Saved Him, Then Doomed Him

My best friend, Alistair Rauf, was dogpiled by eight thugs while trying to protect the campus belle, Seraphina Lowe.
When the police found him, his pants were soaked in blood.
The arrogant heir to the Rauf fortune became a laughingstock. Even Seraphina, the girl whod promised to repay his kindness, now avoided him like the plague.
"Alistair," shed say, her voice dripping with pity, "everyone keeps asking me if you can still you know be a man. I I can't answer those questions without hurting you, so it's better if I just stay away."
Only I ignored the rumors. Only I honored the old pact between our families and married him.
On our wedding day, in front of everyone, he told me:
"Even if I'm forced to marry you, you'll never be half the woman Seraphina is."
Everyone laughed at me, calling me a doormat, so hopelessly in love with Alistair that I had no self-respect.
Hilarious. Who said anything about love?
That night, I locked him in the basement and played the home movie of him and those thugs on a loop.
1.
At the wedding, I knelt on one knee, a picture of pious devotion.
I slid the symbol of our love onto the ring finger of Alistairs left hand as he sat in his wheelchair.
Alistair, from this day forward, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, I will cherish you and never forsake you.
The chapel erupted in thunderous applause, peppered with a few faint, mocking snickers.
Alistairs parents were weeping with joy, as if theyd finally managed to sell off a piece of damaged goods at a premium.
Only Alistairs face was deathly pale. His eyes, red-rimmed and full of resentment, were fixed on me.
He uttered his only line of the entire reception: Audrey, youll never measure up to Seraphina.
Seraphina. The undying love of his life.
The day Seraphina was cornered by those thugs in an alley, Id been hiding at the entrance. I snapped a photo and sent it to Alistair with a simple message: "Your girl's in trouble. Hurry!"
A young mans love is a reckless, impulsive thing.
Alistair charged into that alley alone, his usual arrogance blinding him to the danger. Even as they beat him to his knees, he was still shouting heroics. "Come at me! Leave the girl alone!"
And so, they did. The thugs ran their hands over his handsome, clean-cut face, their laughter echoing off the brick walls as they turned all their attention on him.
It took only a few seconds for Alistair's tough-guy act to crumble into desperate pleas, then into shattered, agonized screams.
By the time the police arrived, Alistair was broken, physically and psychologically.
The doctors said the infection was so severe they had no choice but to perform a colostomy. He would have to live with a bag for the rest of his life.
Seraphina, the damsel hed saved, had just finished promising her parents she would take care of Alistair forever. The moment she heard the news, she gagged and ran for the bathroom.
Suddenly, the Raufs, who had always looked down on me, were fawning over me. "Audrey! You're the only one for our Alistair now! You've loved him since you were kids, you won't mind this, will you?! Weve always known you were the only one we ever wanted as our daughter-in-law!"
I looked at them, my eyes welling with fake tears, trying so hard not to laugh that my stomach cramped. "Mr. and Mrs. Rauf, please don't say that. My love for Alistair isn't so shallow. I love him no matter what. So please, let us get married!"
The thought of seeing Alistairs miserable, broken face every single day filled me with an exquisite joy.
So when he told me I was nothing compared to Seraphina, I just smiled magnanimously and reached out to touch his cold, trembling cheek. "Thats okay. Seraphina doesn't have you. I do. And thats all that matters."
2.
Near the end of the reception, Seraphina made her grand entrance.
She was wearing a white gown that looked more like a wedding dress than my own. She fought back tears, playing the part of a concerned, heartbroken friend.
Audrey, I only gave him up so that he could have a better life. You need to remember that the title of Mrs. Rauf is something you fought tooth and nail for so you have to be better for him than I ever could have been!
Her words made Alistair tremble. He looked at her with a mixture of adoration and shame, desperate to pour out his heart to her.
He had no idea that during his hospital stay, every one of Seraphinas devoted visits had been paid for by his parents.
"My family isn't rich," she'd told them, "but I'm their only daughter. There is no way they'll let me marry a disabled man."
"The rumors about Alistair at school are vicious. I'm taking a risk just by coming to see him every day. My parents said I'd be better off getting a part-time job to help with our bills."
She was as cold and calculating as a robot with them. But what could they do? It was for their son.
They just forced a smile and handed over the money. "We're just asking you to keep him company, not change his bags Think of it as a job. We'll pay you well. And if you ever need anything in the future, the Rauf family will take care of you."
So of course she had to come to the wedding.
She needed to vent her frustration that her ticket to a wealthy life was now broken. And she needed to torment me, to make sure Alistair would never forget her.
As long as he remembered her, she would always have a way to profit from the Raufs.
Seeing my silence, she thought she had the upper hand.
Audrey, even though youre married, its only on the surface. The doctors said his body isn't suited for intimacy. And definitely not for having children.
He cant control his own body. Youll have to catheterize him. If his colostomy bag isnt clean, youll have to stick your hand in there and clean it out yourself. Hes too proud to let a nurse do it, so it will all be on you.
With every word she spoke, a deeper shade of crimson shame crept up Alistair's neck. He pictured the humiliating scenes, and his eyes, when they met mine, were filled with pure hatred.
But I just smiled.
Seraphina, youre so thoughtful. But Im clumsy. I dont think I could ever learn how to use a catheter or clean one of those bags. Why dont you show me how its done?
The triumphant look on Seraphina's face froze.
She never expected me, the doormat who had always lived for Alistair's approval, to turn on her, his perfect angel. She never expected me to bite back.
Panic flickered in her eyes. "That's enough," she stammered. "I came here to wish Alistair well, not to be insulted by you."
With that, she salvaged the last of her dignity and swept out of the room without a backward glance.
"Darling," I said to Alistair, my voice light and full of pity, "did you hear that? Seraphina thinks helping you is an insult."
He bristled like a cornered hedgehog.
Audrey! Dont project your own venom onto other people! It was my decision not to let her help me! Shes the woman I love. I would never let her suffer alongside me.
But you, he lifted his chin, as if only with me could he reclaim a shred of his old arrogance, you chose to jump into this fire. So now you get to serve me like the animal you are.
He seemed to have no regrets about trying to save Seraphina.
But when he saw our marital bed, covered in the traditional symbols of fertilitydates and nutshe finally broke down
Audrey you shouldnt have sent me that picture He clenched his fists around the fruit, crushing them until a thick, dark juice, the color of old blood, trickled through his fingers.
Why didnt you call the police sooner? Why didnt you warn me there were so many of them, that I couldnt win?! You should have stopped me! You shouldnt have let me go It was you! It was all your fault! You ruined me!!
I stared coldly at his face, twisted with such rage that his features were almost unrecognizable.
It was a face I knew well. It blurred and overlapped with the face of the man from my previous life.
Thats right. A past life.
In my last life, he had screamed the same words as his hands closed around my throat.
You ruined me!!
Only then, he wasn't blaming me for failing to stop him from saving Seraphina.
He was blaming me for saving her myself.
Audrey! You just had to play the hero! Whos to blame for you getting raped?! Why do I have to be responsible for your mistake?! Why cant I marry the woman I love because of you?!
You ruined me!!!
3.
In my last life, I was the one who saved Seraphina.
To buy time for the police to arrive, I played a recording of a police siren at the mouth of the alley. As the thugs scattered, I grabbed Seraphina's arm and we ran.
But when they realized it was a trick, she shoved me. Hard. Straight back into their waiting arms
What they did to me was brutal. By the time I was rushed to the ICU, I had lost every shred of my dignity.
And Seraphina, the one who caused it all, was kneeling before Alistair, begging.
I was just so scared! I thought Id never see you again! Alistair, please, save me Dont let Audrey press charges! Shes hurt so badly, shell want revenge! Shell ruin my life
And so Alistair, who had always been so cold to me, came to my hospital bed with flowers and a ring. In front of my parents, he got down on one knee.
He told me Seraphina had gotten into a terrible car accident while trying to flee the city.
Audrey, shes dead. Its over. We were meant to be together, our families arranged it when we were kids. Marry me. Ill take care of you for the rest of my life. Let me help you out of this darkness, please?
My will was weak. After so much pain, I was desperate for an anchor.
Even though the Raufs, whose business had far surpassed my familys, now despised me and accused me of ruining their sons life, I said yes. I said yes to Alistairs persistence, to the pain and anxiety in my own parents' eyes.
And Alistair was good to me. The coldness was gone, replaced by endless sweet nothings that kept my mind too occupied to question Seraphinas death. I just wanted to start over.
I thought our wedding would be the final, crooked punctuation mark on a youth filled with unrequited love and unbearable pain.
But on our wedding day, I saw her.
Seraphina, who was supposed to be dead, was in the grooms waiting room, kissing Alistair passionately. "Audrey is tainted," she whispered. "You are not to touch her. I'll be your substitute for the wedding night, right here."
The fragile world I had so painstakingly rebuilt shattered around me
I broke. I screamed at them, demanding to know why. I had done nothing wrong, I owed them nothing! Why were they torturing me like this?!
His answer was to wrap his hands around my throat.
You owe us nothing?! How dare you say that, Audrey?! If your parents hadnt insisted on pressing charges, do you think I would have had to fake her death?!
Do you think youre so pathetic because you were raped?! You get to be Mrs. Rauf! Seraphina has to hide for the rest of her life!
Youre the one who ruined us!!
In my past life, he nearly choked the life out of me, and felt not a single ounce of pity.
In this life, I watched coldly as he writhed in the same agony I once endured.
You ruined me!!
I shrugged, letting out a long, slow breath. The initial thrill of vengeance was intoxicating. I decided I was done pretending.
Youre right. I did ruin you. So what? You want to do something about it? Go on. Get up from that wheelchair and hit me.
Alistairs bloodshot eyes widened in disbelief. He looked at me as if I were a stranger, as if he couldnt comprehend my words.
What what did you say?! Say that again!
I smiled and walked toward him.
Without any warning, my hand shot out and tangled in his hair.
And I ripped him out of his wheelchair.
4.
Aaargh!
I ignored his piercing scream and straddled him on the floor.
My hands flew, slapping him across the face, again and again. The movements were precise, the force behind them cruel.
You piece of trash! I snarled, looking down at him.
What gives a worthless thing like you the right to act so high and mighty with me?! You still think youre some golden boy, the precious heir? Youre nothing but a pathetic masochist who begged for this. Why should I treat you with any respect?!
You dont know your place, do you? Ill beat it into you.
His body went rigid under the assault, spasming. He couldn't even whimper. I knew how it worked. After being violated, every shadow becomes a threat. Before the next blow even lands, the fear paralyzes you, stripping you of any will to fight back.
So what?
He had treated me the same way in our last life.
I wasnt generous enough to give him a taste of his own medicine.
I was going to give him double.
I didnt stop until his colostomy bag leaked, the foul stench filling the air.
Only then did I slowly stand up, flexing my wrists. Clean this up. If I come back and this floor is still dirty, I will kill you.
My voice was a shard of ice that made him tremble violently.
He clutched his swollen face, staring blankly for a long moment before he finally broke into sobs. He looked so weak, like a delicate white flower shivering in the wind.
The subconscious terror of what I had done to him had stolen his courage to even look at me. He just kept muttering in disbelief, Are you are you still Audrey? Are you still Audrey?
I smirked and offered a bit of gallows humor. No. Im the one who settles the score.
So accept your fate. And dont piss me off again.
With that, I walked out of the room, slamming the door behind me with a resounding crash.
I lit a cigarette.
Sinking into the living room sofa, I took a few long, satisfying drags. Then I answered the call from my father.
Dad, did you find him? Good. Im on my way.
5.
I spotted Liam Quinn the moment I walked into the restaurant.
He was handsome and sharp, with the bright, ambitious energy of youth. When he shook my hand, his eyes were clear and direct, his words sincere.
Ms. Ross, your father told me youre interested in funding my project. I wont let you down.
I looked at the proposal he handed me, a document I had already read countless times in my past life, and felt a pang of regret for what had happened to him.
In my last life, I was the one who discovered his pitch online. It was a project for a fully intelligent AI caregiver system called Project Elysian. The idea captivated me, and I saw its massive potential. I convinced Alistair and my family to invest before our wedding.
The Rauf family later used that project to climb into the city's elite, becoming one of the wealthiest families in the region.
But after my marriage fell apart, Alistair imprisoned and abused me. He threatened to release the videos of my assault to force my parents to sign over their founding shares, cutting us out completely.
Liam fared no better. He was ground down by the Raufs corporate machine. His initial passion was extinguished when his own team, bribed by the Raufs, stole his work and framed him for plagiarism, destroying his career.
At his lowest point, he came to Alistairs mansion, wanting to ask the man who had once been his benefactor why he had destroyed him.
Alistair wasnt there. There was only me, pacing the garden like a prisoner on yard time.
We looked at each other through the iron gates.
He was gaunt and disheveled, a madman.
I was a withered husk, my eyes empty, a fool.
Im sorry, I had whispered, choked with guilt. I was the one who chose you. Im the one who ruined you.
Understanding dawned on his face. So it wasnt Alistair it was you.
Its not your fault, hed said, his voice cracking. Dont blame yourself Its my fault. I trusted the wrong people.
In my last life, Liam died before I did.
He risked everything to expose the Raufs illegal smuggling operations. In his final moments, before they killed him, he managed to upload the evidence.
A brilliant mind, destroyed by petty evil.
This time, that tragedy would not be his fate.
I took out the contract I had prepared.
These are my terms. You will have maximum creative freedom during the contract period. And one more thing, this is very important. When the product launches, the lead developer credit will always be your name.
My familys company wasnt a corporate giant, but we were smart with our investments. This project was my key to turning the tables on the Raufs.
As for how to make them self-destruct? I had the perfect person to lead the charge.
Liams face went blank for a second when he heard my terms, then lit up with the kind of joy you see when you meet a kindred spirit. He was a meticulous and proud man. To him, credit was more important than anything.
You trust me a lot, he said, a smile forming cute brackets at the corners of his mouth. Can I ask why?
A gut feeling, I said. The first time I saw you, I felt like you would trust me too.
He didnt ask any more questions. He took out a pen and signed his name with a decisive flourish.
Then he extended his hand, his deep eyes sparkling like a field of stars.
Its a pleasure doing business with you.

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