I woke to the treacherous sound of my morning alarm. I never intended to sleep till dawn, I thought Ryan would come home and wake me to his sensational touch but I was wrong.

I checked my phone for a call or text message but I didn’t receive any. I tried calling him. Straight to voicemail, every time.

“You didn’t come home last night?” I texted him

Maybe he had a good excuse, I told myself as I dragged myself through my morning routine. As hurt as I felt, I didn’t want to ruin whatever moments Ryan and I might still have. The way he treated me the previous night, so gentle, so calm, gave me butterflies. He had never been that soft with me before, especially during an argument.

I caught myself smiling as I put on my makeup, imagining how different things could’ve been if his phone hadn’t rung. I even thought about making him dinner tonight, something intimate, something to set the mood.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed.

Edna!.

I’d promised myself I wouldn’t let her get between me and Ryan again. I was tired of her drama, tired of her warnings. But still, I opened her message.

“Summer, what is going on? I just received a message from Ryan this morning. I’ve been fired”.

My stomach dropped.

“Wait”…what? Why would Ryan fire Edna? I never even mentioned her to him”.

I called her right away.

“I’m really sorry, Edna,” I blurted as soon as she picked up. “I have no idea why Ryan would do that. I’ll talk to him, I promise.”

“Actually, Summer, fuck the job,” Edna snapped, her voice sharp. “I don’t care if he fires me. He needs to be held accountable for his actions. Frolicking with that philanderer, Sylvia!. The other day, she even had the nerve to tell Ryan that you planted me in the office to monitor him and…”

She stopped abruptly.

“Summer? Are you there?”

I had been silent all through her rant, waiting for her to finish so I could calmly ask her to stay out of my relationship.

“I’m here,” I replied, almost whispering.

She hesitated, like she could sense something wasn’t right. “Please tell me you left him. Or is he crawling back to you, begging for forgiveness?”

“No, Edna,” I said, quietly. “Ryan isn’t crawling.”

A pause.

“Then you broke up with him?” she asked, almost hopeful.

“No. It’s not that,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

“Then what, Summer? What did you do to that jerk?”

I took a deep breath, choosing my words. “Edna, I wish you’d stop calling Ryan names. Our relationship’s complicated. I think you’re seeing things wrong.”

Even as I said it, I knew how pathetic I sounded. Defending him when I shouldn’t.

She let out a heavy sigh. “So you’re just letting Ryan off the hook after you caught him cheating?” Her words sunk in but I still had to say something.

“What I’m saying is that Ryan and I are adults, We should be allowed to handle our differences our own way.” My voice cracked, unsure of what would follow.

“Fine, Suit yourself.” she snapped and hung up.

She was mad, I could tell, I felt bad for being the cause, Edna was family, we both grew up in the same foster home and moved to New York together for greener pastures. But honestly, I was done letting anyone else interfere in my relationship.

I was already running late so I grabbed my bag and rushed out. All day at work, I couldn’t focus. I kept replaying everything, trying to see Ryan in a good light, trying to drown out Edna’s voice in my head.

Determined to keep our romance alive, I left work earlier than usual. I stopped by the grocery store and picked out the freshest ingredients I could find. The plan was simple: I’d cook Ryan’s favorite meal and wait for him at home in sexy lingerie. I wanted to set the mood properly, so when he walked in, he’d be hungry in every sense.

I pictured his reaction and smiled to myself. He could decide what to enjoy first… or maybe both at the same time, the way he liked. You know like eating the cream from my butt or sucking the juice off my nipples. Just thinking about it made my pussy warm and my mood lifted.

This felt like my chance to reconnect with him, to remind him of what we used to have. Since his promotion, Ryan had been distant, distracted. Tonight, I wanted to pull him back to us.

I drove home, juggling heavy grocery bags as I fumbled with the keys. Everything felt awkward, clumsy. But I managed.

As soon as I stepped inside, I heard a woman’s voice coming from the bedroom. Husky. Low.

“Yes, Daddy… like that. Please don’t stop.”

My heart slammed against my ribs.

What?

I dropped the groceries and ran to the bedroom. I pushed the door open and there it was, my worst nightmare, right in front of me.

Ryan had Sylvia pinned to the wall.

Same position as mine, Same grips.

Same everything.

He was so lost in her that he didn’t even notice me.

I stood there, frozen, my chest tight, my body numb.

Sylvia looked right at me and smiled. She wanted me to see this. She pulled Ryan closer, moaning, biting her lip, putting on a show just for me.

Every move, every sound, was deliberate, all aimed to hurt me.

I stood there watching, Rage burned through me hot, impossible to contain.

This time, I saw everything for what it was. No more gaslighting.

“Ryan!” I screamed, my voice breaking the silence. For a moment, nobody moved.

He spun around with speed. The shock on his face, he had no idea I was there. He’d had his back to me the whole time.

“Why are you back so early?” he stammered, scrambling to put on his clothes. Sweat dripped down his forehead.

“Oh, the hag returns,” Sylvia blurted, rolling her eyes like I was just an annoying fly. She grabbed her clothes, hissing as she dressed reluctantly.

My anger boiled over just watching her, I felt like setting her on fire. And Ryan just stood there and let her call me a hag, like I was nothing.

“Get out!” I shouted at her, my chest heaving.

Ryan stared at me, clearly shocked by my boldness. “Summer, can we just talk about this?”

“Talk about what?” I tried to sound authoritative

But Sylvia snorted, like she found the whole thing funny. She slipped closer to Ryan and hooked her arm through his.

“Ryan, sweetheart,” she purred, “just get rid of the hag so we can finish what we were doing.” she said, mocking my ego.

That was it. I have had enough of the humiliation.

“If she doesn’t get out of this house right now, I’ll make her,” I snapped, stepping toward Sylvia, ready to drag her out myself.

Ryan jumped in front of me. “Summer, what are you doing?”

“I want her gone. Now,” I said, breathless.

He laughed, cold, dismissive. “You don’t get to decide that. She’s my guest.”

Sylvia grinned, still clinging to his arm, satisfaction written all over her face.

I felt sick.

“So you’re sleeping with her in our apartment,” I spat, “and you call her a guest?”

Ryan’s face tightened as he spoke. “That’s the problem with you, Summer. You’re always overreacting over little things.”

There he goes. Again.

Gaslighting. Like always.

“I’m overreacting?” I laughed, the sound sour and sharp. “Fine. If she stays, I go.”

I grabbed my keys and walked out. Tired. Wrecked. Empty.

This time, I was done.

Ryan didn’t stop me, I thought he would. He just watched me leave.

“This hag just interrupted our video,” I heard Sylvia grudge.

“Don’t let it bother you, we will make another one” Ryan said in the most cringy tone ever.

I hated myself for being with him in the first place.

“Now it’s a sex tape? How could he consent to such” I asked as I stepped out the house, my thoughts banging in my head.

Well! Nothing mattered anymore.

I’m done and that’s it.

I got in my car. For a second, I waited, just hoping Ryan would run after me, call my name, anything.

He didn’t.

All I heard was Sylvia’s ugly laugh echoing across the house, mocking me like she had waited for this moment.

Anger took over.

I zoomed off with no destination in mind, just tears and a storm of thoughts clouding my head.

I hated to admit it, but Edna was right. I had been foolish, blindly trusting Ryan, ignoring all the red flags from the beginning.

Tears blurred my vision. My thoughts crashed into each other, I thought of Ryan and Sylvia, the lies, the humiliation and everything I had been through.

How much of myself did I give away? I sobbed harder.

My chest hurt as I gripped the wheel tighter. The speedometer climbed without my notice.

“Breathe, Summer,” I whispered. “Just breathe.” I tried to calm down but I couldn’t. My body just wouldn’t listen.

I switched lanes quickly without looking.

Then, everything hit at once. Screeching horns. Blinding lights.

Bang!.

A car slammed into mine.

Metals crashed. Glass shattered. My body jerked forward, pain exploded through my head and chest. The car spun aggressively, then crashed to a stop.

Smoke filled the air.

Everything faded. My breath slowed.

And then, I saw her.

A woman, the same woman from my dreams. Warm, kind, familiar. She just stood there.

“Mariah,” she called, her voice soft.

“Huh?” I tried to speak, but she stepped backward, slowly fading into the air before I could move.

Darkness closed in.

I blacked out.

This time, it was real. I died.

I woke up in an all-white room, my head ached as I struggled to remember what happened. I looked around wondering where I was. The walls were spotless, the bed was sparkling. The air humidified and purified, a cool breeze blew from a corner and spread across the whole room. This must be heaven I thought.

You are awake Miss Summer” A stunning looking lady dressed in white approached me, her voice was soothing. She must be an angel I thought to myself as I stared at her in admiration, my eyes rolling with her movement.

That is when I noticed; the machines beeping steadily beside me, the syringe inserted into my arm and the stethoscope around her neck.

It all made sense now, I was in the hospital and the lady I thought was an angel is a doctor. but I was still clueless as to how I got here. I watched the doctor pressed a stethoscope to my chest, listening with rapt attention.

“You’re doing really well,” she said, flashing a smile. “Honestly, it’s a miracle.”

Pain flared up when I tried to move. “A miracle?” I managed to say, still trying to pull it all together.

“Don’t worry, Mrs. Summer,” she murmured trying to get me to relax. “Just eat your food and get some sleep you will be fine.” She nodded toward a tray piled with food I will never order for myself. Not because it was bad but because it was looking too expensive.

My throat salivated, but a heavy burden pressed my chest. It was the environment.

“How did I end up here?” I asked scanning the environment again.

Before she could answer, someone burst in through the doorway.

“Summer! Oh, thank God!” The voice cried out. It was Edna.

She rushed to my bedside, nearly crushing me in a hug, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Emma, oh Emma,” she sobbed.

I didn’t hug her back. My eyes still darted around, panic slowly creeping in. I pulled her closer and whispered, “Which hospital is this?”

“Stephen Jones.” She replied.

My stomach dropped.

Stephen Jones Hospital was for the rich and famous. The kind of place where people brag about the bills. Why would Edna bring me here? Private room, too. Who was paying for all of this?

I looked around, heart hammering.

Edna saw the look on my face and tried to calm me down. “I didn’t bring you here,” she said, gentler. “Someone called me. Said you’d had an accident and that I should come to Stephen Jones.”

She squeezed my shoulder. “Summer, just focus on getting better. We’ll sort out the money stuff later.”

Then she frowned, like something just clicked. “Wait, where’s Ryan? Does he even know you’re here? Isn’t he your emergency contact?”

She started to rant, cursing Ryan, saying how much she hated him, louder than she needed to, honestly.

I stayed silent, listening, worried about the bills, but even more worried about how to tell Edna what had happened between Ryan and me. Once again, I hated to admit that she had been right all along and that I had been foolish.

“Edna,” I finally said, cutting her off, “Ryan’s not coming. I broke up with him.”

“Wait, really?” Her mood flipped instantly. “Spill!” She yelled almost immediately, like someone who was already drowning in suspense. “I wish I could’ve seen his face, I am pretty sure it would be shit,” she continued, grinning wickedly.

I didn’t want to disrupt her happy moment, I could see the satisfaction written over her face, I knew it would disappear if I told her the details of that night. “I’ll tell you later,” I said trying to skip the details for the moment.

“But right now, I need your help, I need to get my money back from Ryan”. I said not thinking of how my next sentence would affect her.

I watched her face twist in disgust. “Hold on. He has your money? Explain.” She yelled

I cringed. “We were saving together in a Joint account for the wedding and a vacation.” I said, embarrassed.

She gawked at me. “So he made you pay for your own wedding? Girl that's bullshit. Anyways, that is past now. Just get your share out and let’s pay these bills.”

I hesitated, heat crawling up my neck. “Well… I’m not actually a signatory to the account,” I muttered. “But don’t freak out, I’ll call him right now, ask for my cut.” I tried to salvage the situation.

Edna bit her upper lip in frustration, she looked like she wanted to scream, but she stayed quiet.

I grabbed my phone, hands shaking. “I’ll call him,” I said, sounding like a scolded kid.

I called Ryan’s number over and over. Nothing.

Checked his socials, he was online. Ignoring me.

I sent him a WhatsApp text: Ryan, I need my share of the money from the joint account. It’s an emergency.

Blue ticks indicating he read but No replies.

I took a picture of the drip and cannula and sent it to him, hoping it would prompt a response.

Still nothing.

Moments later, he updated his status. posted a short video of himself gifting Sylvia a Birkin bag.

The caption read: “You deserve the world, my love.”

I felt abused. The fact he gave zero concerns to my emergency.

I grabbed my phone, called him repeatedly across all mediums, determined to keep going until I got a response.

But at some point, the call stopped ringing.

He’d blocked me.

I developed cold feet as my eyes met Edna’s. “He blocked me,” I whispered, tears spilling hot down my cheeks.

I expected her to scold me, to say “I told you so.” but she didn’t. She just wrapped me in her arms, wiping my tears with her thumb. “Don’t let it bother you. You’ll get through it,” she said softly.

Right then, the doctor rushed back agitated. “Miss Summer! Are you alright?” She asked, coming closer to me.

I didn’t reply, just wiped my tears with my palm.

Her eyes landed on my untouched tray, she looked more anxious. “You haven’t eaten dear, tell me what the problem is?”

“I… I’m not going to eat,” I mumbled.

“Why? You don’t like it? We can get you something else,” she said, sounding almost desperate.

Who wouldn’t like this? I chuckled. “It’s not that. I just… I can’t pay for it.”

“Thank goodness!”. she heaved, relief washing over her face. “Everything’s already paid for, including your bills. Please, eat as much as you want and ask for more” she said, letting the heaviness off her chest.

“Really?” I said, barely believing it.

Edna’s face lit up. She let out a happy little gasp and grabbed the food tray.

“Who paid?”, I asked genuinely curious

The doctor shook her head. “It’s confidential dear, Just focus on getting better. That’s all that matters.” She replied softly before leaving.

The following week I was discharged, hale and hearty.

Edna drove me home. She insisted I stay with her since I couldn’t go back to Ryan. I agreed, no room for debate but first I had to stop by my old apartment to pick up my things.

The minute we pulled up at the gate, I saw my belongings, tossed at the entrance, drenched by the heavy rainfall.

At first I was in denial, not until Edna drove closer.

“No!” I yelled, running over under the drizzling rain. Everything was soaked, clothes, important documents, memories of my past I’d clung to.

I just stood there, sobbing in the rain.

Edna hurried over, wrapped her arms around me. “It’s okay, Summer. Be strong” she said, pulling me out of the rain.

I broke down even more. Edna did her best to console me in the car but I was drowned, soaked, rain mixed with tears, I thought about everything I’d lost.

Something inside me changed right then. I couldn’t quite explain it, but I knew I wasn’t the same woman anymore.

A non-challant revenge thirsty creature emerged and the world would feel it.