Chapter 10 (happily never after)
The original character POV
eople think fantasy equals happily ever after, like a whimsical dream where every wish is granted. They think everything is wonderful and nice, filled with sunshine and rainbows. That what they see, read, and hear in those stories is correct and as should be, ah!
Well, fantasy is correct, but it is dark, sometimes beautiful like a fleeting sunset, twisted like an ancient oak, and mind-numbing, leaving you questioning reality.
So hello, welcome to my life, a far cry from any fairy tale.
My name is Vanity Saint Michaels, a daughter who should have had a beautiful life, filled with laughter and love, but… things went wrong, spiraling downwards into a vortex of despair.
At twenty-two, fresh out of finishing school with dreams of romance and a family, I found myself betrothed to a man who was considered the epitome of a perfect spouse, a paragon of virtue and success, and ranked among the nation’s top twenty wealthiest, with a portfolio spanning industries from tech to real estate.
Amidst the grandeur and opulence of the affluent society, where champagne flowed like water and designer gowns were the uniform, where fantasies of wealth and prestige shroud the harsh realities of life, there I existed; a young woman named Vanity Saint Michaels. My name hinted at a life filled with vanity and elegance, a life of silk and pearls; some may say my name is vulgar, a blatant display of pride, but I was proud. Foolishly proud of it, clinging to the image it projected.
You know family can be a burden, a burden that can even bring anguish to the soul, weighing you down with expectations and obligations.
Born into a world where appearances were everything, where reputation was currency. My parents, driven by ambition and obsession with societal status, meticulously groomed me to be the epitome of perfection, a shining example of their success. From a young age, she was taught to smile, even when her heart ached, to speak with grace, her words carefully chosen, to dance with elegance, gliding across the ballroom floor like a swan.
At the age of twenty-two, with my future seemingly laid out before me, I found myself bound to a man who embodied the essence of wealth and power, a man whose name echoed in the halls of industry and influence. He was considered a catch, a prized possession in the eyes of society, coveted by every debutante and their ambitious mothers. Despite my inner turmoil and the whispers of doubt that plagued my mind, growing louder with each passing day, I like a puppet succumbed to the pressure to fulfill the role of a perfect wife – a trophy to be displayed, a companion to adorn his arm.
Ah yes, as an ignorant character with so-called limited knowledge, sheltered from the harsh realities of the world, I was groomed to be his flawless wife, a polished jewel to complement his success, despite my somewhat flawed background, the whispers of a family secret that I tried desperately to ignore, yet still being his ideal companion, the woman he could proudly present to the world.
As the years passed, the illusion of a fairy-tale life began to crumble, the cracks widening with each passing misfortune. Vanity’s once-flourishing family faced a series of misfortunes, starting with a bad investment that snowballed into financial ruin and despair, the vultures circling as they lost everything they had worked for. The very foundation of her existence, built on the pillars of wealth and status, began to crumble beneath her feet, leaving her adrift in a sea of uncertainty and betrayal, with no land in sight.
Her mother, succumbing to grief and illness, her father, drowning in debt and despair, all dead, leaving me alone in the world.
Ah, haha… the sound of my own madness echoing in the empty halls.
It is a pity that I had to suffer and died only ten years later; he was mine rightfully, bound by vows and promises, so how did I become an outsider, a stranger in my own life?
My family was not bad, generous and kind, so how did they go bankrupt and become miserable one after another, their dreams and aspirations crushed under the weight of debt?
In what way could I, previously the most favoured, showered with affection and praise, face the possibility of being abandoned, cast aside like a broken toy?
It was a source of great confusion for me, a puzzle I desperately tried to solve, something that no matter how hard I tried to understand I failed to comprehend that this was my reality, a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from.
Was it not right to beat the woman who slept with my man, the woman who stole his affections and shattered my world?
Was it not right to ask questions after the fact, to demand answers for the betrayal that had consumed my life?
“So why?” I asked filled with unwilling confusion, my voice weak and trembling, barely a whisper.
“You were just too naïve, a pawn in a game you didn’t understand, just a stepping stone to enhance my glory,” a low feminine voice said from above me, laced with triumph and malice. I coughed, spitting out blood, the metallic taste filling my mouth, vision dark, unable to see because they had gouged out my eyes, leaving only empty sockets. I wanted to move, but they twisted my limbs, snapping bones and severing tendons. I wanted to speak, to scream, but they pulled out my tongue, silencing me forever.
My life flashed before my eyes, a chaotic jumble of memories, confusing me even more, adding insult to injury.
From a child, I had been pampered, indulged in every whim. Consequently, I fulfilled the requests of my parents, seeking their approval and love. They had birthed me, clothed me, fed me and allowed me to have the education to stabilize my foundation, providing me with the tools to navigate the world. At a young age, I saw the world because of my parents and relatives, travelling to exotic locations and experiencing the finest things in life, grew up like a precious jewel, adored by many even if in their eyes I was flawed, a pearl with a slight imperfection. What could they say because I was perfection otherwise? My friends were wealthy and worthy of being in my presence, their families influential and powerful. By the time I was sixteen, I had become a prodigy with a voice to calm and seduce, captivating audiences with my melodies, until my tragedy began when I turned eighteen. I lost my voice; a rare illness stealing my ability to sing, I became depressed, isolating myself from the world, but I learned to dance, finding solace in movement and grace, and later married my fiancé when I was twenty-one, hoping to find happiness and stability. My life should have been complete, a perfect picture of success, but a woman appeared, a voice similar to my own, an uncanny echo, similar to me, a mirror image, it was eerily unsettling.
At twenty-four, in a blink, I was thrown into despair, plunged into the depths of misery and sorrow. I lost my pillars!
Abandoned, mourning a loss alone, with no one to turn to. While he abandoned me for a substitute, a fake! I am the original! What ecstasy soup was he… they fed, clouding their judgment and blinding them to the truth.
My friends, my man, my family; whoosh gone just like that, vanished into thin air, leaving me with nothing.
Then, forgotten the torture began, both physical and mental, until I ended up in such a situation, broken and defeated.
Soul seeing despair, pain so deep it transcended the physical, I constantly beg for death, longing for release. I don’t want to live anymore in this world; I don’t want to wish anymore, for even the smallest hope brings only further disappointment.
What shocked me even further before I died? The ultimate betrayal, the cruellest twist of fate.
This was a book! I was a character! A puppet dancing to the author’s tune.
My life was just used as a plot hole!
A convenient device to move the story forward. It is not enough to know that I suffered so much, I thought; well I am a stepping stone at least and it’s understandable, a sacrifice for the greater good, but I was the heroine! In a dog blood novel! A trashy romance filled with clichés and melodrama.
Who wants to accept such a fate? To be nothing more than a character in a poorly written story.
I am the heroine but my suffering had to be so deep and so much because of growth! A twisted justification for the pain I endured.
(Warning blackening of the main character number thirty!)
I don’t want to do it anymore.
My soul was cracking, consumed by bitterness and rage.
Clearly, the author is the creator; the puppet master pulling the strings, I am her precious creation, a vessel for her amusement, but I must suffer; I wanted to laugh but my body was breaking down and was weak, the laughter turning into a choked sob.
(Malice level rising)
Hehe, I swear to all that is holy the world is unfair.
Unwilling!
The author can take this life, live for me, understand and feel my pain!
(Warning)
Regret!
Finally, I died.
(Character awakened…)
(loading…)
(memory cleaning….)
(Failed)(loading…)
(Adjusting emotional level)
(the thirtieth character has blackened!)
(Plot unstable)
I floated up, saw that woman who looked similar to me spit on my body, then followed as she left, I watched her be with my husband and listened as she described to an older woman how she destroyed my family using my family and friends.
(Warning female lead blackening)
I could not deal with it after five years of watching her take over my life. My form seemed to become extremely dark, I rushed out and destroyed everything in my path, I burned, devoured and forced all of those who made mine and me suffer to cease existing. The world was forced into a purgatory leaving only me floating, my form filled with pulsing power.
(World collapsed…)
I turned in a direction disappearing a moment and appeared where there was a veil and tore it, in one direction I headed finding a beautiful woman with somewhat age and made a few moves but she seemed to notice my presence, with a look alone my body was dragged towards her. I didn’t resist, it was only fair anyway.
(Warning! Warning! warning!)
(forced binding)
(scanning…)
(Transferring…)
(Error! Warning!)
(fail, binding… Binding… Success.)
(Blessed to reincarnate)
Lolipops2Marsh 