Wife's Revenge

***

At the stately Wilsoney residence, the spring flower garden is a sight for sore eyes, a perfect moment to savor with a cup of tea and a dry snack.

As per my request to the servants to provide them in the garden, I was already sitting gracefully on a chair waiting for someone to fill the seat in front of me. The beautiful silhouette came into view. Her figure walked towards me with a mesmerizing aura of elegance.

I drew a pleased smile. She was wearing an all-white dress and her wavy hair was left loose. Her face was bright and beautiful, possessing a part of my face. When she finally sat down in front of me, I greeted her gently.

"How was your day?"

"Wonderful! I have to thank big brother for taking me out of that annoying dance practice!"

She was a cheerful girl who was younger than me. We were five years apart in age. Can you guess? She was my younger sister from a different mother.

I chuckled at her complaint. "What's going on?" I asked.

"Well, I stepped on her foot a few more times, and I had to apologize to her many times."

"Isn't it the duty of the dance teacher who taught you?" I said.

She shook her head. "The dance teacher can't come today because she's sick," she replied.

I was a little surprised. "Ah. Then who's teaching you to dance today?" I asked curiously.

"The one who taught me to dance was my sister-in-law."

Slowly the corners of my lips softened. The smile on my lips dropped slightly after hearing her answer. "It's very kind of my husband to teach my sister patiently. Ah, since you said her foot was stepped on several times, doesn't she need treatment right now? I'll be there for a while to check on her." I then got up.

"Wait!"

And my sister's voice, which was slightly raised, managed to stop me. I looked at her. She said. "Sister-in-law has been given treatment from the servant. I've made sure she's fine now. Didn't brother call me here to enjoy tea? So I came, but you wanted to leave?" The final sentence sounded disappointed, accompanied by a downturned mouth and a sullen expression.

Thanks to her words, I melted and sat back down quietly. I just trusted him. Then we started the tea. First, I poured the tea into my sister's empty porcelain cup. Then I poured some for myself.

We both lifted the cup together, and drank it slowly in a graceful manner.

Suddenly a rough clinking sound was heard. I lowered the cup from my nose, and saw what was happening. My eyes rounded in shock. Red liquid seemed to be flowing out of my sister's mouth. The red color was so contracted that it stained her luxurious white dress.

I was shocked at the scene before my eyes. It was too sudden and unexpected. So that made me just stand still.

"Ka-kaak ...." She called me softly.

When her body staggered, I gasped out a panicked cry. "NUNALLY!"

It all happened in a flash as their hands accused me of plotting Nunally's murder. I tried to explain, but they wouldn't listen.

"I'm disappointed in you, Vivian!" snapped Alaric, glaring at me.

My fate became a spectacle for everyone in the house.

"It's no surprise that he did." The cynical voice sounded clear.

"Hasn't she always been jealous of her younger sister?" a servant said.

"She's really too much."

"Shh, don't talk about her out loud. She's the mistress of this house. What if she hears?"

"You too, shouldn't refer to her as 'she'. It's not polite to talk about an elite family."

"I never thought of her as a mistress. She is not worthy of lord Alaric."

"Poor Miss Nunally. She has a beautiful but rotten sister. Always spiteful, jealous to the point of wanting to kill her!"

Ever since the incident that afternoon, where Nunally vomited blood, everyone has been pointing at my face. Accusing me of attempting to murder the girl.

"I never thought of killing her, Alaric!"

I tried to defend myself, to the point of crying at the feet of my husband, Alaric. But all I got was a glare that pierced my heart. I was stunned by the look in those eyes.

Really, even though I've often gotten that cold attitude from him, it doesn't affect me. Except for the current gaze, it was very cold, looking at me with disgust. Then with one word, "Take him to jail!" they dragged me away.

I screamed his name and thrashed about in disgust. Seeing his cold face for the last time, I understood then. That his heart had turned away from me. Alaric had changed, not like he used to love me so much.

Now, I was locked up in a police prison.

From that day on, Alaric never saw me again. I was sentenced to life imprisonment. What did I do wrong? I kept asking the same question over and over until I got bored.

Everything that happened that day left me with no purpose in life. I had no appetite for food since a few days ago. Now I'm left with skin and bones. My hair is disheveled. I intend to commit suicide.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of shoe steps. It came closer and soon stopped in front of me.

"Gosh, I didn't know you looked miserable in this cell," Nunally's voice said.

I raised my bowed head. My gaze rose with her height, then stopped right at her face. The wide smile and glaring eyes on Nunally's face made me freeze.

The expression she showed was not a sympathetic one, but rather the happy face of an evil smile. Is it just me feeling that she .....

"Hahaha!" Nunally laughed loudly. I gaped in disbelief.

"This place is perfect for you, sis! From now on you'll rot in there until you're left with nothing but your bones! Meanwhile, I'll have a grand wedding party upstairs with my Alaric~"

I was very, very surprised. Was this really my precious sister in front of me? My sister who was my priority? My sister who I defended so fiercely when she was accused of stealing a diamond bracelet belonging to Mrs. Dian, my friend?

After I knew all her rottenness, I wanted nothing more than to die. My life was ruined. Alaric, my husband had betrayed me. Nunally, my only dear sister had pushed me to the brink.

For days, weeks, every meal - which consisted of bread and milk given once a day - I never touched again. My appetite was gone.

It seemed Nunally's words had come true. I was now just skin and bones. My body was so weak that I couldn't even lift my index finger.

I lay there waiting for the grim reaper to come, take my miserable soul and meet my late mother. Then slowly my eyes began to grow heavy, and I could no longer bear to sleep.

"Do you want to avenge them?"

Whose voice was that?

I couldn't see anything. I couldn't feel any surface. I thought my body was floating in the air.

"How can I get back at them, when I'm going to die?" I said helplessly.

The voice didn't answer.

"If you are the grim reaper, then take me with you. I'm sick of living!"

"You're lying."

I paused for a moment. My mouth said so, but deep down, I wanted to take revenge on them, make them beg at my feet.

"All right. From now on, Vivian will be drawn back into the world. Take advantage of that opportunity for your dreams."

***

"What happened to her to faint?" A man asked coldly.

"Madame suddenly fainted while we were putting on her makeup." The servant's voice answered him.

"Is it necessary to call a doctor?" This time a feminine girl's voice proposed in an anxious tone.

"I'm sure she's fine." The same male voice replied coldly.

The voices kept coming into my head. I felt distracted. Finally opened my eyes slowly to see what they were talking about.

"Oh! Madam is awake!"

I saw them blurryly circling above me. My head felt dizzy. My eyes blinked weakly and their visuals slowly clarified in my retinas.

There was an anxious expression on the face of a servant girl by my side. If I'm not mistaken, her name is Melly. Ah, Melly, I remember her, she was my most loyal servant and the only person I trusted.

When my gaze shifted to the other side, I could see two blurry images of a man and a woman's face. I blinked again, and their visuals instantly seemed so real. Alaric my husband and Nunally my sister. Both were looking at me with different eyes. If my sister seemed to be staring worriedly, it was different with my husband who had a cold and indifferent look in his eyes.

I've been seeing that look a lot lately. I don't know why Alaric's demeanor is turning colder by the day. He must be like that because I made a mistake that angered him.

But whenever I introspected, I couldn't find anything I'd done wrong. From what I could understand, he would only get angry and cold when I got Nunally hurt.

"Are you feeling pain?" The question in Nunally's voice pulled my irises away from Alaric's face. Nunally looked worried. Her face was grimacing and almost crying, making anyone who saw her sympathize, especially me as her brother.

"You should rest more," Alaric said coldly. Ah, Alaric, why don't you pet my head with affection? I need your attention. But, everything that came to my mind was confined to my mind.

Suddenly, my head hurt. Suddenly my hand gripped my hair, and I winced in pain. Various pieces of images flooded my memory. They were arranged like a puzzle that slowly revealed the memory of being thrown into a private prison and the crazy expression of Nunally's confession.

"Madam---"

"Vivian!"

I gasped frozen. I gaped at all the memories like it was yesterday. "What date is it," I asked in horror.

"April 8th." Melly answered me.

Memories of my past swirled around in my head. I remembered everything without missing anything.

I remembered how I grew up in a crazy family. I remember how I first met Alaric. I remembered how the two of us got married. The strained relationship between the two of us, and Nunally's presence in our household. Until I can vividly remember the moment I breathed my last breath in prison.

Remembering all of that, a burning feeling seemed to coagulate inside my chest, creating a pent-up hatred, then intending to realize my dream of bringing them both down to the deepest, darkest bottom.

These two people .... These two people had planned evil things for me in the future.

My time is very short from today, because the date mentioned is three months before the Nunally poisoning incident. I'm sure she deliberately made her mouth spit out a red liquid that made it look like blood.

That damn husband and sister who secretly stabbed me in the back. Bastards!

I sighed. I didn't expect to get a second chance to take revenge on those people. So I wasn't going to waste this chance. I must devise a plan to save myself and make them kiss the floor at my feet!

"Please come out. I need a break," I said coldly while holding the side of my head, as if my head was dizzy. Dizzy because of their presence that was a thorn in my path.

"Except Melly."

"Alright, please rest well, sis."

"You have to take care of your health. Remember, the day after tomorrow we'll have our second wedding anniversary party. I've invited a lot of socialite guests, including the grandson of the CEO of Avex. So don't embarrass me," Alaric ordered coldly. His words were callous towards the wife who had just woken up from her stupor. Why am I still able to put up with him?

I didn't reply with any words, other than just staring at their backs away before the door blocked my view of the two jerks. Then I sighed. Regulating my inflamed feelings to stabilize slowly.

"Melly, show me some of the most beautiful dresses. I'll wear them to the show," I ordered.

"Yes ma'am, please wait a moment." Melly left for a moment leaving me alone in the room. The lavishly decorated and spacious room was mine during my time as Alaric's wife in this house.

We've been separated since he kicked me out of his room. Alaric didn't declare a divorce, but his behavior made me want one. We argued a lot and it never ended warmly. Sometimes he was friendly but he showed me more of his cold side.

Alaric... Nunally... The person I am now is different from the person I used to be. I used to be an innocent and submissive woman. But now I feel capable of bending their knees later.

"Madam, please choose a dress."

My reverie was broken when Melly came back with some other maids. They brought some luxurious dresses that looked glittering. I was mesmerized by how attractive the dresses looked in front of my eyes.

There were three dresses with different models and colors. One dress with many pearls at the waist had a pink fabric color that looked feminine. The second dress looked sharp and intimidating with a dark color combined with a few pearls on the skirt. While the third dress has a striking and sexy look with a red color, the open shoulders form a wide V line that falls to the shoulders with a slightly low chest cut.

I grinned deciding on my choice from the three dresses.

During our second wedding celebration event in my previous life, I wore a normal dress without much tiara decoration just because I liked simplicity. As a result, my appearance was far inferior to Nunally's, who instantly became the center of attention of the guests and my in-laws immediately compared us.

But in this second life, I will do everything without anyone holding me back. I had to put on a performance that was flawless and unbeatable to all the female guests, including Nunally. Then again, I knew what kind of dress that girl would wear.

So I waved my index finger and pointed at the leftmost dress. "I'll wear that red dress," I said with a big smile. We'll see who sparkles the most at the event. I won't let myself be played by those two!

***

Our wedding celebration was coming up fast. Several maids were busy dressing me up in my room. One focused on my hair, another on my makeup, another set the jewelry on my dress, and two other maids took care of my clear, slightly long fingernails.

A jeweled necklace was soon placed around my neck. My skin then felt the cold tiara attached.

"Wow! You look very beautiful!"

"Like a Goddess who descended from heaven!"

I opened my eyes and smiled with satisfaction at my appearance in the mirror. "You guys really did a great job dressing me up! I really like it!" I praised.

Melly and the other maids were all smiles. "Thank you, ma'am!" They said in unison. I was surprised they were so united. Seeing their beaming faces after receiving my compliments made me think of complimenting them more often.

Okay .....

It's time to compete with those guys!

I got up. Moving to the other side just to see my entire appearance through the standing mirror.

"Where's Alaric now?" I asked. Before entering the event room, the two of us had to walk together as the main characters in this party to greet them. It was also useful to show the harmony of our relationship in public. Although now it was just a mask.

"Master has finished dressing up, and he went outside. Probably doing his rounds now," Melly replied.

I lifted both corners of my lips, making a line of cheeky smiles and haughty glances. My appearance looked absolutely perfect. A fiery red dress with a flared skirt, a narrow waist that made my waist look slim and small, a slightly low cleavage with open shoulders. A pearl necklace fills my white neck, giving a sense of elegance with my brown hair rolled up to reveal the full length of my neck. A pair of diamond earrings dangled from my ears.

In the mirror, I really looked very charming and confident.

"I'll go look for him myself," I said. Stepping outside the room, the maids behind me bowed their bodies obediently.

I wandered down a long hallway with several room doors. The first step was to meet her in her room. I couldn't just walk in, but if I knocked on her door, that was fine.

After three knocks, I waited without any response from inside. It made me think Alaric wasn't in his room. So I turned around. Suddenly, someone's voice from inside stopped me in my tracks. My heels turned back to the door.

I thought it was my husband. Although his voice didn't clearly say what, it encouraged me to touch the door knob and turn it slowly. I was just curious and peeked through the gap just to see what was inside.

I saw her looking at an open wooden box. My eyes were mesmerized by the contents of the box. It was a necklace with blue gemstones as bright as the spring sky!

Not wanting to make her feel discovered, I closed the door very quietly. Then smiled an inarticulate smile. Thinking that the necklace would be a present for me.

But, wait a minute.

I felt something strange.

This moment didn't exist in my past memories. I should have been the one looking for him, finding Alaric on the balcony. Not seeing him staring at the blue gem in the box!

***

The double doors opened wide. I clung to Alaric's arm. Then we stepped forward together, and immediately the dazzling light hit my eyes. Our slightly spacious hall seemed to be full of the presence of high-class guests.

"Woah, look at her, she looks so beautiful! Her husband looks so handsome too!"

"They're like a prince and princess couple."

"Madame Vivian's appearance is stunning. If she wasn't already married, I'm sure with her looks, she'd be getting a lot of proposal letters!"

"Mr. Alaric is lucky to have such a beautiful wife!"

"Ah, I'm really jealous!"

"Her figure is unrivaled out of all the women in this room!"

All eyes were on the two of us. We greeted a few guests, until a couple approached us.

"Alaric, Vivian. Congratulations on your second marriage. I hope you stay together until you grow old like us," said my father-in-law kindly. His name is Mr. Matteo.

I smiled formally. Then glanced at the woman beside her. She was my mother-in-law, Mrs. Nia. "You look very beautiful, Vivian! Alaric, you're lucky to have a wife as beautiful as Vivian!"

My little plan to make them marvel at me had worked.

"Ah, brother and sister-in-law look like a very good match!" Nunally's voice suddenly joined us.

"Congratulations on your second year of marriage, brother and sister-in-law!" Nunally said, and then she handed me a banded gift. Ah, I already know what it is.

"Here's a little gift from me. I hope you'll accept it," the girl said. I took over the small-sized gift. I opened the ribbon and looked at the contents.

"It's the best tea from the other side. It's very difficult to get in the kingdom. I bought it from my friend who is a merchant. It's famous everywhere because it's good for health and keeps the user young!" Nunally said enthusiastically.

But my forehead wrinkled in offense. Was she mocking me for aging faster?

I exhaled calmly. "Thank you for the tea leaves, Nunally. You're very considerate of your sister," I said.

This tea .... It was this tea that marked the beginning of the end of my life.

At tea time with Nunally, I served this tea to drink together for the first time. Then I unexpectedly made Nunally vomit blood ..... while I didn't! Haha! How ridiculous! Even though I was also drinking the same tea at the time!

My first step was successfully passed. No drama from my mother-in-law's mouth who was as spicy as a chili in a dead garden.

"Honey, I'm going to go say hi to my friends on the second floor," Alaric said, putting his lips to my ear. I nodded.

Then he walked forward, and my gaze instantly caught the way the back of Alaric's hand brushed the back of Nunally's as he walked past her.

I grinned. It was a sign for Nunally to follow him away. Then just as I expected, the girl turned to leave us. She followed in Alaric's footsteps.

Damn these two right!

"Oh yeah, Vivian, I heard from Alaric that the Avex president's grandson was also invited, is he coming or just a representative?" The voice of my mother-in-law asking me, made my focus on their backs, immediately dispersed.

"Ah, I haven't heard that, mom. Maybe his representative will come. I'll look for him. Please enjoy the party, father, mother." I excused myself politely.

I walked slowly down the long, deserted corridor. I faintly heard the sound of someone speaking. Alaric's voice was there.

I was curious. My curiosity was high. That led me to the source of the voice, which was between one of the corridor doors. The closer I got to the white door, the clearer the voice became to my ears, whether because of the quiet atmosphere or what.

My eyes on my door soon realized that it wasn't really closed!

I tried to open it slightly, and Alaric's voice could actually be heard from this room. I frowned for a moment when Nunally's voice also spoke.

***