I still loved her. I just never said it out loud.
She was dead now. And they framed me for her murder.
Falsely accused.
Thrown into hell.
The prison was a beast of its own. Its walls breathed violence. You either killed or got killed. And I? I was once prey. Fevered, starving, bleeding. Until she came.
FLASHBACK
"You're so pitiful, aren't you?" a cruel voice mocked.
My body shook uncontrollably as fever consumed me. Vision blurred. Everything spun.
"Hey! We've got fresh meat! She looks like an abandoned puppy."
Laughter. Taunts.
"Speak up, bitch!"
A hand yanked my hair violently. Pain shot through my scalp, and I cried out weakly. I couldn't even scream.
"I said speak up!"
Suddenly, everything froze.
"What's with this fucking commotion?" another voice growled—calm, commanding.
The crowd parted like the Red Sea.
And then... silence.
I collapsed just as the woman who had grabbed me was knocked out cold.
END FLASHBACK
That woman… I owed her my life. One day, I'll return the favor. She doesn't belong there.
After I'm done with my morning routine, I walked through the tall corridors of a sleek building and stopped outside a mahogany door.
I took a breath and entered.
My real father was hunched over his desk, tired eyes scanning documents. He looked up.
"Ryena." His voice softened as he stood up, walking toward me. "Why did you come? Do you need something?"
"Father… forget about me. Look at yourself." I gently took his hand and led him to the couch. "You look exhausted. Let me handle those."
"No," he said firmly. "You should enjoy life. This—this mess—I don't want you involved."
There's a silence between us,when my father suddenly spoke and broke the silence.
".....I'm sending you to a boarding school for your safety" He suddenly said with serious tone of voice
I look at him flabbergasted by what just he said. Me?. On boarding school? Hell noh.
"You can't do this to me, Dad!" I shouted, voice echoing off the cold marble walls of his office. My heels clacked as I paced furiously, arms crossed, frustration burning behind my eyes. "Why are you limiting my freedom like I'm some porcelain doll?!"
"You need to listen to me, young lady," my father snapped, rising from his chair with a stern look carved into his face. "Our lives are in danger. You almost got kidnapped last time, remember?"
I scoffed and turned sharply toward him. "That's why you hired me an instructor—to teach me how to fight, remember?"
"That was one of my biggest mistakes," he muttered, rubbing his temples, stress weighing down his shoulders like chains. "Ever since then, you've been getting into one mess after another."
"I was defending myself," I said with a roll of my eyes as I hopped up on his polished desk and crossed my legs. "Those plastic bimbos deserved it. Acting so high and mighty like they're made of gold—when they're really just stitched silicone with fake personalities."
My father gave me a long, disapproving look. "You know their parents are some of our major investors."
I let out a dark laugh. "Oh, please. Who needs those corporate leeches? They wouldn't last a day without us. They'd suck us dry if we let them. Speaking of parasites, I have a party to attend."
My father's eyes sharpened. "No. Absolutely not. You're not going anywhere."
"Why?" I asked sweetly, fluttering my lashes. "It's just Vincent's uhm whatever ritual it is. A harmless little party."
"You kicked Mr. Anderson's son in the crotch at the last party, Ryena."
"Well, he shouldn't have tried to touch my ass. I was just aiming for justice. With my stiletto," I said innocently.
My father groaned, pacing now. "No more scandals, Ryena. Not this time."
"Oh come on, Daddy," I cooed, walking over and locking my arm around his. "I promise I won't start trouble… but I'm not responsible if someone else finishes it."
He sighed deeply and looked at me with tired eyes. "Fine. But if you get into trouble again, I swear—"
"Thank you, Daddy!" I squealed before he could finish his threat, kissed his cheek, and skipped out the door like an angel—if angels wore tight leather and plotted emotional destruction.
Later That Night...
I slid into my most luxurious black sports car—sleek, fast, and venomous, just like me. The engine purred as I revved it, my foot pressing harder on the gas with every angry thought that resurfaced.
Vincent.
The liar.
The manipulator.
The fucking traitor
'I feel really disgusted saying my Ex name ugh'
He had everything. I gave him everything—my time, my money, my love. And what did I get in return? Lies. Cheating. Betrayal. Because of him, I missed my mother's final breath. I was at his stupid fake business trip while she died alone.
I gripped the wheel tighter, veins pulsing as the car sped past every slow-moving idiot on the road. My engine roared like the storm brewing in my chest.
This was his birthday party. His big day. And I was the uninvited guest who brought hell as a gift.
The venue was a gaudy mansion bathed in golden lights. Expensive, tacky, and screaming of someone who was trying too hard to prove they mattered.
I pulled up to the entrance and stepped out like I owned the place. My long slit-black dress hugged my curves like sin itself, and my high heels clicked with menace.
"Invitation, ma'am?" the security guy asked, blocking my path.
I smiled sweetly, tossed him my car keys, and brushed past him like he was air. I didn't need an invite—I was the event.
Without hesitation, I pushed the grand doors open with a loud bang. Heads turned. Gasps followed. Conversations froze.
"Oh no, am I late?" I asked with a sweet smile and a venomous glint in my eyes. "Hope I didn't miss the cake-cutting cuz im starving...for more drama"
All eyes were on me. Whispering started—judging stares, fake sympathy, and side-eyes. I thrived in it. Let them talk. I walked further in, my confidence radiating like perfume.
And then I saw them.
Vincent
And her.
His new little arm candy. I didn't even remember her name—just her face from the tabloids, always clinging to him like a desperate side chick who finally got promoted.
Vincent went pale the second his eyes landed on me. His jaw clenched.
Good.
I walked up to the stage, smiled at the shocked MC, and yanked the mic from his hands.
"Hello? Testing—one, two, three! Who wants a fucking party!!!!" My voice blasted through the speakers, making several guests flinch and cover their ears.
Vincent rushed toward me. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he hissed, grabbing my arm.
I smiled. "Oh relax, sweetheart. I'm just here to share a story—our story. Since everyone's gathered here, why not offer them a little entertainment?"
His grip tightened. "Let. Go. Of. The. Mic."
I wrenched my arm free and turned to the crowd with a dramatic sigh. "So! Fun fact! Did you all know Vincent and I used to fuck like rabbits? Wild, messy, barely-even-made-it-to-the-bed kind of sex."
'We didn't actually have sex because he said 'Im saving my self for our future marriage and blah blah blah, then i found out he's sleeping with other woman'
Gasps rippled across the hall.
"And let me just say… I wasn't exactly satisfied," I added with a pitiful pout. "Because, well, how do I put this gently? He has a tiny wiener. Like, thumb sized and his dingaling? damn they are size like blueberries"
'Having a small manhood is not bad Okay? Unless you're Vincent'
Laughter exploded from the crowd. Vincent's face turned beet red.
"You're lying!" he snapped.
His little doll stepped forward, face twisted in rage. "Stop making false accusations!"
"Oh, have you seen it then?" I tilted my head at her with a condescending smile. "Wait—don't tell me you two already sampled the goods before marriage? Naughty, naughty."
She froze, visibly panicking.
"Oh, dear." I covered my mouth in fake shock. "You mean to say he cheated on me with you while we were still together? Gosh, who would've thought?"
I shake my head with dissapointment
"What a downgrade...You already have the full course meal but you choose to settled on the dog food" I said with mockery
The crowd stirred. Some eyes turned toward Vincent with disgust. Others just sipped champagne, thoroughly enjoying the scandal.
Vincent's eyes narrowed. "What the hell are you talking about? You're just trying to humiliate me."
"Oh, honey," I purred, stepping closer to him. "You haven't begun to feel humiliation."
I turned to his new girlfriend, who was already shaking.
"Now, should I tell him? The little secret you've been hiding from him? About what you really are?"
Her lips trembled. "Ryena, stop—please."
I smiled wider, wickedness dripping from every syllable. "Begging already? Wow. He hasn't even dumped you yet."
Vincent looked between us, clearly confused now. "What are you hiding from me?"
She grabbed his arm, trying to pull him away, but he shook her off. "What is she talking about?"
"I told you, baby, she's lying—!"
"Oh shut up," I interrupted, my voice sharp now. "You want to play house with the woman who ruined your relationship, lied about her past, and is still hiding things from you? Be my guest. But don't say I didn't warn you."
My eyes locked on hers. "You better pray the next time we meet, it's not in court."
I dropped the mic. Literally.
The metallic clunk echoed as I turned on my heel and strutted out of the hall like a queen leaving her court in flames.
Let them clean up the ashes.
(PS: Im still editing this Chapter adding some more details to highlights each scene with clarity )