Valerie The silence on the other hand had stilled a tiny fear inside of me. Did I say too much? Was my best friend now raging mad at me? The clanking and crashing sound could be heard from the other side. "Shay, are you fine?" No response. “Shay?” I called out her again. "I'm just taking the baseball bat out Valerie! I’m going to beat the shit out of that fucking Drew!!" She shouted through the phone making me cringe and almost making me lose my ear drum. "And about that cooking," she paused. "I will let you know when you can do that to earn your forgiveness." I was confused by her words. She never said no to food or cooking. "I need to clean the kitchen; my boyfriend and I christened it quite a few times and might be doing it for quite a few more." I cringed at the thought of making the food there. "Shay leave the kitchen out," I groaned thinking about cooking there. How much would I have to wipe it down. "And please for the love of me don't use utensils for your k
Valerie The day passed in of the morning passed in a blur. Dad, Carmen and I had breakfast together. Seeing Carmen at my house in the morning was surely not a shock , I knew how lonely she felt in her house and she was not a cat person. Dad being of her age might have resulted in forming a friendship that she wanted. Even my dad needed company and I couldn't always be here. I am glad they found each other and I was aiming for them to grow into a couple too. My better half of the day was spent in my office drowned in files and meetings. My boss was quite happy with my work had given me one more business event to work on which was to be held just a week later. My mind was in havoc by the time the clock stroked two in the afternoon. I had missed my lunch and was pretty much tired. Melanie, being the best secretary, was able to give me some time to relax by pushing the last meeting with the caterers for the next day. My lunch got interrupted by the ringing of my phone making me wa
Valerie I had barely had gotten the relief to think that I will not have to worry about Drew when my phone rang again. Uhh, what the hell. I didn't want to pick the call but I knew I had to. He was threatning me. My job and a lot more was on reputation, on the line. "If you dare to cut my call I will ruin you my dear, Val," his words made me pause. "Here is the sweet deal Val," he paused. "If you don't come and see me within an hour I will call Laura and tell her that you made a pass on me when she was out to attend the call, that is why I was angry and furious when we left your office yesterday but right now I'm calm so I'm giving you one last opportunity." He spoke without shame. I wanted to slap him. "I'm quite sure Laura would believe anything I say. I mean she always believes my every word," he chuckled. "She would still marry me and I will be at no loss, but for you I see a great deal of loss, your employer will surely lose this contract because of you, the shame a
Valerie As I rushed towards Drew's office, with my heart pounding in my chest, a mix of fear and determination pushed me forward. I couldn't shake off the image of what he could do to me and Laura if I didn't make it in time. The urgency pushed my every step faster. The bustling city streets almost blurred as I rush through the pedestrians, avoiding collisions every now and then, that too closely. Sweat beads formed on my forehead as I continued to check my watch, the seconds ticking away like it was countdown. I was sure the Uber driver probably wondered why I had so suddenly abandoned the ride, but I couldn't afford to waste a single second. No one would be able to undertsand the gravity of the situation, how it intensified as I reached the building where Drew's office was. With each step, the fear of being too late gnawed at me. it ate me from the inside. Breathless and desperate, I burst through the entrance, frantically searching for the elevator. The receptionist gave me
Valerie The room felt tense as Drew's words hung in the air. I didn't know whether he was lying or saying the truth but his words shook me. I took a deep breath, trying to maintain my composure but it was of no use. He had to be lying. "Congratulations, Drew. You just proved my point. You're not capable of genuine love. You're just a manipulative, selfish person playing with people's emotions." I spat the words at him, feeling anger and disgust for him. He glared at me, and I could see the rage in his eyes but it could be nothing comapred to mine. "You think you're so smart, Val. Well, you're not going to ruin things for me. I'll make sure Laura will never believe a word you say," he seethed. "Believe what you want, Drew. But deep down, you know the truth. And sooner or later, she'll figure it out too. I won't let you use her as a pawn in your twisted games." I turned to leave, not wanting to engage in any more of his toxicity. As I reached for the doorknob, he grabbed my arm,
Valerie I was never loved for who I was. I couldn't believe the word he had said. I was just a doppelganger, loved for being her shadow. No that couldn't be the truth. The bang opening of the office door had me drew me out of my shock. "I’m going to destroy you for playing with Laura. I fucking love her and I’m going to take her away from you." Aiden shouted entering inside. My boyfriend, Aiden stood there confessing his love for Laura. The revelation hit me like a ton of bricks, and I felt emotions of betrayal, shock, and deep sadness. The person I thought loved me turned out to have other motives, and now I was caught in the middle of a web of lies and betrayal. As Aiden's words hung in the air, I could feel the weight of the truth sinking in. It wasn't about who I was as a person, I was just a substitute for someone else. “I’m not going to let you marry her,” his voice was filled with determination. The atmosphere in the room crackled with tension as Aiden's declaration
Valerie Through blurred vision, I took in the shocked faces of both the man. The pain I felt right now was million times more than when Drew left me. I felt vulnerable, with my broken heart. I wanted to rip my heart and mind for believing that I could be loved again, that someone was meant for me. Being loved under the illusion of some other person took my own self away from me. It took my identity away, swarmed my mind with doubts. Was I ever loved? Or both of the bastards imagined Laura under them whenever I was under them. Who they were, within their mind me or the illusion of me being Laura? My brain wanted to explode with this discovery, I wished to break things, have things shattered like my heart was. Tears rolled down my cheeks while the memories of Aiden and me yesterday swarm in my mind. Was that a lie too? Was I ever loved for who I am? Awareness of never being loved was a woodpecker knocking tiny holes into my soul. "Val." Aiden's voice made me angry at my own self. I sh
Valerie Crawling myself into a ball I cried for the betrayal I once again faced. Was it too hard to love me for me was the question that haunted me? Why did I have to make the mistake of giving my heart away once again to have it returned shattered more than before? Has it been my mistake to love someone so deeply that they couldn't love me for me? The banging on my door drew me out of my destructive thoughts. The distant voice of Shay reached my ears. I didn't have the power in me to let anyone see me like this, to see me this vulnerable, in a position where ending my life seemed more desirable than facing another day. I sobbed out in the pain I felt, cried in the agony of the burning feeling of this betrayal. "Val, please open the door. Please, my dear. For the sake of our friendship please let me in. I am here for you. Please open it." Shay pleaded. She has seen me like this before but this time, it was worse than before. The pain I burned in killed me from the inside. Yet I cra