A SECOND CHANCE AT REVENGE

Violet's POV.

I run as fast as I can, but not as fast as I need to be.

My feets are unsteady as I take each step, my ankle wiggling and I take each leap.

I lean on a tree to catch my breath, my hot sweat rolling down my wet face, mingling with my scattered hair.

I take one deep breath after another, fighting to ignore the heavy and piercing lump on my throat.

Beams of light from her car's headlights scatter into the forest and I know it's time to run again.

I leap forward and my right foot is pierced by a broken glass, hiding in the dry grasses.

"Argh!!! My leg.." I cry out in agony as I try to pull out the piece of a wine bottle.

The blood that gushes out of the wound stains my hand and satin dress.

"Did you get hurt, princess? You poor little thing…" she growls aloud in-between devilish chuckles.

"There's no need to keep running Violet, there's no saving you now."

I try to ignore the pain in my feet as I continue to run.

Not as fast as I did before the cut, not even close.

But I was moving, away from her, away from my best friend who wants me dead.

"Violet!!! Stop running you b*tch," she yells this time, her voice holding a thirst that can only be quenched by my blood.

"Let's just get this over with, nobody is coming to save you. Everyone is having a good time at the party."

The party, my wedding anniversary party.

Today's my one year wedding anniversary and I found out about the secret affair between my husband and my best friend.

Their betrayal stings more than the cut on the sole of my feet.

"You took everything from me. All you have, it's all supposed to be mine.

You think you're so pretty don't you?" Her voice is more audible, evidence of her coming closer to me.

I can't run anymore, I thirst for water and long for the pains I feel to seize.

Giving up, I fall to the side of an oak tree.

"You're only making me angrier Violet, I'm so gonna rip your pretty face off, when I find ya." Her words hold no restraint.

I know for sure she's gonna do anything she says.

I reach out for a log of wood on the floor. Gripping onto it, I prepare my mind for survival by all means.

The sudden silence makes me clinch, even tighter on the wood.

I stand up from my hiding position.

Sighting another spot with less illumination from the moon's light, I bite my lower lip not to scream from the pain in my foot.

Walking over to the new and better hiding spot, I feel a heavy bang on my head, which sends me crashing on the floor.

"I told ya. You're even more lousy at hiding, I could hear your heavy sighs and breathing from miles away."

She snarls with a dirty smirk across her lips.

I press on my head tightly, the bat she had used to smash me left a big opening in my head.

"Why are you doing this, Tiffany?

We are friends for Christ's sake."

Begging for my life seems like the only choice now.

"Friend? Do you think I consider you my friend?" She asks with one of her infamous devilish chuckles.

" You were never my friend Violet, you are worse than an enemy." She kisses her teeth and bends to my level.

"For years, I have watched you live my life. You have everything I ever wanted."

She continues, throwing a glance at my blood filled face.

Satisfied by the result, she grins.

"A perfect family, a super wealthy dad, a pretty face. And you knew perfectly well how to rub everything on my face don't ya."

With my blood blinding my eyes, I struggle to keep them open.

"That wasn't enough for you Violet, you just had to take Luca too."

She moves her head slightly and the light of the full moon casts into her eyes, revealing its darkness and hate.

"I never did all of that. I loved you… you were more than a friend Tiffany, I considered you to be my sister."

I say with a cracky voice.

" Liar!!!" She snaps, smacking me across the face.

I feel a flow of fresh blood in my sore mouth.

I spit it out, hoping not to lose a tooth.

"You f*ck*ng liar.

You knew I wasn't happy… you knew I was depressed and all you did was shove your achievements and beauty down my throat. "

I raise my sore face to look at her, desiring to see a little bit of remorse in her eyes.

"And then you took Luca from me.

He loved me, only me, until he was carried away by his greed and desire to have your wealth."

I gaspe, not in surprise, but in pain.

"He came to me Tiffany, you watched me fall for him. I didn't know he was your boyfriend, I swear I didn't."

I burst into tears, trying to vindicate myself.

"I know you didn't, silly, it was all part of the plan.

Just to make him happy, I agreed to his plan, to make you fall for him, marry you and then take over your company.

It was so perfect, until he started changing.

My Luca started being carried away by your beauty and affluence."

She says so casually, as if she's not hovering over me with a bat and dagger in her hands.

"He refused to divorce you as he promised, claiming he doesn't have a strong hold on the company yet."

She trails her dagger on my muddy leg, making me swallow hard on my blood filled saliva.

"You just wouldn't hand over the company to him, You slimy b*tch."

She hacks my face with her hand, pricking my cheeks with her sharp nails.

"Where's the signet? Where did you hide the company's signet?" She asks, her cold breath sending chills to my bloody face.

I struggle to get my face off her grip. My gesture infuriates her and she lands yet another slap on my face.

"You won't tell? You choose death instead?" She seems more angry, more frustrated.

"You will pay for your sins. All of your sins, today. Now run…!"

She raises up with a psychotic smile and takes three steps away from me.

"Run!!" She yells.

Although completely made weak by her banters, I stand up to my feet and stagger away.

As I take each step forward, her evil giggling makes it clear that she has not even the slightest intention of letting me go. Her lurking steps behind me, makes it evident.

In a fog of utter weakness, I begin to crawl.

My feets giving up on me, I use my knees to crawl to the cliff.

"Please Tiffany…. Tiffany please, I never..I never did any of that. My head hurts Tiffany." I breathe out heavily, trying to keep my blood shut eyes open.

I feel her figure above me, the scent of her perfume mixes with the smell of my blood and I know there's no saving me now.

"All is fair in love and war." She snarls with an evil chuckle.

I turn my head towards approaching footsteps. And there he stood, grinning from ear to ear, relishing my misery.

Now it all plays out in my head; how I met Luca, how I felt loved by him, how I married him and how I found out about his betrayal.

I try to speak, try to say my husband's name, and try to ask him why. But my sore lips and aching heart won't let me.

"Go to hell!!" With her last words she sends me flying off the cliff and into the river.

The coldness of the water snaps me out of the trans that strangled my mind.

I kick fort, wanting to live, I swim hard; knocking back the overpowering water with my limbs.

I swim to the surface then to the bank of the river.

I quail in pain as the wound on my head pumps out more blood.

"Boss!! There's a woman here." A husky voice yells from behind.

I'm too weak to look, too fatigued to speak.

I shut my eyes tightly to the intense light from a touch hovering above my face.

"Help me…please" I manage to say with the last strength in me.

The torch is turned off and I'm faced with more darkness.

Violet's POV.

"She's bleeding a lot, get the car ready." A more masculine voice says in a commanding tone.

I feel his arms around my body as he lifts me up from the ground.

In his arms, I'm blessed with the courage to open my eyes.

There's a glint in his hazel eyes. They shine so bright, almost close to the brightness of the moon.

"Riya, Riya.." His voice grows distant as everywhere goes pitch black.

***

I stir on a soft surface, stray rays of the sun from a window hitting my face.

I try to open my eyes but the bright light from the room burns them at each attempt.

I'm in a white dress, different from the one I remember wearing.

I feel a huge lump on my throat, an agonizing thirst for water.

"Water… " I whisper as I successfully open my eyes.

A middle aged lady opens the door.

She's wearing a warm smile of relief on her face.

"Glad you ar