Chapter 4 Monster in Disguise

"Why did you do this to me? Why me? What did I ever do to you? I took you as my best friend, Vivian, and I took you as my husband, Dominic. I helped you anytime you were in need," Naomi said, her voice breaking.

Vivian frowned, her expression showing not a trace of remorse. "You were never a friend to me. I never considered you my friend. Gosh, please wake up.

I only became friends with you because every guy seemed to like you in high school, and you were intelligent and all that, which I wasn't. I had to be your friend and learn your secret, but I found out there was none."

Naomi's eyes widened with realization. "How many lies have you told me? You told me Jasmine was mean and a bully."

Vivian cackled. "Oh, that was part of the lie. Jasmine was never mean or a bully. She is kind and intelligent. That's just annoying."

Naomi turned to look at Dominic, who appeared unaffected by the confrontation.

"And you?" she demanded, her voice barely above a whisper.

Dominic raised a brow, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. "What?"

Naomi scoffed through her tears. "You don't even show any guilt or remorse. I loved you with everything in me. I thought you loved me too," she said, her body shaking with the weight of her emotions.

Dominic scoffed in return, his expression cold and indifferent. "Loved you? What? I never loved you, Naomi. It was all pretense. There was no way I could reject my grandmother's request to marry you.

You were a means to an end-earning her trust and favor. But love you? No. You're too plain for me."

Naomi's face crumpled, hurt upon hurt piling up as the full extent of Dominic's betrayal sank in. Her heart felt like it was being ripped apart, each cruel word stabbing deeper into her soul. The pain was almost unbearable, a mix of physical agony from her illness and the searing emotional pain of betrayal.

Vivian walked towards Dominic, a triumphant smirk on her face. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him deeply, right in front of Naomi.

The display of affection was a final devastating blow. Naomi's legs gave out, and she sank to the floor, her body racked with sobs. The betrayal, the lies, the cruelty-it was too much. She felt a wave of dizziness wash over her, her vision blurring as the room seemed to close in around her.

Vivian looked down at Naomi with a sneer. "See, this is what happens when you trust too easily. You're pathetic."

Naomi's rage surged, giving her the strength to push herself to her feet. "You are monsters, both of you. I can't stay here another moment," she spat, turning to leave.

As she reached the stairs, Dominic grabbed her arm roughly. "You're not going anywhere."

Naomi wrenched her arm free, her eyes blazing with defiance. "Watch me. I'm leaving. I'm going to report all of this to your grandmother. She needs to know the truth about you two" Naomi declared, her voice shaking but resolute.

Dominic's face twisted with anger. Before she could react, Vivian moved forward and shoved Naomi hard. Naomi stumbled, her weakened body unable to regain balance. She fell backward, her eyes wide with shock and terror, tumbling down the stairs. Each step sent waves of pain through her body until she finally lay crumpled at the bottom, her vision fading in and out.

Her vision dimmed, and the last thing she saw was Dominic and Vivian standing at the top of the stairs, their faces masks of shock and horror.

"My... my baby," Naomi mumbled weakly as consciousness slipped away.

Naomi's last thoughts were of her grandmother's warning and the betrayal that had shattered her life. She had trusted them, loved them, and they had repaid her with nothing but lies and deceit. Her heart ached with a pain deeper than any physical wound. And then everything went dark.

Dominic and Vivian stared in shock at Naomi's crumpled body at the bottom of the stairs. For a moment, neither of them spoke.

"Oh my God," Dominic muttered, his face pale. "Did we just... did she die?"

Vivian's eyes widened in disbelief. "I didn't think she'd fall that hard with just a push. I mean, it was a small shove-"

Dominic snapped out of his daze. "We need to check if she's still alive," he said urgently. "Come on."

They moved cautiously to the stairs. As they descended, they saw Naomi's chest rise and fall, her breathing shallow but present.

"She's still breathing," Dominic said, a mixture of relief and frustration in his voice. "But she's hurt badly. If she survives, there's no telling what she might do. She could still go and report everything to my grandmother."

Vivian's face darkened with concern. "We can't have that. We need to make sure she doesn't get the chance to expose us."

Dominic nodded, his expression grim. "We'll need to make sure she is incapacitated for good this time. There is no room for mistakes."

They exchanged a look of grim determination before turning their attention back to Naomi. Their plans now focused on ensuring that she wouldn't have a chance to reveal their betrayal.

Vivian's suggestion hung in the air, her tone cold and calculating. "We should get rid of her body," she said firmly.

Dominic's eyes narrowed, his mind racing. "How do you propose we do that? If she's not dead, we might still have a chance to fix this without leaving any evidence."

But Vivian shook her head. "No, Dom. We can't risk her waking up and going to the authorities or your grandmother. We need to be thorough."

Dominic sighed, looking down at Naomi's battered form. "All right, fine. But if we're going to do this, we need to make sure it's done right. No mistakes."

Vivian's gaze was steely. "We'll need to move her to a place where no one will find her. Do you have any ideas?"

Naomi remained barely conscious, her senses dimming but still functioning. The pain was excruciating, and every movement sent sharp jolts through her battered body. Despite this, she could faintly hear their conversation, though the words were muffled and distorted by the haze of her condition.

She had trusted the wrong people.

If only she could stand up right now and make them pay for what they had done to her for all these years. They had been the ones killing her babies.

How could Dominic do this to her, to her children? They were his babies too. For all these years she had been living in a lie.

They all deserved to be punished. Every one of these betrayers deserved to be punished.