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Betrayal in the dark

In a dark, damp room reeking of mold and despair, Elise Cooper lay motionless on the cold concrete floor, her body bruised and stained with blood. Each breath she drew was shallow, painful. She struggled to push herself up, her limbs trembling from exhaustion and injury.

Suddenly, the heavy door creaked open, and a harsh beam of light flooded the room. Elise squinted, her eyes straining to adjust after days of darkness. Through the haze, a familiar silhouette appeared—elegant, composed, dressed in designer clothes with makeup perfectly in place. It was Olive Cooper—her sister.

Relief surged through Elise. Finally, someone came to save me, she thought. But that fleeting hope was crushed the moment Olive opened her mouth.

“Oh? You're still alive?” Olive said, her voice laced with cruel amusement. “I honestly expected you to be dead by now.”

Elise blinked in disbelief. Did I just imagine that? Her kind, gentle sister couldn’t possibly have said something so heartless.

Olive chuckled at her stunned expression and strode forward. Grabbing a fistful of Elise’s tangled hair, she yanked her head up to force their eyes to meet.

“Don’t call me sister,” she spat coldly. “We were never sisters. You were just a pretty little orphan our parents adopted to be my shadow.”

Elise's heart sank.

“They found you in some rundown orphanage,” Olive continued, her voice dripping with disdain. “You were beautiful, and they thought having a contrast would make me look even better. People would gush over how kind and generous I was to you—how sweet it was of me to share the spotlight with a pitiful girl like you.”

Elise's throat tightened with pain and confusion.

“You really thought your kidnapping was an accident?” Olive scoffed. “I planned it. All of it. It was the perfect way to end your engagement with Trevor.”

At the mention of his name, Elise’s heart gave a jolt. Before she could process anything else, a tall man stepped into the room. Dressed in an immaculate, custom-tailored suit, he looked like he had walked out of a magazine. His eyes, once warm, were now cold and filled with disdain.

Trevor.

“So, she’s still alive,” he sneered. “Good. Now I can tell her to her face—I never loved you, Elise. It’s Olive I’ve always wanted.”

The words hit her like a slap.

Elise tried to hold back her tears, her voice trembling as she whispered, “But Trevor... we’ve been engaged for 18 years. You promised me love, a future together. Please... tell me this is some kind of misunderstanding.”

Trevor scoffed. “Why would I waste my life on an adopted nobody? You're dull. Worthless. Olive is everything you're not—graceful, gentle, perfect.”

He turned away in disgust. “And besides, after what happened to you this past week... who would want to marry someone so filthy?”

“Trevor, don’t say that,” Olive interrupted, her voice suddenly soft and trembling. “She’s still my sister... she’s pitiful.”

She began to cry delicately, dabbing at imaginary tears. “This is all my fault. I never meant for it to go this far. But I truly love Trevor. Please, Elise... give us your blessings.”

Trevor gave Olive a tender kiss on the forehead and left the room without another word, though not before casting one last hateful glare at Elise.

The moment the door shut behind him, Olive's mask fell away. Her gentle expression twisted into a mocking smile. She crouched down, her voice low and venomous.

“Let me make it crystal clear. I paid those men to kidnap you. I told them exactly what to do—violate you, break you, leave you here to rot. And they did it, didn’t they? Just like I ordered.”

Elise began to shake, memories crashing down on her—pleas ignored, mocking laughter, unbearable pain. The beatings. The drugs. The never-ending torment.

“Why...?” Elise choked out through sobs. “What did I ever do to deserve this?”

Olive laughed—a sharp, unhinged sound. “You? Nothing. You just had the audacity to exist with that perfect little face. I’ve hated you for as long as I can remember. You were always the foil to my brilliance.”

She grinned. “Remember your wardrobe disaster at my 18th birthday? I tampered with your clothes. Or how Mom always forgot your birthday? That wasn’t forgetfulness—it was deliberate. She bought you revealing outfits on purpose, so people would call you vulgar while I was seen as elegant and modest.”

Elise stared at her in horror.

“Oh, and Trevor?” Olive continued smugly. “He might’ve liked you at first, but I ruined that. Slowly and carefully, I turned him against you. Made him see you as trash. We’ve been together since I was 15. And guess what? I’m already pregnant with his child.”