Revenge Wears Many Faces: Hers, Mine

Three years. That' s how long I spent in prison, taking the fall for the man I loved, Case Stevens, believing his promise of marriage and a future.

But the moment I walked out, I discovered his sweet words were a meticulously crafted lie, a cruel game orchestrated with my university rival, Blair Kelley, to destroy me and my family.

They humiliated me publicly, forcing me into a mock proposal with a dog, while my father lay dying in a hospital, his care deliberately withdrawn by Case to seize control of our family company.

At my father' s funeral, I learned Blair had mixed his ashes into her "art," a twisted masterpiece she then set ablaze, burning the last physical piece of him. I was beaten by Case' s friends, left for dead, my body broken, my spirit shattered.

I was dying, but a doctor, Axel Everett, offered me a chance at a new life, a chance to become a ghost in the world that had betrayed me.

Chapter 1

The heavy gates of the prison groaned open. Three years. It felt like a lifetime. The air, crisp and free, filled my lungs, a stark contrast to the stale, recycled air I had grown used to.

I stood there for a moment, letting the sun warm my face. I had promised myself I wouldn' t cry. This was a new beginning.

My gaze fell upon a sleek, black car parked by the curb. Case Stevens leaned against it, his tailored suit immaculate, his smile as blindingly charismatic as the day I first met him. He was the reason I was here. And he was the reason I had survived.

He had promised me. "Just three years, Aaliyah. Take the fall for me, for the company. The IPO is everything. Once it's done, I'll make it all up to you. We'll get married. We'll have the life we always talked about."

I believed him. How could I not? I loved him more than my own life. So I confessed to a massive corporate data breach I didn' t commit, a breach that nearly bankrupted his company, Stevens Tech, before its pivotal public offering.

He opened his arms, and I walked into his embrace, burying my face in his chest. The familiar scent of his expensive cologne was supposed to be comforting, but something felt off.

"I missed you," he murmured into my hair.

"I missed you too," I said, my voice thick.

"I have a surprise for you," he said, pulling back to look at me. "A celebration. Everyone's waiting."

He drove us to a lavish rooftop bar, the city lights twinkling below like a sea of scattered diamonds. The place was packed with his friends, the elite of the tech world. They cheered when we walked in. Champagne flowed.

Case kept his arm around me, a proud smile on his face. But his eyes were distant.

"I need to use the restroom," I whispered to him after a while.

He nodded, his attention already on a conversation with a fellow CEO.

As I walked down the hallway, I heard voices from a private lounge, the door slightly ajar. I recognized the laugh instantly. It was Blair Kelley, Case's childhood friend and my old university rival.

"I can't believe she actually fell for it," Blair's voice dripped with malicious glee. "Three years. The stupid girl actually served three years."

Another man chuckled. "Case, you're a genius. Getting her to take the blame not only saved your IPO but also let you crush Wolfe Innovations. Hostile takeover of her old man's company? Poetic."

My blood ran cold. I pressed my ear closer to the door, my heart hammering against my ribs.

Case's voice, smooth and cruel, joined in. "She's always been easy to manipulate. All it took was a few sweet words and a promise of marriage. Pathetic, really."

Wolfe Innovations. My father' s company.

Blair sighed dramatically. "Well, she deserved it. Stealing my design in the university competition... she ruined my career before it even started. This was payback. A perfect, slow, reputation-destroying revenge."

The plagiarism accusation. It was a lie. I had never stolen anything from her; my work had been demonstrably superior, which was why I had won. But she had spread the rumor, and Case... Case had apparently held that grudge for her all these years.

My whole body went numb. The love, the sacrifice, the hope that had been my lifeline for three years-it was all a meticulously crafted lie. A game.

A sharp, stabbing pain shot through my head, so intense it made my vision blur. I leaned against the wall, gasping. The headaches had been getting worse in prison, but I had dismissed them as stress. Two weeks before my release, the prison doctor had given me the news. Glioblastoma. A terminal brain tumor.

I had six months, maybe less.

I had decided not to tell Case, not right away. I didn't want our reunion to be clouded by pity. What a fool I had been.

"So what now?" someone asked inside the lounge. "You gonna keep the tragic heroine around?"

Blair laughed again, a sound like shattering glass. "Of course not. He'll string her along for a bit, for appearances. Then, he'll dump her. Can you imagine the headlines? Tech felon Aaliyah Wolfe, abandoned by the CEO she 'saved'. It will be the final nail in her coffin."

"Maybe she'll do us all a favor and just disappear," Case added, his tone bored. "She's worthless now anyway."

My mind went blank. The world dissolved into a meaningless roar. I couldn't feel my hands, my feet. It was a coldness that seeped into my bones, far worse than the winter chill of my prison cell.

The memory of his face three years ago, pleading with me, his eyes full of supposed love and desperation, flashed in my mind. "It's just a small sacrifice for our future, Aaliyah. I swear I'll spend my life making it up to you."

Lies. All of it.

The pain in my head was nothing compared to the agony ripping through my soul. He hadn't just betrayed me. He had orchestrated the complete annihilation of my life, my reputation, my family's legacy. My father... the shock of my conviction had sent him into a coma. I hadn't been able to see him once.

I stumbled back from the door, my movements stiff and robotic. I couldn't face them. I couldn't let them see me break.

I walked away, through the laughing crowds and out into the cold night air. The city lights now seemed to mock me.

I pulled out my phone, my fingers trembling so hard I could barely dial. I found the number I had saved, the one I had prayed I would never need to use so soon.

It rang twice before a calm, professional voice answered. "Dr. Everett's office."

"This is Aaliyah Wolfe," I said, my own voice sounding strange and hollow. "I... I contacted you about the post-mortem research donation."

"Yes, Ms. Wolfe. We have your file."

A single tear, hot and bitter, finally escaped and traced a path down my frozen cheek.

"I agree," I whispered, my world collapsing into darkness. "You can have my brain. Whenever you're ready."