Chapter 2 - Death

Raye's POV 

"Is this true? Is what this woman is saying true?" I asked my father, wide eyed and completely shocked at Sandra's revelation. He turned towards me, his eyes holding no emotion, he repeated the very words that would change my life forever.

"Everything Sandra said is the truth. Your mother was nothing but a shameless slut. She had an affair when we were still married and that's how you were born. You were never my daughter and you'll never be one," he spat, every word coming out of his mouth riddled with venom and disdain.

"Now that you know the truth, do us all a favour and repay us for helping your pathetic life," Sandra added, her eyes lit with happiness at my distress. She must have been waiting for this moment for such a long time.

No it couldn't be. How could he not be my father? All my life I had always wondered why I was treated differently from Angelica, Why I was always given Angelica seconds? Why I was never praised if I did something good and why I was never ever favoured? It was because I was never his daughter in the first place.

All the hurt and pain I'd felt and gone through while growing up came crashing down on me in that instant and it felt like a rug was dragged from under my feet and I was falling slowly to oblivion.

I couldn't stand being in the same room with them any longer. They have never considered me family and they never will. They were ready to throw me under the bus just for their own selfish benefits and didn't care if it affected me or not.

I ran out of the room with tears in my eyes and didn't stop running until I reached my car outside. I took several deep gasps of breaths, it felt like my throat was on fire. I don't even know what was happening to me anymore?

I couldn't possibly drive in this condition. I reached for my phone and dialled Antonio but the call went straight to voicemail. I dialed Jamie's number but her phone was switched off. I didn't want to interrupt Sasha on her date so I had no choice but to drive myself home. 

As I drove through the streets, memories of my childhood passed through my mind, opening old wounds that I had kept under lock in my heart.

I could barely remember my mother anymore. She had died when I was barely two years old and my father had married my stepmother a year later. My sister, Angelica, was born less than two years later. She'd always been the golden child, praised for all her achievements and always given anything she wanted while I was always left with scraps.

Angelica was the opposite of me. She was more outgoing, prettier than I was and I always felt inferior towards her. I'd never understood why my father had treated the two of us differently but now I knew why. She was his real daughter and I wasn't. The realization drove a hole deeper into my heart and the worst part was having to deal with repercussions of their actions. Why do I have to take the blame for something I knew nothing about?

It felt like the world was completely against me and I didn't know what to do anymore. Finally I arrived at my home, breathing a sigh of relief when I noticed Antonio's car in the garage.

Good. He was home. He'll be able to comfort me, to tell me everything is going to be okay again. As soon as I entered the living room, the first thing I noticed was the silence. Bone chilling and nerve wrecking silence. I frowned in confusion. Most of the lights on the house hadn't been turned on, except for a single light in the hallway.

I turned on the light switch immediately. Antonio's jacket and wallet was lying on the sofa next to a familiar looking purse sending a shiver down my spine.

What was a female's purse doing here? I tried to calm down my racing heart. There was no need to start jumping into conclusions. "I'm sure Antonio probably had a business meeting at home just like he usually does and the bag was probably forgotten by one of his colleagues," I thought, trying to convince myself. 

I took a step towards the staircase leading upstairs, quelling any suspicious thoughts in my head. Just as I stepped on the landing I heard the unmistakable sound of a moan coming from the bedroom and I froze in shock.

The room door was slightly open and the closer I got, the louder the sounds got. I felt like running away without looking back but I just couldn't do it. Taking a deep breath I opened the door further apart and right before my eyes I saw a sight I knew I would never forget even in death. 

My husband was deep in the throes of passion in bed with my best friend and close confidante, Sasha.

The world shattered before my eyes and everything went dark. How could they do this to me? The two people I trusted the most had betrayed me so badly at a time I needed them the most.

I felt numb and cold, like a bucket of ice was splashed on my face. 

"Fuck me harder Antonio. I need you to fuck me more," Sasha moaned out, her head thrown back and disheveled as her hands are wrapped around the neck of Antonio while he pounded into her with reckless abandon.

"You're so fucking tight. You're the best fuck I've ever had," Antonio muttered, his face contorted in the throes of passion. I have never seen him this passionate with me before.

They were both so preoccupied they didn't even notice me standing there watching them as they shattered my heart into tiny pieces.

Could this day get any worse? How could they do this to me? I know our marriage was having a rough patch but I had never expected Antonio to cheat on me much less with my own best friend.

"Why are you still standing there? How long are you going to keep letting everybody push you around? You shouldn't have to waste your tears on people that obviously don't care about you," an inner voice within me said, giving me a surge of confidence.

I wiped the remaining tears I had left in my eyes. They weren't worth it. I couldn't let them get away with betraying and hurting me, making me look like a complete fool.

I reached for my phone in my purse and carried it out. They still hadn't noticed my arrival which made it perfect for the plan I had for them.

I carefully opened the door further, positioning the phone camera towards them until I got the right angle. Forcing myself to look at them, I took a picture as proof against them.

The flash of the camera must have alerted them as they both turned towards the door and finally noticed me standing there. 

"Raye, when did you get here?" Antonio asked in surprise as he stumbled out of the bed hurriedly, a guilty expression on his face. 

"Why? Am I interrupting something important?" I spat sarcastically, staring daggers at him. This was the man I had sacrificed so much for but here he was, cheating on me with my best friend.

"It's not what you think I promise. It was a mistake and a one time thing," he said, trying to defend himself but it only made my skin crawl even more.

"A mistake? A one-time thing? A mistake is when you forget to take out the trash, Antonio. This is not a mistake. How could you do this to me on our anniversary and in our home? After everything I have sacrificed for you," I yelled loudly, trying to control the anger in my body.

Sasha hastily stood up from the bed, wrapping the blanket around her nude body as she fell to her knees right in front of me. She tried to grab my hands but I swatted it off angrily.

"Please forgive me, Raye. It was a mistake. I don't know what came over me," she cried out pleadingly.

"I never expected this from you, Sasha. After everything we've been through together, how could you betray me this way? You are both going to pay for this. I'll never forgive the both of us. I'll show everyone those pictures I took of the two of you and you'll both be ruined. I'll make sure everyone knows what you did. Just watch and see how I'll destroy your reputation to the whole world," I uttered angrily, showing them the pictures I took.

"You can't do this to me. I love you, Raye. Please forgive me," Antonio lamented bitterly but it was too late. My heart was filled with revenge and I wanted them to feel every single pain I felt when I caught them cheating.

"You both better be ready. After I'm done with you, you won't be able to show your face in public anymore. I'll see you in court," I announced, turning to leave the room.

Just as my hands touched the door knob, I felt a hand pull me backwards with such force, I slammed my head against the wall. A sharp pain swept through my body because of the impact, filling me with dread.

"You're not taking a single step out of this place until you delete those pictures. How dare you try to ruin my life?" Sasha yelled, her eyes red with fury.

My heart filled with fear and dread as I stared at her. Gone was the loyal best friend I always knew. Now standing before me was a completely different person from the one I knew.