All her life, Monica Followed rules. Doing all her parents told her to and the one time she defies them, her life falls apart.

“Aah....” She hit the steering wheel, blinking her eyes hard as more tears blurred her vision.

As compelled as she was to run the car off the road, she couldn’t. Death would end the pain she felt inside, yet she didn’t dare do it.

Her life was in shambles.

She thought she was lucky to have a husband and a best friend who always supported her, but it was all an illusion.

No one cared for her. No one cared what she wanted or felt.

What they saw was someone they could control. Someone they could make do everything they wanted without asking a question.

Monica thought marrying the man she loved would show she had control, yet no. She was his parapet too. The boring thing he came home to after having his fun.

“Be happy for once Moni. Have fun and loosen up." Lilly, her best friend said to her as they planned a week out of town. It was to help her relax and forget about everyone but it turned out to be the end of the life she had.

Monica thought she had a perfect marriage until the blindfolds were removed from her eyes.

......

“Hey Moni, should we bu…? What the hell?” Stepping from the restaurant, Lilly hissed, clenching her cellphone.

“What is it, Lilly?” Halting her steps, Monica turned to her friend, who gave her a pitiful look.

“What is it? Let me see." She insisted, going for the phone.

“No! It’s nothing. A friend just sent me a stupid video." Lilly tried to close the video, but the more she clicked on the phone, the more the volume increased.

“Let me see. If it’s just a video, you won’t be holding the phone behind your back." Monica dropped her bag and wrestled her friend. “Lilly let me. Is that Paul?”

She heard his voice. She knew it was her husband on the video.

“Lilly!” She snapped.

“Okay, okay, I’ll give you the phone, but promise me you will stay calm."

“Jesus Lilly, what is in that video anyway?”

“Promise me Moni.”

“Yes, I promise. Now can I watch it?”

Glimpsing at the screen, her heart stopped for a second.

With shaky hands, she took the phone and replayed the video.

“What? This is...no, no. It can’t be.”

“Sorry Moni, I didn’t want you to find out like this."

“Huh! So you knew?” Stepping back, Monica stared at Lilly, tears shimmering in her eyes.

“I saw them once in a restaurant...”

“You are my friend. I thought you were my best friend and...and this? You knew yet you didn’t think of telling me?”

“How could I Moni? I’m sorry. I didn’t want to hurt you. I spoke to Paul, and he swore he would end it."

“You did what?” When Lilly tried to hold her hand, Monica brushed her off backing further away from her.

“Yo… you’re not my friend." Wiping the hot tears running down her cheeks with the back of her hand, she picked her travel back.

“Moni, please hear me out. Where are you going?” Monica stopped, then turned to her friend.

“You should have told me." Sniffing back the tears, she placed the phone in Lilly’s hand then walked away.

“Moni, come on. We have a plane to catch in thirty minutes. Monica!” Lilly went after her, but she slid into a car, urging the driver to take off.

Seeing her husband dancing half naked while confessing his love to another woman hurt. It hurt like salt on a flesh wound.

What hurt more was seeing the woman he was having an affair with.

‘No, it can’t be.’ She murmured to herself.

She felt like she was dreaming. That it was not true, and all she wanted was to see Paul. Have him confirm it’s not true.

Monica needed him to say someone had set him up. That he only loved her. That she was the most important person in his life.

Seated at the right side of the spacious car, she stared at her wedding ring.

‘How did this happen?’ She asked in her heart as the tears she had been holding back rolled down her cheeks.

As they rained on her hand, she tried to sniff them back, but she couldn’t stop the storm.

About to use her hand again, a hand stretched out. Handing her a handkerchief.

Monica had seen no one when she got in the car. She had not even looked at the driver’s face.

After blowing her nose and wiping her tears, she glanced from the white handkerchief to the person seated next to her.

“Sir, should I…?” Glancing at his boss in the rearview mirror, the driver opened his mouth to inquire, but the man seated beside her cut him off.

“Drop the lady off at her address first."

“Yes, sir."

Staring at the man in a black designer suit beside her, Monica didn’t understand what was happening.

She didn’t like to share her ride with anyone, but she couldn’t argue with him.

The only thing on her mind was getting home. To see Paul though he thought she was on a plane flying to the other side of the country.

....

When the car stopped outside her gate, she jumped out, then handed a few notes to the driver holding the door for her.

Wiping her face, she got her set of keys.

With the bag in her hand, she opened the door and the moment she entered; she saw her.

“So it’s true?” Dropping the bag, Monica questioned the woman walking out of her kitchen.

“Jeez, Moni, you startled me."

“Ho… how could you?” She hoped the video was a plank.

She wanted it to be a lie, but finding her in the house wearing nothing but her husband’s shirt and tiny shorts only she could perfect confirmed her fears.

“Oh, I see your friend has finally told you." She scoffed, wiping the spilled juice from her hand.

“You sent the video! Why are you doing this?”

“Oh please don’t. We both know Paul does not love you. He never has."

“We are married. You came to our wedding and even helped me plan it. Don’t you feel ashamed?” Not only did she help with the wedding, she helped with the house too.

Looking at the decorations, Monica felt like a fool. None of them were her choice. She didn’t like any of them, not even the colour, but she had the house designed however her husband wanted.

“He has never been your husband. Do us a favour and leave. No one needs you here, Moni." She grinned, taking a sip from the half full glass.

“What? I’m I a joke to you?” Monica asked.

“I packed the bags for you." She raised her brows with a half grin on her face.

Turning her gaze to where Trisha pointed, Monica saw the suitcase under the stairs.

“Love, who are you talking to.....” Coming from the bedroom, Paul halted his steps when he noticed Monica. “What are you doing here?” In his briefs, he questioned, staring at her.

“Oh! Are you surprised?”

His mouth half open, he stood at the top stair wondering what he would tell her. She was not supposed to be home for a week. She was not supposed to see him like this.

“I thought so." Monica smiled, wiping the tears from her eyes.

When no explanation came, she took her bag.

“Moni, honey, please hear me out. It’s not what you think. It’s…."

“It’s what, Paul? Fun, just sex? Is that it?” Clenching the bag, she glanced at the two.

“It’s not just sex. Paul and I love each other."

“Huh! And I’m in your way, right?”

“No Moni, I mean, let’s talk about this. Everything is not what it seems." Paul glared at the other woman to shut up.

“Talk? You think you can talk your way out of this? Paul, why? I gave up everything for you. I gave you all I had, yet you do this to me?”

“Monica I... I don’t know what came over me. I...”

Staring at him, she didn’t hear any of the words that came from his mouth. What she wanted was to end it. End it all.

“Moni, please don’t leave. It’s not what it seems. I swear. Please let me explain." He tried to talk, but she didn’t want to hear him.

Turning to walk away, he ran towards her and wrapped his arms around her.

The moment he held her from behind, she froze.

For a second, she didn’t breathe. She just stared at the bread knife on the table.

Had she not watched the video, she would have trusted him. Maybe she would have forgiven him.

But no.

With her eyes wide open, more tears trickled down her cheeks.

Stiffly standing before him, Monica thought of ways to make them feel the pain she felt.

Like a zombie, she turned around. With the bread knife in her hand, she stabbed Paul in the stomach.

As he held the wound, trying to stop the oozing red liquid, she laughed. She laughed so hard that her ribs hurt.

Taking slow steps towards him, he backed away from her and fell on his back. “Moni, please don’t kill me. Moni, I love you, please stop." He cried, begging for his life as she straddled him. Driving the knife into his flesh once, twice, ten times, she kept stabbing at his chest.

“I gave you everything. My heart, my soul, my everything, and this is how you repay me?” She roared every time the knife cut through. As the knife cut into his flesh, she felt nothing in her icy heart. No relief came from it.

“Monica, what are you doing? You killed him?” With tears in her eyes, her cousin, the woman he was with, pushed her away and went to his lifeless body.

Looking at her with blood shot eyes, Monica pointed the knife at her with Paul’s blood dripping from it.

“I trusted you." She roared, wiping the tears with her blouse sleeve.

She didn’t see her bloody hands. All she saw was the betrayal from the two people she loved and trusted.

“Moni, I’m sorry. Please put the knife down. You are not well."

“Hell, I’m not well. You did this to me. You, only you, are responsible for his death, yours and mine. Why did you have to betray me? I loved you like a sister and I would do anything to see you happy. Why did you have to do this?”

“I love Paul Monica. He was supposed to be mine once he left you, but now you psycho bitch has killed him." She wiped her tears and charged forward, trying to hit Monica, but then a foot away she held her chest.

The knife in Monica’s hand had pierced through her ribcage and into her heart. She didn’t have time to plead. She was gone in seconds.

Dropping the knife, Monica looked at the two lifeless bodies. One of her husbands, the only man she loved and the other of her would be sister.

The two people she loved had betrayed her in the worst way possible.

“No!” Snapping out of her trance, she glanced around, unable to breathe.