Her hand reached up to her head again just as the elevator doors opened. Momentarily distracted, she stepped out and headed to Nico's apartment. It took her a few seconds to reach the front door, wasting no time inputting the pin Theo had given her. "0000," she scoffed. "Is he this confident in himself?" She twisted the doorknob and it opened. Without wasting another second, she barged into the apartment.
The first thing she saw in the living room was a mess, the aftermath of a party. Wine bottles and empty beer cans littered the floor. Bags of empty chips were strewn about. One particular sight caught her eye—the trail of discarded clothing leading to the room around the corner. Her chest tightened. She didn't want to believe it.
Her hand shook as she reached for the door. Unlike before, she didn't barge in instantly; she was reluctant.
"Click." Viviana opened the door, and there they were, lying in each other's arms—Nico and Freya, cozy and in love. Viviana's heart fell. Her lips parted as the anger she had felt moments ago turned into raw pain. Tears formed in her eyes, and all the times she'd shared with Nico flashed before her.
"He lied to me," she said in a shaky voice, her grip loosening on the doorknob. "You f*cking liar!" she screamed. In an instant, Nico was up, his sleepy eyes focusing on Viviana in the doorway, and he was completely knocked out of his stupor.
"What are you doing here? Why are you screaming?" he asked, bewildered.
"You said you were on a business trip while you were cheating on me with my friend?!" she continued to scream, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
"No, no, no, Vivi! This is all a misunderstanding! I can explain!" he said, holding his hands out to her. Freya, a heavy sleeper, finally woke up. The second her gaze met Viviana's, she grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around herself. "Vivi," she said breathlessly.
"I will never forgive you two. You will regret doing this to me! This is the end for both of you," Viviana said, her voice heavy with emotion, her nails digging into her palms. "You hurt me, and now I will hurt you both. I will make sure your families are erased from the face of this planet before the sun rises!" She turned to leave.
"No, please, Vivi, listen to me!" Nico's face paled, and the veins on his head popped. He jumped out of bed and followed her, grabbing her hand halfway.
"Get off me, you disgusting piece of sh*t!" she yelled, pulling her hand free and slapping him across the cheek. "You think you can cheat on me and get away with it? Do you have any idea what a loser you are? You think you're all that just because I gave you some attention? Let me tell you, Nico, you are trash. I gave you a chance because I felt sorry for you. I didn't know you would think so highly of yourself that you could try to double-cross me with a downgraded version of me," she said, referring to Freya, who stood in the doorway now. "Well, I guess trash ends up with trash, no matter how well you treat it," she spat hatefully.
"I hope you've enjoyed all your luxuries for today. Your father will be calling you in a few moments now. I'm sure he'll be proud of you for destroying his company. Goodbye."
"No, please, Vivi, don't do this to me! I'll do anything you say! Just don't tell my father about this. He'll kill me!" Nico begged, dropping to his knees. But Viviana was done with him and turned to leave.
"Enjoy your last moments before I make your life miserable," she threw those words at him and walked out of the elevator, her chest tightening with anger.
"What now?" Freya said with a shaky voice. She hadn't expected to get caught this quickly. Nico was on his knees, taking deep breaths, his head spinning.
"My father can't find out about this. What if we go bankrupt? What will I do?" he muttered. "I have to stop her!" he frantically decided.
"You can't talk to her. She's Viviana. She won't listen!" Freya tried to reason.
"Shut up, you b*tch! This is all because of you!" he growled, standing up and scaring the life out of Freya, who had never seen this side of him before. "I'll get back at you after I'm done with her!" he said psychotically, grabbing a vase from the side before marching out the door.
Viviana was just outside the elevator, about to press the button when a feeling of déjà vu hit her like a sledgehammer. She shook her head, trying to clear the unsettling sensation, but the elevator bell rang, the sound echoing ominously in the empty hallway. As the small partition opened, a sudden, blinding pain exploded in her skull. Glass shattered all around her, piercing her skin and adding to the agony.
The excruciating pain sent her crashing face-first into the elevator, her body crumpling like a rag doll. Blood streamed from her head, pooling on the cold, metallic floor. Her vision blurred, and she struggled to make sense of her surroundings.
"Avk!" she choked out, her voice weak and broken. This was it. This was the horrific vision that had haunted her. As her consciousness flickered, the voice from her nightmare echoed in the confined space, dripping with malice and contempt.
"You will make my life miserable? Not when I can do something about it, my princess who doesn't know when to behave. Let's see who is miserable now," Nico's laughter reverberated through the elevator, a chilling, maniacal sound that sent shivers down her spine.
The pain in her head was unbearable, a relentless assault that made her feel like her skull was being split open. She could feel her brain slowly shutting down, her thoughts becoming disjointed and hazy. The terror and despair clawed at her, each heartbeat a reminder of her impending doom.
"No! I can't die! I can't!" she screamed internally, her mind a whirlwind of desperation and fear. But her body betrayed her, growing weaker with each passing second. Her vision darkened, and the edges of her consciousness began to fray, the world around her fading into a void of nothingness.
As she lay there, the taste of blood filling her mouth, Viviana's thoughts drifted to all she would lose—the dreams, the future, the revenge she had sworn. The cruel irony of her fate twisted like a knife in her gut, and the sorrow of her impending end weighed heavily on her heart.
Nico's mocking laughter was the last thing she heard as the darkness finally consumed her, her body lying lifeless in the pool of blood. The elevator doors closed behind the two sealing Viviana's fate once in for all.