My knuckles are white as I grip the steering wheel. My slippers are sliding on the pedals and it takes all my concentration to stay on the road. I can’t think of anything except the burning anger in the pit of my stomach.
I’ve never been this angry. It’s almost like an out-of-body experience. All I can do is ride the wave of fury as I drive down the road. My vision is glued on the pavement in front of me. The car is powerful, and every time my foot sinks on the pedal, it accelerates forward. I breathe in and out through my nose as I press the accelerator down a fraction further.
My mother and Vincent used me. They used me to get my father to sign an agreement passing on the business to me and my future husband. They promised to take care of Dominic, but they lied.
The pain of that lie is like a dagger in the back. I could live with my guilt. I could tell myself that I was making up for the accident ten years ago, and I was giving Dominic another chance at a good life. I could have watched from a distance as he moved on from me, and used the rest of my life as a chance to atone.
If Dominic had been able to have a good life, it would have been worth it.
But now, all of that is gone. I’ve got nothing. I’ve lost the man that I love, I’ve lost my trust in my family, and I’m engaged to a man that I despise. The only reason I had to stay with him is gone.
I’ve got nothing.
Nothing, except black anger in my heart and a taste for blood in my mouth.
I turn onto the highway toward the city center where Vincent works. I see the tall buildings in the distance and my heart fills with fury.
I hate his slicked-back hair. I hate his perfectly tailored suits. I hate his gaudy house, and his expensive tastes. I hate the fountain in the front yard, and the wide marble steps. I hate his greed, and his heartlessness.
I see him for what he is now. He’s a mercenary. He preyed on me, he preyed on my mother and father, and now it’s gone too far. I won’t let him prey on Dominic and his brothers too.
I grip the steering wheel a little bit harder as I press my foot down on the accelerator. My slipper starts to slide off the pedal and I adjust my foot, pressing it down a bit harder. The black sedan responds, and soon I’m racing down the freeway toward Vincent.
I don’t even know what I’m going to say. I’ll tell him I know. I’ll tell Vincent that I’m telling my father about it all – that he’ll never agree to anything. I’ll tell him the deal is off.
It might make me look like a crazy person. They’ll talk about me for months. I’ll be the crazy ex-fiancée who showed up in her pajamas and started screaming in the office, but I don’t care.
All I care about is Dominic. I tried to protect him but once again all I’ve done is hurt him. I can’t let that happen again.
My foot presses down a little bit harder but this time the slipper slides off. I try to get my foot back up, but my slipper jams itself under the brake pedal.
I’m going too fast.
The car swerves and I try to regain control. My heart jumps in my chest and my eyes widen as I feel the car slip out of my control. I try to grip the steering wheel and mash the pedals, but the back is fishtailing behind me.
I can’t brake. The back of the car is spinning around out of control.
Maybe I scream, or maybe I’m stuck in silent shock. I can’t be sure. My heart is thumping and my body is rigid as the car spins.
What they say in the movies is true: everything does slow down when you’re about to die. I can see a pickup truck’s shiny chrome grille coming straight toward my windshield. The driver’s honking his horn, but it sounds elongated and far-away to my ears.
My whole body goes limp as I watch the front of my car crumple in a split-second that lasts an eternity. Soon, everything will be over.
I close my eyes and wait for it to end, and all I see is Dominic.
I melt into my seat. I think of the man I love as the truck crashes into me, and my world goes dark.