It was the night of the thirty-first of December, New Year's Eve. Despite the bone-chilling cold, the whole city was cheerfully alive. Laughter echoed through the air; the children ran on the snow-covered streets, and couples found their warmth in each other's embrace. The city awaited for new year — a new beginning.
But far from all this, she lay down on the icy cold floor, shivering in the frigid temperature, bathed in crimson. Silent tears fell from her eyes as she watched the scene unfolding just a few feet away; her husband, whom she loved more than her life, and her sister, whom she dotted on, were locking lips, while she was lying in a pool of blood!
"Damien, Sarah..." She muttered, but her weak voice didn't seem to enter their ears, or they decided not to pay attention to it. They were busy with what they did. After a long passionate kiss, they turned to her. Damien held Sarah's waist, pulling her too close to leave a minute gap! In his eyes, there was something,
Pity!
Yes, after all these years, finally, she had learned to recognize the emotions in people's eyes. There was a mockery and pity in their eyes, for her.
"Viv..." Damien smiled, a menacing smile. "Did you think I loved you? Ahh, sorry to burst your bubble but.. if it wasn't for Grandma-"
He left the sentence for Sarah to complete. "You see this? Your husband was always mine."
Sarah placed a wet kiss on his lips, then laughed out loud.
She couldn't do anything but see them. The heartache was more than the pain she felt from the plunge of the dagger.
"Finish off, I'm waiting outside," Damien told her, then slowly walked out of the room.
Sarah moved forward step by step; standing in from of her, she bent over. "So, sister, how does it feel to be unloved?"
Tears rolled down her cheeks, and with a weak trembling voice, she demanded an answer. "Why? Why did you do this?"
"Why? You're asking me why did I do this!" Sarah's eyes burned with anger, she grabbed her hair with force. "You, you're the biggest obstacle of my life."
Her finger twisted her hair, yanking her head back. "Why did you even come to our family, huh? A mere adopted daughter, you dared to snatch my spotlight!"
"What!" She was above wonder. What was she talking about?
"Since the day you entered the Winter family, you've snatched everything from me. Viv is better in studies, Viv dances better, oh! Viv cooks! Viv this, Viv that... Why it was always you? And was it not enough that you took my love away from me!"
Sarah stopped; she was breathing heavily, and tear droplets accumulated in the corner of her eyes. "Damien and I loved each other since we were thirteen, we were about to tell our parents when you stepped into the picture. And his Grandma, that dumb old hag, decided to marry you to him because of that fortune teller nonsense."
Sarah took a pause, and that smug smile again appeared on her lips. "But this time, you lost Viv. You lost to me. We were waiting for five years for that old hag to die, and now, finally, our wish is granted. She's no more. And soon you also won't be... Alive!"
Sarah plunged the dagger once again; she winced, followed by a sharp scream.
"Goodbye, my dearest sister. Rest well in hell. And don't worry about your baby, okay? She'll know me as her mother. I'll be the best stepmom in this world, I promise. Married to her sister's husband after her tragic death in the accident to raise her only child together — I guess the story is nice."
With slow deliberate steps, Sarah left the room, leaving her alone. The metal door was closed with a loud thud and locked from outside.
She lay there, still. The continuous blood loss made her extremely weak, she had no more energy left to scream or seek help.
She didn't want either.
Her limbs went numb, breath shallowed. She knew she was losing it, and she waited patiently for the end; the end of everything, every pain, all the sufferings.
'Damien… I loved you with all my heart. And this is my reward? A betrayal!'
A silent tear slipped down her cheek.
'It was my mistake from the very beginning—to love you, to want you. I regret everything... our marriage, my love, my trust in you.'
Her thoughts drifted to Sarah, the sister she had cherished. The friend she had trusted above all else. 'Sarah… Was our bond so fragile? Were all those years of sisterhood nothing to you?'
Her vision blurred, darkness creeping in. She tried one last time, to move. But her strength had long since abandoned her.
A bitter sigh escaped her lips. "Damien… If I could turn back time, I would never choose you." She muttered under her last breath.
And then... Her eyes fluttered shut.
On an abandoned factory's cold floor, with a heart full of pain and regrets, she took her last breath.
The clock struck twelve. The whole city rejoiced to welcome a new year — a new beginning. But for Vivienne Winter, it was 'the end'.
Or, maybe, NOT !!
*********
Vivienne jolted awake. Her heart was pounding heavily in the rib cage; her whole body was drenched in sweat. She opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. It was all familiar — her room, the room where she had been living since childhood.
'Was it a dream?'
She sat up on the bed slowly. She felt a little dizzier; her hand reached the glass on the bedside table, and she finished the water in one go.
Putting it back, she wiped the sweat droplets accumulated on her forehead.
Even if it was a dream, it was so — real!
She could still feel the numbing cold, the ache in her body, the suffocation of her breath, the pain in her heart; as if it wasn't just a dream but a chapter of her life!
Vivienne got off the bed and headed towards the bathroom. Splashing some water on her face, she looked at her reflection in the mirror. She lay on the bed for a brief rest but didn't know when she fell asleep. Her eyes had swollen a bit, and her cheeks looked puffy.
But her mind was drifted away by the thought; why had she seen such a horrible dream on her engagement day?