Capítulo 2: Mistakes and Betrayals
"Sweetheart welcome home!" A beautiful yet frail woman gushed. She was laying on the couch, swaddled in blankets. Her gaunt and pale face brimming with happiness.
Adelina smiled at her and rushed over to give her a big hug. Her swollen face was hid well underneath her deep hood. "Mom," She squished herself against the warm embrace. Tears began to form at the corners of her eyes, the stress of the day catching up with her in this tender moment.
"Sweetie is everything alright?" Her mother questioned, motherly instincts told her something was off. Adelina forced the tears back, not wanting to worry her mother. She shook her head jostling the golden locks that hung from her hood and gave her a smile that could brighten even the darkest of rooms.
"I just missed you today," Adelina told her. Her mother smiled back at her as she patted Adelinas head with affection.
"I missed yo-" Her mother was interrupted by a fit of coughing. Adelina worriedly grabbed a glass of water from the rundown kitchen.
"Here drink this," She quickly lifted the glass up to her mother's lips. She took a few small sips and Adelina's brows furrowed as she grabbed the thermometer from the small side table. She waited for the beep and gasped. Her mother's fever was up again.
"Mom your fever is back why didn't you say anything!" Adelina lectured as she quickly grabbed the medicine off the small side table.
"I didn't realize." Her mother explained as she scrunched her face in response to the bitter medicine.
"You didn't have to stay up and wait for me mom. I've told you that a million times. You just need to take your medicine and go to sleep."
"But then who would greet my beautiful daughter when she gets home?" Her mother said with a light smile.
Adelina gave her a small sad smile in return and helped her get to bed. "I love you mom goodnight." Adelina laid a small kiss on her mother's forehead, hoping that somehow it would magically make her illness retreat. Once her mother was comfortable, Adelina went back to the old couch.
The small apartment was barely affordable. It was rundown but it had the basic necessities. It consisted of two tiny bedrooms, a small kitchen and a cozy living room. Her younger twin siblings slept squished in one of the bedrooms, while her mother took the other. The couch was considered Adelina's bedroom. She was content though, she didn't need much as long as she had her family.
Adelina laid awake on the couch for awhile as thoughts drifted through her mind. She had so many worries at the moment. The waitressing job she lost gave her just enough income to make rent, her other jobs were part time and didn't have very good pay.
She sighed as she realized she would have to find a new job to replace that one. Her manager felt bad so he may at least give her a good recommendation if she asked. She groaned and rolled over to one side.
She calculated the expenses left for the week in her head. She would probably be able to afford enough groceries this week but it would mean the twins couldn't go on the field trip to the amusement park. Guilt rose in her chest as she recalled how excited they were when they found out about the field trip. They would be heart broken.
"I messed up," She murmured and stood up to get a glass of water.
Her mother's medicine was still lying on the counter. Adelina frowned as she thought about how her mother's illness had gotten worse.
It had started small with just a cough here and there. But now her mother was almost bedridden. She had taken her mother to the doctor numerous times, desperately trying to find the cause of the illness. But the doctors she could actually afford never did the proper tests. They always brushed it off with a new prescription.
The warmth of Adelina's eyes had dulled from the grief and stress she had been under over the years.
Adelina knew whole situation was her fault. Everything that had happened to her family in the past three years stemmed from the terrible decisions she made. If only she hadn't trusted those people she thought in anguish.
The thought of the red haired villainess who plagued her recurring nightmares sent a shiver down her spine.
"Vivian Caligari" She cursed.
She was once Adelina's most trusted friend. She told Vivian everything and even helped Vivian make her way up the ladder of life. She was a fool. Vivian was nothing but a snake that hid her venomous fangs behind a calculated smile that whispered promises of friendship. When the time was right Vivian used her fangs to poison every aspect of Adelina's life.
Adelina should have seen Vivian for who she really was the moment rumors spread and destroyed Adelina's reputation in college.
Four years ago.
Adelina had many friends in college until a rumor went around that she was a cheap woman who regularly partied and slept with questionable men. There were even photos that had been fabricated to make those rumors seem credible. Her many friends turned their back on her, not wanting to be associated with someone with that kind of reputation.
Adelina had only been to one party in her life. She was extremely reluctant to go but Vivian insisted that it was a celebration for the end of the semester and that it would be strange to not participate. Vivian insisted that she would not go unless Adelina attended as well. Adelina felt guilty and eventually agreed to go.
Adelina stayed away from the drinks, as she knew she had an important test coming up and couldn't afford any mistakes. Vivian eventually brought a cup over that she insisted was just juice. However, somehow after drinking the juice Adelina had no recollection of the rest of the evening.
She had woken up the next day in a hotel room, dressed in only a man's shirt and a beautiful jade ring on her left hand. Adelina was sore and knew that she had lost the most precious thing she had as a woman. She hadn't even bothered to look at the face of the man that slept next to her and made a quick escape.
When she returned home, Adelina found Vivian crying at her front door holding up her phone. The college chat was full of photos of Adelina being held up by two men in a hotel lobby.
Adelina was numb and couldn't remember what had happened, but she felt wronged. Vivian consoled her and apologized crying that somehow the drinks must have gotten mixed up.
At the time, Adelina felt something was wrong with her friend's story, but she was too numb to do anything but accept her friend's explanation.
Over the next few days, flashes drifted through Adelina's mind. She remembered being held up by constricting arms. She recalled a man speaking in a hushed voice.
"She's so out of it. Let's go get the camera and report back before we start." The male voice had hissed.
She couldn't remember their faces but the fear she had felt was forever engraved in her mind. She had flashes of stumbling down a hallway and opening a random door. Everything went black after that.
She knew from her scrambled memories that someone had tried to set her up but something must have gone wrong as there were no illicit photos other than those in the hotel lobby. At the time she could never have suspected it would be her best friend that had set her up.
Adelina slammed her cup of water on the table. There was only one person capable of getting the photos to support and spread those rumors and that was the evil two faced witch that was with her wherever she went. She should have known back then but she was too naive and let Vivian continue to silently ruin her life.
Vivian even went as far as manipulating and seducing her exboyfriend, Granite Digby. At their request, Adelina had helped Vivian and Granite get important internships at her family's company. It was probably the biggest mistake she had ever made.
Her family's company was in trouble a few months later as evidence of embezzlement had been brought to attention. Documents were found implicating her father as the culprit behind the embezzlement. Her father was tried in court. Her fathers lawyer suggested they use Vivian as a witness as she was interning in the company's accounting department and she had a strong relation with the family for years and would be able to testify that the documents could have been forged or manipulated. Vivian happily agreed to become a witness.
Adelina was extremely nervous as she sat in the courtroom. It was finally time for Vivian to give her testimony. Adelina gave Vivian an encouraging smile but Vivian only looked at her with contempt as she began to testify.
Vivian's eyes filled with tears. "I came here because my once good friend wanted me to lie on the stand in order to save her father from his crimes. But I can't bring myself to lie under oath." Vivian cried. Everyone in the court room stopped breathing and began to sympathize with Vivian as she spun a tale that Adelina threatened her to give a false testimony. She also claimed that the employees she knew were trustworthy and that there was no way the documents were false. She had tears running down her face as she explained that she needed to do the right thing and put the criminal responsible behind bars.
Adelina had been shocked. With that one testimony the court room had turned against her family. The jury threw daggers with their eyes as the trial continued.
After that, her father was found guilty. Vivian had disappeared after her testimony, but it was evident to Adelina that Vivian had been planning to betray her from the beginning.
She was a mess as she drove through blurry eyes to Granite's house. She needed him to tell her that everything was going to be okay.
Adelina quickly arrived and ran to his room with teary eyes only to hear loud female moans from outside of the door. Adelina stopped in her tracks.
"Vivian" Granite moaned. Adelina's hand was frozen on the door handle.
"Ahh that was amazing" Adelina heard Vivian gasp through the door.
"You're amazing Viv, to think all of the things we have done today," Granite chortled.
"Mhm" Vivian agreed. "We're rich now. I finally have enough money to live comfortably, and you have enough to finally start your own company."
Granite chuckled. "And that old fool is taking the hit for us. I can't believe we got away with it."
Adelina fell to her knees.
They had plotted this. They had schemed together to steal money from the company and they even pinned it on her father. Adelina's head spun as the full scope of their betrayal seeped into her bones. How long had they planned this?
"It's all thanks to those document you made though." Vivian chuckled. "Even if Adelina wanted to try and prove the documents are false, no one will believe her now."
"It wasn't hard. Especially with my cousin being in the police force, swapping out the real documents was too easy. Adelina is such an idiot. She gave us those important positions and everything we asked for. I bet she's wallowing in sorrow."
"Don't talk about her right now. You know how much I hate when you talk about her in front of me." Vivian pouted.
"Viv, you know you're the only one for me. You are the most gorgeous and cunning woman I've ever met. That prude fool is nothing but a doormat for us." Granite cooed.
Vivian laughed. "Yes and now that's all she'll be known for. The daughter of a criminal. Pathetic and corrupt. No one will ever compare me to her again, no one will even think about that ugly girl now. I'm going to become the new flower of society and erase every trace of her existence." Vivian cackled.
Granite growled in approval and the moans began again. Adelina sat quietly outside the door attempting to process what she had just heard.
After a few minutes, Adelina finally found the strength to stand up and get to her car. Before she knew it she was pulling up into her driveway. She wasn't sure how she even made it home.
She sat outside for a moment. Everything had sunk in and the numbness she felt was beginning to wane, revealing a darker, more ravenous feeling that surged through every fiber of her soul. She wanted revenge. She needed to be the one to throw Vivian and Granite into the fiery pit of hell. She wanted to rip the smiles from their smug faces. Her blood was boiling but her face fell.
"But how." Adelina had whispered to herself.
They were right. Everyone believed she was a villainess who threatened an innocent girl to lie on the stand. She didn't even have any evidence to support her claims. She sighed and exited the car, feeling defeated and lost.
She walked into her home to find her mother and siblings with their luggage. Her family's assets had been frozen and the house had been seized.
She wanted to tell her family of the deceit she had witnessed. But she could see the exhaustion and loss on their faces. Her resolve wavered.
Her revenge would need to wait. She needed to take care of her family first and foremost. She locked her feelings deep within her heart as she focused on making sure her siblings and mother were taken care of.
That was three years ago. Adelina and her mother worked hard to survive. However, after a year her mother fell ill from overwork.
Adelina had been so busy with trying to keep her family alive that revenge had sat on the back burner.
There was still nothing she could do. Not with everything she had on her plate right now. Adelina sighed as she set her full glass of water on the table. She sank into the couch and soon fell into a dreamless sleep.
Status de energia semanal
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