Her Final Act of Vengeance

ained with dried vomit, scrolled past her message. I opened a web browser and typed her name, Aubrey Neal, into the search bar. Her

tech event, lights glinting off the expensive champagne flutes. But it wasn't just the image of them together that ma

My gift. He had given it to her while still trying to "reconcile" with me. It was another layer of betrayal, a cold, calculated crue

seen Aubrey' s post too, or maybe he' d just collected his thoughts and was ready for another rou

as tight, a barely suppressed roar. "Are you out of your mind?

ruin, Conrad? You already gave her my anniversary gift. What more could you possibly

play dirty? Fine. You just unleashed a monster, Janie. You'll regret this."

oom, my movements stiff, robot-like. I opened the medicine cabinet and grabbed the bottle of painkillers. I shook out three, then four, then five pills into my palm. I swall

ls, talk shows. Always by Conrad' s side, clinging to him, her emerald necklace glinting under the lights. Their public appearances became a regul

ew foundation in their names. A charity gala where the "Nicholson-Neal Foundation" was launched. The irony was a bitter pill. I received an

arefully constructed world, his public persona, his legacy-it was al

c behavior, his outbursts, his obsessive need for control. He was desperate, and I knew why. He was fighting a war on two fronts – maintaining

text, a picture of her and Conrad sharing a private joke, his hand resting intimately on he

y hands trembled, not from fear, but from a terrifying surge of something cold and powerful. I walked into the empt

shed, just like his symphony, just like his life. My chest tightened, a familiar ache spreading through my ribs. The tremors in my hands became mor

as my legacy, my connection to him. This was what I had to finish, no matter what. The pain in my hands, the weakness in my legs

ff the polished marble floors. A sea of impeccably dressed people, their laughter and chatte

ce, of course. She laughed a little too loudly, her eyes constantly scanning the room, seeking validation. She was

hiss. "The one he left for Aubrey. Poor thing." Another laughed, "Poor thing? She cheated on him

face. "Janie," she purred, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. "So glad you could make it." She leaned in, her pe

tiful jewel I had once admired; it was a symbol of my humiliation, a trophy of her victory. I remembered Conrad telling

always did have a knack for picking out things that reflected his taste." My words were a veile

tering with malice. "He told me all about you, Janie. How you' re a fragile little thing, always needing saving. How your brother's d

Leo, no right to touch that wound. My blood ran cold, then hot. Conrad must have told her. He had weaponized my deepest trau

nearby, glanced over, a flicker of concern in his eyes. But he didn

rey, but to snatch the emerald necklace from her throat. I wanted to rip it off, to crush it, to d

lished floor. My head hit the marble with a sickening thud, stars exploding behind my eyes. The force of the impact jarred my already fragile body. A sharp, s