The Betrayal Within (revenge)

Olivia's voice trembled as she spoke, each words scraping painfullyout of her throat. Her eyes were swollen and red, tears clinging to her lashes as though they refused to fall again after all she had already shed.

"Why would you do such a thing, Lucas?" she whispered, clutching her arms around herself as if to keep from breaking apart. "You took everything I had... and left me with nothing." Her breath hitched, her chest rising and falling unevenly. "Tell me... how can you be so cruel?"

Lucas didn't move or soften. His expression remained cold, as though she were a stranger rather than the woman he had vowed to love.

"I am your husband, young woman," he said flatly. "And as your husband, I have the right to be in charge of your properties. Besides, it's already in my name."

Olivia's brow knitted in confusion, panic creeping into her expression. "Wh-what?" she stammered, shaking her head slowly. "What do you mean they are in your name? I don't... I don't understand."

Lucas's tone didn't change, his words dripping with indifference. "I said exactly what I meant," he replied coolly. "The properties now belongs to me." His gaze hardened as he looked down at her. "You should be grateful I'm taking care of you, instead of questioning my actions."

Olivia's anger flared. "Grateful?" she repeated, her voice rising as anger replaced with disbelief. "You're my husband, Lucas, not my savior. Those properties were my parents'. They worked for them. They were meant for me."

Lucas shrugged, his eyes glinting with a mixture of disdain and boredom. "Your parents are dead," he said bluntly. "And I'm your husband." He stepped closer, his voice lowering slightly, carrying an unspoken threat. "That makes me the rightful owner. You'd do well to remember your place, Olivia."

Olivia staggered back as though he had struck her. Her heart pounded violently in her chest. Her voice rose, her words laced with desperation. "This isn't right. You can't just take everything from me. What about our marriage vows? What about love and respect?"

Lucas's laughter was cold and mirthless. "Love and respect? You're just a means to an end, Olivia. A way for me to secure what I want. Don't be foolish enough to think this is about love."

Olivia felt a chill run down her spine as Lucas's true nature revealed itself. Her eyes widened in horror as the reality of her situation sank in.

"You're disgusting," she spat, her voice trembling with rage. "You used me, manipulated me, and now you're taking everything from me. What kind of monster are you?"

Lucas's expression didn't change, his voice still cold and detached. "I'm a businessman, Olivia. And in business, you do what it takes to succeed. You should be grateful I'm willing to take care of you, despite your... limitations."

Olivia's anger boiled over, and she took a step forward, her hands clenched into fists. "Take care of me? You're not taking care of me, you're suffocating me. You're destroying me, Lucas. And I'll never forgive you for it."

Lucas raised an eyebrow, his eyes glinting with amusement. "You're dramatic, Olivia. It's not becoming. You should calm down and accept your fate. After all, you're my wife now. And wives do as their husbands say."

He paused, his tone turning slightly condescending. "Besides, you are still the manager of the company, and your best friend Maddie is by your side to support you in anything. So why all the stress?"

Olivia's eyes narrowed, her anger and betrayal simmering just below the surface. "You think keeping me as a figurehead in the company makes everything okay? You think I'm just going to sit back and let you control everything? You're delusional, Lucas."

Lucas's smile was cold and calculating. "We'll see about that, Olivia. We'll see about that."

"You're enjoying this, aren't you? Watching me suffer, manipulating me, taking everything from me. You're a master manipulator, Lucas. But you won't get away with it. I'll find a way to take you down, to expose you for the monster you are."

Lucas's smile never wavered, his eyes glinting with a mixture of amusement and warning. "You're making empty threats, Olivia. You have no power here. I'm the one in control, and you're just a pawn in my game. You'd do well to remember that."

Olivia's eyes flashed with defiance, her voice rising in anger. "I'll never forget, Lucas. I'll never forget what you've done to me. And I'll make sure you pay for it."

Olivia stormed out of the mansion, the heavy doors slamming shut behind her as if sealing her pain inside those walls. Her heels struck the driveway sharply as she crossed it. when she reached her car, her hands were shaking so badly that it took her two tries to unlock the door.

She slid into the driver's seat and slammed the dor. Her chest tightened, and her breaths came in shallow gasps as tears finally broke free. She gripped the steering wheel, her forehead resting against it as she sobbed.

"How could he do this to me?" she whispered hoarsely, her voice cracking in the empty's car. "How could I be married to someone so heartless?"

Her phone buzzed beside her. Maddie's name flashed across the screen.

Olivia hesitated for a second before answering, her fingers trembling. "Maddie..." Her voice broke the moment she spoke. "Everything is falling apart."

"Olivia?" Maddie's voice sharpened with concern. "Where are you? What happened this time? What did he do?

"I'm in my car," Olivia said, sucking in a shaking breath. "I just left the mansion. Maddie... he took everything. The properties... my parents' properties, he tranferred them to his name. He looked at me like I was nothing."

"What?" Maddie exclaimed. "That man has lost his goddamn mind!"

Olivia laughed bitterly, tears rolling down her cheeks. "He told me i should be GRATEFUL he's taking care of me. He said i should remember my place." Her voice trembled, anger bleeding into it. "My place, Maddie, can you imagine?"

"That's abuse," Maddie said firmly. "That's control. Olivia, that's not okay."

"I know," Olivia whispered, wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand. Her reflection in the windshield looked unfamiliar-eyes swollen, lips trembling, a woman barely holding herself together. "I'm so tired, Maddie. I can't keep living like this. I feel trapped... like I'm suffocating."

There was a brief pause on the line before Maddie spoke again, softer this time. "What do you want to do now?"

Olivia straightened in her seat, her grip on the steering wheel tightening as resolve slowly replaced despair. "I want this to end," she said quietly. "Once and for all." Her voice grew steadier. "I'm going to the police station. Right now."

Maddie exhaled slowly. "Are you sure, Liv? Involving the police... it might make things messy. Maybe you could talk to a lawyer first? Or try to settle it privately?"

Olivia's eyes widened, disbelief cutting through her pain. "Settle it?" she echoed sharply. "Maddie, he's manipulating me. He's controlling my life, my finances-everything. This isn't something I can fix by talking." Her voice softened, breaking again. "I'm scared, Maddie. And I need help."

Maddie's tone changed immediately, filled with regret. "I'm sorry. You're right. I didn't mean it like that." She paused. "If this is what you want, then I'm with you. I support you, bestie, no matter what."

Olivia let out a shaky breath, some of the tightness in her chest easing. "Thank you," she murmured. "I don't know what l'd do without you." A faint, fragile smile tugged at her lips. "I love you."

"I love you too, my darling," Maddie replied gently.

"Please be careful. Call me the moment you get there, okay?"

"I will," Olivia promised.

She ended the call and started the engine, her heart pounding as she pulled out of the driveway. The road ahead blurred slightly through her tear-filled eyes, but she forced herself to focus. This was it. She was choosing herself-for the first time in a long while.

As she drove, her phone lay silent beside her, the hum of the engine the only sound filling the car. Then, without warning, a dark van swerved in front of her, blocking her path completely.

Olivia gasped, slamming her foot on the brakes. The car screeched to a halt, her heart leaping violently into her throat.

"What the-?" she whispered, panic flooding her veins.

Her hands trembled as she stared at the van, confusion quickly giving way to fear. The engine idled loudly in the tense silence. Swallowing hard, Olivia unlocked the door and stepped out of the car, her legs unsteady beneath her.

"What's going on? Who are you? And why the hell would you block my path?" she demanded, her voice shaking slightly.

Before she could react, two hefty men with masks emerged from the van, their movements swift and calculated. One of them approached her, a cloth in hand, and covered her nose with it. The sweet, pungent smell wafted up, and Olivia's world went dark.