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Ava lay in bed, her breaths shallow and ragged. The pain in her chest felt unbearable, a crushing weight that made her heart ache. She clutched her swollen belly, desperately trying to hold onto the life growing within her. Her body trembled, but it wasn't just from the physical agony—it was the deep, gnawing fear that the end was near. And in her final moments, she couldn't escape the gnawing truth: her best friend, Lily, was the one responsible for her suffering.
She had trusted Lily for years, confided in her, shared her joys and heartaches. But now, she realized with painful clarity, Lily's affection had always been laced with something darker. It wasn't love or friendship that drove her—it was jealousy. Ava had never known the depth of Lily's envy until the very end.
The door creaked open, and Ava's heart skipped a beat. She turned her head to see Lily standing in the doorway, her face partially obscured by shadows. Ava's pulse quickened. Her friend's smile was too wide, too sweet. Something about it made her stomach churn.
"Lily… you came…" Ava whispered weakly, her voice barely a sound. She felt as if she were slipping away, but she didn't want to die without understanding.
Lily stepped closer, her footsteps soundless on the cold floor. She held a small vial in her hand, the same one she had handed Ava earlier. Ava had trusted her, had believed the excuse—"It'll help ease the pain, calm you, and keep the baby safe." But now, as she looked at Lily with bleary eyes, she knew the truth. It wasn't medicine; it was poison.
"You're a fool, Ava," Lily's voice was soft, but there was an unmistakable coldness behind it. She placed the vial on the bedside table, the metallic scent of the poison still lingering in the air. "I did this for you—for both of us. You'll understand once you're gone."
Ava's eyes widened with shock. "Gone?" She could barely keep her eyes open, but she needed answers. "Lily, what are you talking about?"
Lily's lips curled into a smile, but it was not the smile of a friend. It was the smile of someone who had been waiting for this moment for a long time. "You were always in the way," she said quietly, the words slicing through the room like a blade. "You had everything—his love, his attention. But you… you never saw it. You always pushed him away. You couldn't see how much he needed you. And now, he'll finally be mine."
Ava's breath hitched. "No... You can't… you can't be serious. You… you loved me like a sister. How could you—"
Lily's eyes narrowed as she crouched beside the bed. "A sister? No, Ava, I loved him. I always did. But you… you were always there, standing in the way of what was mine. I needed to remove you so I could have what should have been mine from the start."
Ava's heart raced as the horror of the truth crashed down on her. "You poisoned me, didn't you?" She whispered, the words barely escaping her lips. "You've always been jealous of me."
Lily's gaze darkened, her smile faltering only slightly. "Jealous? No, not jealous. I'm just… taking what's mine." She stood, her eyes locking onto Ava's. "Once you're gone, I'll finally have everything—your life, your husband, the love I've always deserved."
Ava's chest tightened with panic, but the poison was beginning to overwhelm her, the edges of her vision fading. "You… you killed me."
Lily crouched again, her face now only inches from Ava's, her breath cold against her skin. "I didn't kill you, Ava. You killed yourself by being so weak, so blind. You pushed him away when he needed you, and now I'll be the one to have him. Forever."
Ava's hands shook as she tried to reach for her friend, but Lily was quicker. Before Ava could react, Lily's fingers gripped the cold handle of a knife she had hidden behind her back. In one swift motion, she plunged it into Ava's side, right beneath her ribs.
Ava gasped, her mouth opening in a silent scream. The pain was sharp, searing through her body like wildfire. She felt the warmth of her blood spreading, soaking into the sheets beneath her. Her vision blurred, the room spinning as she tried to take a breath, but the air felt heavier now, more suffocating.
Lily pulled the knife back slowly, savoring the moment. "Don't worry, Ava," she whispered, her voice dripping with malice. "You won't suffer for long. Soon, you'll be nothing. And I'll have everything."
Ava's breath came in ragged gasps. She could feel her strength draining, but there was one thought that lingered in her mind, one final wish. *If only I could start over, if only I could warn him, protect him from her...*
Her vision darkened, the world fading away, and just before the darkness took her fully, she whispered, "I won't let you win. I won't let you take him."
But it was too late.
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Light flooded her senses.
Ava's eyes shot open, her heart racing in her chest. She gasped, sucking in air as if she had been underwater for too long. She was no longer in the room with Lily, no longer lying on the bed where her life had slipped away. She was in her childhood room, the familiar walls surrounding her, the sunlight streaming through the window. Her body felt light, unburdened. She was young again, untouched by the betrayal and the poison that had killed her in her past life.
Her hand flew to her stomach, expecting the heavy swell of pregnancy, but it wasn't there. She felt no pain. Her body was the same as it had been years ago—whole, strong, full of life. She could feel the pulse of her veins, the beat of her heart, and she knew that somehow, impossibly, she had been given a second chance.
Her mind raced as the memories of the past rushed back to her in sharp detail—the manipulation, the lies, the poison. The image of Lily's cruel smile, the coldness in her eyes as she held the knife. Ava felt a surge of rage, a promise that this time, she wouldn't let her friend destroy her life again.
She would stop Lily. She would protect her husband, and she would never allow the woman who had killed her to take another thing from her.
Ava stood, her resolve hardening. She would make sure Lily never got the chance to take what wasn't hers. This time, she would be ready.
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