CHAPTER 2

Her head throbbed seriously. And her body was cold yet wrapped around by something. Where was she? Diana struggled but she opened her eyes. The bright sunlight almost blinding her. She sat up almost immediately, looking around. This was her old apartment. The same one her dad had got for her. But she had moved out months ago. Why was she here? She got from the floor where she'd woken up rushing into the bathroom to look at her face. Any injuries or bruises. Nothing. Even her haircut was different. “That's impossible.” She murmured. “I was just with Damien and…Lucy….the stairs, I fell…. I—” She ran back to her room searching frantically for her phone. The second she found it she looked at the date gasping. It was the same Wednesday but a year earlier. Just days before Damien proposed. Just when her career was about to take off. “How did I get here?” She wondered aloud. Multiple texts came up on her phone. One was a reminder of her pitch to investors about her architecture firm today, one from Lucy and one from Damien. She didn't know which to read. So she ignored them both tossing the phone to her bed. She had to get ready for work. At work, she walked into the architectural firm and almost couldn't believe it. Everything looked the same. “Good morning Diana.” Someone greeted her with a smile. “Morning.” She waved back awkwardly. She walked into her office taking a seat. It was all too surreal. “I just need to go through the day.” She thought. “Yeah, that's all I need.” And go through the day she did. On her way back from her pitch, it was lunch. She stepped into her office and froze almost immediately. “There you are. I've been waiting for almost five minutes.” It was Lucy. She got up from one of the seats closing in to give Diana a hug. She shifted abruptly out of her best friends arms after a few seconds. Walking towards her table her chest pounded and her hands shook. She turned to face Lucy with only one thought in mind. “You killed me.” “What's with that look?” Lucy asked, an unsuspecting smile still on her face. “What are you doing here?” The blunt response visibly caught Lucy off guard. “For lunch?” She gestures to the paper bag on the centre table. “I thought you got my text. I said I'd come by and have lunch with you since you'd be having your pitch today.” Diana eyed her carefully, her hands still shaking softly. “Is that why you're behaving off?” Lucy then gasped startling her. “Did it not go well? The pitch?” Diana paused, breathing in and out deeply. “I don't know. I don't think they liked it.” She lied, taking a seat. Lucy pulled out the food packs from the paper bag setting them on her desk. She took a seat opposite her. “Just eat up. You'll feel better.” After work Diana dragged herself home. Sitting in her living room she contemplated a lot of things and it all made her head hurt badly. Her phone rang. It was Damien. She stared at the phone for a long while before picking it up. “Hey, sweetheart, how are you?” Diana shut her eyes at the sound of his voice. “I'm alright. Same thing everyday.” Her voice shook slightly. “Are you sure? Lucy told me your pitch didn't go so well.” “Of course she did.” Diana thought to herself before replying him. “I don't know how they took it. I guess we should just hope for the best.” “I’m sure you did great. You're amazing like that.” She didn't reply. “How about to cheer you up, we go on a date this weekend?” Her breath hitched. In her past life Damien proposed after she successfully did her pitch. But this time she had to delay it. “Honestly, I don't feel like it. I rather stay home.” “Well, how about I come over?” “No.” She blurted out to quickly. Biting down on her lips she swore under her breath. “I mean, I just need to be alone.” “Was it that bad?” She didn't reply. “You can talk to me Diana. I'm here for you.” Once upon a time she would've believed it. But even though her heart ached to invite him over and let him cure her troubles she couldn't. He was lying to her. “I know.” She choked out. “But this has to be me. You understand right?” Damien sighed on the other end. “Yeah, I do. Take care of yourself. I love—” She hung up. The tears in her eyes falling out. Her body shaking more as she hugged herself. Time passed and she stared at her ceiling now, muttering to herself the same words they'd said to her before she died. “You were so naive. Believing every single thing I fed your pitiful self. That I liked. I loved that about you.” She croaked out Damien's statement then Lucy's next. “Look at all this. You think it's easy to get all this luxury with the crappy jobs Damien and I do? Why struggle, when we could easily fast track that with you?” Diana laughed, her mouth bitter. “You wanted my money. You both wanted what you could never work enough for. You betrayed me. Toyed with my feelings. I'll make you both pay for that. “ She cleaned her tear stained face getting up to go to her bathroom. She washed her face looking at herself in the mirror. “You thought I would die easy?” She asked her reflection seeing and image of Damien and Lucy behind her. “I'll make you suffer, both of you.” She sat in her room thinking through every major event that happened in her past life. She had to be ready for anything, even the slightest thing they would throw at her. She wouldn't wait till they left her out and dry, she would dry them up from the inside out. And watch them crumble after.