Morana's Point of View
"That's how it's supposed to be," she sneered, her voice dripping with venom. "Die, you wench."
The sound of her laughter echoed in my ears, cruel and mocking, as I lay beneath the crushing weight of the truck's tires. My stepmother, Isabella, stood nearby, her face twisted in a mask of triumph.
My father's cold eyes met mine for a fleeting moment before he turned on his heel, retreating back into the house without a word, leaving me there — broken and bleeding. No attempt to help, no flicker of remorse. Just cold indifference.
The entire human circle I had in my life betrayed me, The awareness of their betrayal wrapped around me like a suffocating shroud. My lungs burned as I coughed out blood, the metallic taste staining my lips and consuming my wounded body.
The pain of my crushed limbs was nothing compared to the agony of realizing the depth of their betrayal. My father contributed to my death by sitting and watching my step-mother, step-sister, husband, and mother-in-law plan my funeral, to wipe me up for their own selfish desires.
I tried to focus, but my vision blurred, the world around me spinning. My mind replayed every instance of their deceit like a cruel reminder.
But it wasn't just my life they were taking—it was my child's. The life growing inside me, innocent and full of potential, snuffed out because they deemed it inconvenient. The weight of that realization hit me harder than the truck ever could.
I closed my eyes as darkness crept in, my body trembling from the effort to cling to life. I could feel regret gnawing at me, the kind that came from loving the wrong people and trusting the unworthy.
But regret wasn't all I felt.
I wept uncontrollably, I wanted revenge. Revenge on my family and most especially, my husband.
With my final breath, I made a vow, a silent promise to the universe.
This wasn't the end.
Even if I had to crawl out of the depths of hell, I would return. I would make them pay for every lie, every betrayal, every moment of agony they had inflicted on me.
I refuse to die like this.
*********************
September 17th, 2017.
It is a happy day, I am getting married to my childhood lover, just like I wanted.
I looked at my husband, Davian as he concentrated on getting the marriage done. I had begged the man I loved to marry me, but gladly…he did.
My mother-in-law cheered from a distance, smiling warmly in acceptance of the new union.
"I, Morana Fairchild, take Davian Jestus to be my wedded husband. To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part. According to God's holy ordinance and thereto I pledge thee my faithfulness. By the power that binds us together, I promise to love and honor you, to support and cherish you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to build a life together that is filled with love, joy and adventure."
These vows became my ladder to destruction, my entrance to a new world organized with sorrows and pain, until I was fed with the juice of death.
********************
September 19th, 2022.
"I want you to sign everything you own to my son," my mother-in-law shamelessly blunted out.
"Ma…ma, I can work and still be married to your son, mum," I stammered, surprised and shocked.
"So your plan is to rule over my son? It would not be possible in my house," Violet, my mother-in-law retorted in anger.
"I'm sorry mother, I worked very hard for everything I own. I can't…" I whispered. With my heart beating like a wild animal.
A slap landed on my face, a pre-boiled, engaging slap that sent me landing on the cold floor, clutching onto my tummy to protect the child I was carrying in pain.
"Choose one: it's either you lay down the company and any other investment you own to your husband or give birth to that bastard you are carrying without a family. You know what that could do to your reputation," Violet threatened with a smirk.
I crawled towards my husband, Davian, pulling his legs for assistance.
"Davian please talk to mother, we never agreed to do this…right? I can work and still be your wife," I pleaded. I felt trapped, like a rabbit in a snare, unable to escape the horrors closing in.
"I am your husband. Don't be selfish. Give everything to me and let me be a man," Davian retorted, kicking me off.
Picking myself from the ground, I gawked from Davian to his mother, then back at Davian.
"Alright, if this is what you truly want, I can't bear to see you unhappy. I will sign everything I own to you. I hope we live happily from now on," I announced. Dusting myself.
"Including the one your family handed over to you, I will also need it. The statement of your bank account, stating all the money you have…and this house. Sign it over to me. If you truly want us to live in peace, you will do all I ask of you," Davian clarified with a serious face.
"Okay, I will get all the documents ready like you and mother requested," I responded.
Getting in, I picked up the document and handed it over to Davian to sign, and also signed my part of the transfer of ownership.
With that, the faces of mother and son lit up with joy. But mine, it turned lifeless and pale. Deep down, I wasn't just hurt, I was destroyed.
"I will give you a complete family, my child. You can't end up without a complete parent like myself," I murmured, rubbing my bumpy stomach.
**************************
January 1st, 2023.
It was almost time for the birth of my child. I sat uncomfortably on the couch, movies displayed on the television screen while I focused on the married picture plastered on the wall.
Violet came to me with tea. Surprisingly, I promptly dragged myself up to accept it.
"Here, drink this. It will help you relax," Violet blunted out, smiling.
"Thanks mother," I retorted, shocked about why she was suddenly nice.
"Once you are done drinking that, you should visit my son at the company. People are watching," Violet added, still smiling.
"Yes mother," I accepted, smiling back.
I quickly finished the tea to get prepared to leave for the company when Violet stopped me, asking me to leave that way and quickly. Smiling, I accepted, walked into the car and drove off.
It was a 20-minute drive to the company, and when I got there I was shocked to realize it was shut down for the day.
Confused, I got into the elevator and went up to the floor where my office resides, and there Davian was, but he wasn't alone.
"Stop…what if Morana finds us in this position? You said your mother asked her to come here, you know she can't find out about us yet until we succeed," Sofia, my stepsister, blunted out in panic.
"Morana won't get here, the tea my mother gave her should start taking effect by now," Davian assured her.
"Tea… Are you already plotting her death so quickly?" Sofia asked in pleasure.
"How else would we get what we want?" Davian asked and scoffed.
I covered my mouth to avoid being caught in a panic, limping out of the company and back to my car.
Immediately, I thought of the closest place to go and in a few minutes, I was at my family's house.
"What are you doing here Morana?" Isabella, my stepmother, blunted out, rushing forwards to stop me from getting in.
"Please…I just need some time, I will be gone before you know it," I murmured, avoiding her threatening glance.
"No! You are no longer part of this family, go to your family…get out," Isabella retorted in dismissal.
My father walked out, and I immediately took the initiative to plead with him. Instead, he was my father.
"Dad I-"
"Leave Morana, stop causing trouble and leave," my father warned.
"Dad, I'm not here to cause trouble, I can't drive," I protested, hoping he would understand.
My father walked back in and my stepmother trailed behind him with a smile.
My finger grasped the armrests, knuckles white with tension, consumed by dread.
I summoned the courage and limped back to the car, hoping to get to a hotel quickly when the effect of the drug began to take hold.
I felt drunk, numb and paralyzed.
Before I could manage to escape this fate, I was crushed by a large speeding truck. But it wasn't just me, but my child, a child preparing to be born.
I don't want to spend my new year this way, I want to make them pay.
"Please…let me come back."