Ashes of betrayal, Flames of love

Seven years later.

"This is where the story stops for now," Diana said, her voice soft and nostalgic.

"So the princess never saw her prince again," asked her little daughter Sonia, her eyes wide with curiosity. 

 Diana nodded, patting her daughter's hair as they lay on the bed, recounting the story of her teenage love. “She wishes she did. She could have asked him why he betrayed her. Broke her trust and left her behind to face the crisis he layed”. 

 Sonia was seven years old, the result of a brief connection between Diana and Michael. He had never come back, not even called her, and the past seven years had been silent.

  Diana's mind wandered back to the day he had left, and on the same day, she had discovered that Michael had played her – everything had been a lie. A lot has changed over the years: college, trauma, hatred, anger, and disdain. The night she thought everything was good had turned out to be a fun game for him. His friends had vanished. 

  Linda, Bryan, and her mother, Rita, had always been a source of comfort. But there had been no news from Sia in seven years either.

  "The princess will surely hate him," Sonia said, sounding cutely angry, her small face scrunched up in distaste.

  "If you were the princess, would you hate him?" Diana asked her daughter, who replied with a sly nod.

  "Yes, because he broke the princess's heart. But what happened after that?" Sonia asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

  "Well, she got pregnant Six weeks later," Diana responded, her voice gentle. 

  Sonia's eyes widened in surprise. "She got pregnant at a young age?" she gasped, stunned. 

  "Did she have the baby?" she added, her voice filled with anticipation.

  "Of course she did. It was a beautiful baby girl, just like you," Diana said, playfully tapping Sonia's nose. Sonia chuckled, her face lighting up with joy.

  "Wow, Mom, if I were the princess, I would make sure to look for the evil prince, beat him up, and make him beg for forgiveness," Sonia said, her small fists clenched in determination.

  Diana laughed, cupping Sonia's cheeks.

  "You're right, dear. The princess will indeed do that. But first, the princess has to make preparations to visit him in disguise," Diana said, her heart tightening with hatred burning within. Her eyes seemed to flash with a fierce determination, a hint of the woman she had become over the years.

  "Will the princess do that?" Sonia asked, gasping in disbelief, her eyes wide with excitement.

  "Yes, Sonia. And she will make him pay," Diana responded, her voice filled with infuriation, a cold edge creeping into her tone. The room seemed to darken, as if the very mention of Michael's name had sucked the light out of it.

  ~~~~~

  After putting Sonia to sleep, Diana went downstairs, straight to the kitchen, pouring a glass of water and gulping it down her throat. 

  She heaved a sigh, putting the glass down in its rightful place, and decided to head to her room. Just then, the telephone startled her. She glanced back at it, then at the ticking clock – it was midnight. 

  Who calls at such an hour? Nevertheless, she proceeded to pick it up, murmuring a hello. She waited for what felt like an eternity, but only silence welcomed her. 

  She frowned, gazing at the phone. 

  "Hello? Please, who is this?" she asked, seeking more information, but again, there was no answer. Weird, she thought, placing the telephone back on its hook. She went inside her room, lay on her back, and stared at the ceiling as years of memories flashed through her mind.

*****

 Seven years ago.

Diana woke up in a lonely room, her sight hazy. Remembering that Michael had left the previous night, she refused to believe he was gone.

  Diana's eyes fluttered open, her mind foggy. She was met with silence. His previous words echoing in her mind.

  "You were just a bet." The realization hit her like a tidal wave, crushing her. She scrambled to piece together the events of the night, but her memories were fragmented.

  The more she tried to recall, the more her head throbbed. A dull ache spread through her body, a mix of physical and emotional pain. As she sat up, a wave of nausea washed over her. 

  She felt dirty, used. The memories of their intimacy are now twisted and distorted, tainted by Michael's confession.

  Diana's gaze fell upon her reflection in the mirror. Tears streamed down her face as she whispered.

  "What have I done?" The question hung in the air, a haunting reminder of the betrayal she'd suffered.

  Wincing in pain in her abdomen, she found herself sobbing as tears fell from her already tired eyes.

  ~~~~~~

  She dressed up and headed back to the reception station to check out. "Ms., Michael has already settled everything; you're free to go," the attendant said.

  "Thanks," she mumbled.

  "He hadn't even called," she thought, attempting to place a call on him, only to receive a message that his phone was switched off. Suddenly, a notification popped up on her phone; at first, she wanted to cancel it, but curiosity made her click on it.

  What happened next left her broken, draining all the energy from her body. Her legs became trembling, and she fell onto the cold floor as she watched herself naked on social media. The male above her was covered, but she knew it was Michael.

The scene of their lovemaking on social media – how was this possible, when just last night, it was just the two of them?