His Regret, My Revenge

Today was supposed to be special. Our third wedding anniversary. A day filled with love, warmth, and promises of forever. I had spent the entire afternoon preparing a romantic dinner, picturing the joy on Daniel’s face when he walked into candlelight, soft music, and the aroma of his favorite dishes. But that wasn’t the only surprise. The real gift was the small stick I’d been holding onto—the positive pregnancy test that would change our lives forever.

But then, everything shattered. Because as I was fixing the laundry while waiting for him, I found a hotel receipt and a lipstick stain on the polo he wore yesterday—but I stayed the whole day here in our house yesterday, and I was sure that I didn’t kiss him because he demanded to sleep the moment he went home.

So instead of spending this precious moment of our life celebrating the years we’ve been together, we were caught in a really intense and deep argument.

“Tell me, who was with you yesterday?!” I shouted at him, throwing his polo on his face.

His jaw clenched at my behavior, obviously disliking it. “I was at the office! You are always like this! You are so paranoid!”

“And you are always dismissing me!” Not being able to keep it together anymore, I burst into tears. “I am your wife! You should be honest with me!”

“Cut the nonsense, Emma. I am exhausted from work, and you are acting like this.” Daniel attempted to turn his back on me, but I grabbed his arm because I wanted to hear the truth.

I knew he was lying and trying to defend himself, but I was no fool, and I was his wife, so I deserved every single thing that I wanted to know in this relationship.

“Just tell me the truth, Daniel,” I demanded, my voice already restrained from exhaustion, but the desperation still clung to it.

He seemed to have noticed it because his face softened, and he sighed heavily, lifting his hands on my face to caress it. And just like an instinct that I couldn’t control, I closed my eyes and leaned my face close to his palm.

His effect on me has always been like this. Whenever we get into an argument or a misunderstanding, I would always melt beneath his touch.

“I am not cheating on you, honey,” he whispered, gently pulling my head to rest on his chest. “You are the only woman I love.”

I kept my mouth shut, just listening to the sound of his heartbeat until I calmed down. Then after everything was settled, we headed to our bedroom together like nothing happened and laid next to each other on the bed.

But I wasn't as stupid as he thought, because when I made sure he was deep asleep, I rose from the bed and grabbed his phone from the bedside table.

I thought nothing could hurt me anymore, but as soon as I turned the gadget on and saw his wallpaper, I felt like my whole world shattered.

The photo there wasn’t me anymore, but a photograph of another woman that I’ve known my whole life—my best friend since childhood, who was now a popular model.

Carla Steinhold was smiling brightly in the photograph, her ears and neck adorned with expensive jewelry that I immediately recognized because they were mine. That jewelry was given to me by my late mother, and I could still vividly remember how Carla begged me countless times before for them. But I’ve never given them to her because they held an important place in my heart until they just vanished one day in my jewelry closet.

Clenching the phone in my hand, I took a deep breath to gather courage before opening the messages. Then right there, when I read the sweet messages they sent to each other, my heart broke into a million pieces.

Daniel texted and called her more than he ever did to me, asking about how her day went and if she needed anything.

The betrayal was too much, sending my tears streaming down my face quietly. But something overpowered it, something that was inevitable—the will to take revenge and to show them what kind of woman they made a fool of.

Turning my gaze to my husband, I glared at him and silently cursed him right in front of his sleeping face.

How could he sleep peacefully like that, knowing that he was hurting the woman he promised to love and take care of until death do them apart?

But that wasn’t important anymore because I will break that vow too right now, promising to myself and to whoever was listening that I will do everything to break them into a million more parts, making sure that they would never be able to stand up again.

I was determined to take my revenge, following my husband wherever he went and shadowing his every move like a ghost refusing to be forgotten. That was why I was here, watching him have a romantic date with Carla in a luxurious restaurant, my heart pounding with a mixture of rage and heartbreak that made my chest feel like it was caving in.

Daniel never brought me into this kind of restaurant, always claiming that he preferred my cooking, that staying at home was more intimate, more special.

We don’t need fancy places to enjoy each other’s company, he used to say with a smile, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead. But look at him now—dressed in his best suit, eyes shining with laughter as he poured Carla a glass of wine. She giggled, while twirling her hair between her fingers, completely at ease with the man who had sworn his love and loyalty to me.

They looked so happy, as if they weren’t tearing me apart with their betrayal. As if they weren’t shattering everything I had believed in. As if they weren’t destroying not just me, but the future of the child I was carrying.

None of them knew I was pregnant, and I wasn’t even sure if I wanted them to.

Why should they deserve to know? Why should my child be burdened with a father like Daniel, a man so easily swayed, so quick to throw away the vows we made?

Carla, the woman I had once trusted with my deepest secrets, had proven herself unworthy of even a shred of my loyalty.

I couldn't help but to blame myself for this because I couldn’t brush off the thought in my head that it was my fault for giving my child that kind of father because I chose to marry him, making me realize that I should have listened to my mother when she told me that my future children couldn’t choose their father but I could.

Lifting my phone, I clicked the shutter button of my camera a lot more times than I intended when Daniel and Carla started to kiss. My hands trembled as I captured their betrayal, my breaths growing shallow with every photo I took. They didn’t mind the people watching them, too lost in their own world, too consumed by the socalled love they shared. They only cared about the romantic moment unfolding between them, while I sat here, suffocating on the reality they forced upon me.

It killed me from within, the pain sinking deep into my bones, twisting in my chest until I could barely breathe. My grip on the steering wheel tightened, my knuckles turning white from the sheer force of it. Then, without thinking, I slammed my foot on the gas pedal.

The car surged forward, faster than I had ever dared to drive in my life. The engine roared, a wild and unrelenting sound that blended with the thunder overhead, mirroring the storm raging inside me.

I didn’t care about the traffic lights flashing warnings in the darkness, their red and yellow hues bleeding into the night like distant and meaningless signals. I also didn’t acknowledge the blaring horns of the other vehicles, the screech of tires as they swerved to avoid me.

None of it mattered as my tears poured down exactly when the rain did. It blurred my vision, drowning out everything but the unbearable ache clawing at my chest.

It was blurry as the thoughts inside my head.

I lost care for the world and just minding the soaring pain in my chest that sent me to drive even faster, until a blinding light yanked me back to my senses. But it was already too late for me to slam my foot on the brake as the approaching truck slammed on my car.

The impact was brutal—a deafening crash of metal against metal that reverberated through my entire being. My body lurched forward, the seat belt slicing into my skin. It held me in place even as my world spun violently out of control.

My car twisted, skidding across the slick pavement before slamming into the concrete barricade with a sickening crunch. Then, gravity took over.

The barrier crumbled beneath the force, and my car was sent hurtling over the edge. For a fleeting moment, there was silence—a weightless pause where time seemed to stretch infinitely. But then, the roaring waters surged up to meet me.

The river swallowed my car whole, the icy current crashing through shattered windows and dragging me into its unforgiving depths. And just as the water consumed me, it stole my consciousness too.

“I am sorry, but you had a miscarriage. Your baby didn’t survive the crash.”

The doctor’s words sent a whirlwind of daggers directly into my heart, killing the last part where it still used to beat after all of the pain.

It seemed like I forgot to breathe as I began to cry when the doctor left the room to give me time, my hands absentmindedly holding my belly in desperation to feel something within it— to feel my child, but that was impossible because he didn’t survive.

The baby names I’ve prepared, the clothes I wanted to buy, and the nursery plans I’ve been looking forward to were now all useless because I lost my child, the only one that I was clinging onto for hope and to remain living in this cruel world.

“II should have just died too…” I whispered to myself, choking from my own tears and sobs as I cried uncontrollably.

My pain filled every inch of the sterile hospital room, suffocating me like an unbearable weight pressing down on my chest.

Then suddenly, the door creaked open.

I swallowed down another sob, turning my tearstreaked face toward the sound. Then there he was, Daniel. His eyes were wide with worry, his forehead creased as if he actually had the audacity to be concerned about me.

I had never hated him more than at this moment. But before I could process my rage, before I could even think, another figure stepped inside.

Carla stood next to him, shoulder to shoulder, like they belonged together. Like they were some sort of united front, here to show their false concern.

My stomach churned. The sight of them standing side by side sent a fresh wave of bile up my throat, and I had to grip the sheets tighter to keep from screaming.

Their eyes were filled with pity, like they hadn’t been the ones who put me here. Like they hadn’t been the reason I was lying in this hospital bed, bleeding out from a loss I would never recover from.

Consumed by rage, I stood up from the bed and strode toward them without a warning. And before they could even process what my next move would be, my palm already landed across their thick faces.

Carla gasped, clutching her red cheek, then the unexpected happened as my own husband violently pushed me away. My back hit the bed, earning a wince from me as pain shot all throughout my weak and wounded body.

“What is your problem, Emma?!” he roared, holding Carla in his arms as he glared at me with so much hatred. “She is here because she’s worried, then you will just slap her?! Where is your manners?!”

“This is all your fault!” I shouted as I cried uncontrollably. “I lost my child because of you!”

Daniel’s face softened upon hearing my confession, his arms weakening around Carla’s body as he took a step closer to me. “CChild? You were pregnant?”

“Yes!” I shouted again. “But I lost our child because you are having an affair with my best friend! And don’t you ever try to deny it because I’ve seen your shameless affair with my own two eyes!”

“Don’t blame someone else for your own recklessness, Emma,” Carla interjected, crossing her arms as she scowled at me. “This is all your fault.”

Clenching my fists, I was about to attack her again when Daniel aggressively grabbed my arm and shoved me away again to protect his mistress.

“Clara is right. This is all your fault,” he muttered. “I am filing a divorce.”

My breath hitched upon hearing him, making my whole body cold. “No!”

Carla snorted. “No? Daniel doesn’t want you anymore, Emma. Wake up and don’t squeeze yourself in his life anymore.”

I shook my head multiple times, not because I still love him and wanted to remain his wife, but because I needed to stay close to him in order to take my revenge. So without any choice left, I dropped onto my knees and begged right in front of him.

“PPlease, don’t do this. I am begging you, Daniel. Please, don’t leave me.”

I knew that Carla was enjoying seeing me this desperate, and she should make the most out of it because in the end, she would be the one begging on her knees for my pity.

“Kneel all you want, Emma. But I will not change my mind because I don’t want you anymore. You are no good compared to Carla.”

My husband’s words sent a smile on his mistress face, but a millions of daggers to me which shattered the tiniest hope I was clinging to. And with that, they turned around and left me defeated and alone in the dark confinement of my hospital room.

Daniel’s belongings were nowhere in sight when I returned home. He had moved out—packed up his life and settled into Carla’s apartment—leaving me alone in the wreckage of what we once were. But solitude did not break me. If anything, it fueled me.

I refused to crumble.

Instead, I spent the following days crafting my revenge, sharpening it like a blade. I delved deep into research, meticulously learning the art of staging a perfect fake death. Every step, every detail, every possible outcome—I committed them all to memory.

This was my plan. My justice. My retribution.

I would vanish from their lives, leaving behind only devastation in my wake. And when the world turned its accusing eyes on Daniel and Carla, branding them as murderers, they would finally understand what it meant to lose everything.

They might not care about me. Not now. Not ever. But their public image? That was their lifeline and their shield. It was their carefully curated illusion of virtue. And that—that was exactly what I would take from them. Or perhaps, if fate was kind, Daniel might finally feel the weight of his sins. He might finally break under the guilt, drowning in the same torment he had forced upon me.

He leaned back in his chair, a smirk playing on his lips as his dark eyes raked over me. “Long time no see, Emma,” he mused, his voice laced with amusement. “You’re still as beautiful as ever.”

I wanted to roll my eyes at his flirtation, but I didn’t have time for games. I slid into the seat across from him, my voice firm and unwavering. “Tell me what kind of help you can provide.”

Nathan chuckled, tapping his fingers against the table. “Straight to the point. Just like before.” He studied me, a glint of curiosity in his eyes. “But let me ask you first—why do you want to fake your death? That’s not exactly a small request.”

“Because I want my husband to regret everything he did to me,” I answered without hesitation.

He clicked his tongue in mock disappointment. “Tsk. I told you, you should’ve just picked me instead of him.”

“I’m not here to play with you, Nath–”

“So,” Nathan clapped his hands, abruptly cutting me off. “You said you wants your fake death to be suicide. That’s a bit crucial, but I could make it possible.”

“And the catch is?” I asked because he hadn’t told me yet about the exchange of his service, telling me over the phone last night that he will tell me once I met with him.

Nathan’s smirk widened. “You will marry me and start a new life with me—far away from here.”

His words hung between us, an unspoken challenge in his tone.

I was caught off guard and couldn’t do anything but stare at him, my mind racing. I had anticipated some form of payment, but marriage? That was not part of my plan.

Nathan tilted his head. “Think about it, Emma. You want revenge, but what comes after that? Where will you go? What will you do? I’m offering you a way out. A fresh start.”

I clenched my fists under the table. He wasn’t entirely wrong. If I succeeded, I couldn’t just walk back into my old life. Emma—the betrayed wife—would no longer exist.

Nathan leaned closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. “You want to make them pay? I can help. But in return, you become mine.”

I swallowed hard.

This wasn’t just about revenge anymore. This was about survival, and for it—I would do anything.

Taking a deep breath, I squared my shoulders and bravely met his eyes before extending my palm to his, muttering, “Deal. Once this is over, I will be your wife.”

“If you want me to sign the divorce paper, meet me at the rooftop.”

Sending the text message to my husband, I took a deep sigh before I slid my phone back into the pocket of my jeans. I stared off into the vast emptiness, the darkness stretching out before me as the wind swept away my hair. The trees below danced with the wind, their branches swaying like they, too, felt the weight of the moment.

I was on the rooftop of the building where Daniel worked, and I chose this place for a very specific reason—because I knew he was terrified of heights.

I knew that the higher we were, the less likely he’d be able to bring himself to look down at me once I made my move.

Once I jumped.

I was determined to fake my own death tonight and make him believe I was gone. And in doing so, I would ensure he carried the blame for the rest of his life. He had wronged me—betrayed me in ways too painful to describe—and this was the only way I could think to make him truly understand the depths of his actions.

Nathan’s men were already in position. The cameras were ready to capture the evidence we needed. The net, stretched taut below, was prepared to catch me once I made my fall. Everything had been meticulously planned, and now all I had to do was wait. I didn’t have to wait long. Soon, I saw his silhouette emerging from the stairwell, slowly making his way toward me.

As Daniel came closer, he didn’t bother to hide the irritation in his expression. “Why do you need to see me? Just sign the goddamn divorce paper,” he demanded, his voice sharp and cold.

“You want me out of your life that badly?” I asked, my voice laced with a bitter chuckle, though the ache in my chest threatened to crush me whole.

“Yes,” Daniel replied without the slightest hesitation. His gaze was cold, detached—void of the love that once existed between us. “So sign the papers, Emma. You no longer matter in my life. I want to spend my years with Carla, so if you may, please be gone.”

His words were sharper than any blade, cutting through me with brutal precision. I felt the last remnants of my sanity and morality begin to crack under the weight of his cruelty, but I refused to let him see my pain. Instead, I lifted my chin and met his gaze with unwavering determination.

“You will regret all of this, Daniel,” I whispered, my voice a promise wrapped in steel. “I swear, you will live the rest of your life drowning in regret—until it consumes you, until it breaks you, until you lose your mind.”

Daniel scoffed, amusement flickering in his eyes as he crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re always so dramatic, Emma. Always spewing nonsense, threatening me as if you actually have the courage to follow through—”

He never got to finish his insult because without a moment’s hesitation, I stepped backward—leaning into the empty space behind me.

“Emma!” Daniel’s taunt twisted into a horrified shout as my body plummeted into the abyss.

The wind howled around me, whipping through my hair, stinging my skin as I fell. The world blurred into a chaotic mess of color and motion, my breath stolen from my lungs as gravity pulled me mercilessly downward. But despite it all, I kept my eyes open, searching and hoping in desperation to see even the slightest flicker of concern on his face.

But he didn’t look.

He never even leaned over the edge.

His voice faded into nothing, lost in the roaring wind as I continued to descend. The last thing I felt was the brutal impact of my body hitting the ground, landing with a sickening thud that

snatched away the light in me.

I was swallowed by pitch darkness, then when I opened my eyes, I found myself in an unfamiliar cottage in the middle of a small town with no memory of who I was and what happened before that darkness. I was a new person, not remembering a single thing, not even my name and my age.

My head was throbbing as I sat up on the bed, and despite my blurry vision, I looked around my surroundings to figure out where I was.

I was inside a wooden cottage, a lamp standing on the bedside table illuminating the entire room as the gush of the waves in the ocean outside tandem with the chirps of the crickets.

I had never been here before—I was certain of that. Yet, as I searched my mind for any trace of familiarity, all I found was emptiness.

It was as if I had been wiped clean, stripped of every piece of identity that had once made me me.

Then, a voice cut through the silence.

“You’re awake…”

I turned sharply, my heart pounding as I searched for the source of the voice.

A tall, wellbuilt man stood by the wooden door, his face illuminated by the warm glow of the lamp he held in one hand. His dark eyes were unreadable, yet there was something in them—relief, perhaps, or something deeper.

Before I could utter a word, he quickly placed the lamp down and strode toward me with purpose.

“Emily, I was very worried. I thought you would never wake up,” he said as he pulled me into a tight embrace.

“EEmily?” I asked, barely whispering.

The name was unfamiliar to me, giving me this weird feeling that I couldn’t quite point out.

He pulled back just enough to cup my face in his large, roughened hands, his fingers brushing against my cheek with delicate gentleness.

"Yes," he said softly. "Your name is Emily."

I swallowed hard, staring at him, searching his face for any flicker of recognition. But there was nothing. Just a stranger looking at me as if I was the center of his world.

"And… you?" My voice was barely above a whisper. "Who are you?"

A faint smile played on his lips. "I am Nathan," he said. "I am your husband."

Husband.

His words echoed inside my head over and over, making it throb in pain again as voices suddenly mingled with it. I could hear my own voice saying the word Nathan used to introduce his relation to me, but it seemed like I was calling out someone’s name.

My breathing grew unsteady, my fingers clutching at the sheets beneath me. "I… I don’t understand," I admitted.

Nathan's expression softened as he took my hands in his, his thumb stroking the back of mine as if to comfort me. "You need to rest, Emily," he murmured. "Don’t force yourself to remember."

I shook my head. "Remember?" My voice wavered. "How can I remember when there’s nothing there? What happened to me, Nathan? Why don’t I know who I am?"

A deep sigh escaped him, his gaze flickering with something unreadable. After a moment’s hesitation, he finally spoke.

"You were in an accident," he explained gently. "A storm hit while we were at sea. The boat capsized, and you hit your head in the water. When we found you, you were unconscious."

A gasp escaped my lips upon hearing the information, but before I could open my mouth again to ask another question, Nathan pulled me into a hug and softly laid our intertwined bodies on the bed.

"We must rest now, wife," he whispered, his breath warm against my hair. "I will explain everything tomorrow. And I’ll take you for a walk around the village. It might help you feel more at home."

His voice was steady, comforting. His body radiated warmth, making it difficult to resist his hold. So, in the end, I let out a soft sigh and nestled closer to him.

But I did not sleep. I lay awake the entire night, staring at the window, watching as the darkness slowly faded and the golden hues of dawn spilled across the sky.

“You promised to take me for a walk around the village,” I reminded Nathan as I watched him buttoning his tunic to prepare for fishing in the ocean.

“Yes,” he replied. “Let’s go.”

He took my hand and we walked out of our mini cottage together, immediately greeted by a swarm of village people who were just minding their own business before I showed up.

Their heads turned in my direction in unison, whispering to each other as Nathan and I walked past them.

Their eyes gave me chills all over my body, making me conscious and to bow down my head.

“Do not mind them. They are just surprised that you are finally awake,” Nathan told me.

“How long have I been unconscious?” I asked.

“Almost a year.” His answer made me gasp, clutching my own mouth to suppress it. “And we have been married for almost two years, Emily.”

“DDo we… do we have children?”

“How I wish.” Nathan chuckled. “But you are enough for me. All I want is you.”

My heart warmed from his words, tugging my lips into a genuine smile as I watched him gently kiss the back of my hand.

I couldn’t believe that I have a husband like him. I must be the luckiest wife in the whole wide world. But at the same time, I felt like it was odd— like I haven't been treated this way before, like I endured something… pain? betrayal? I couldn’t exactly place what.

“I must go to work now,” Nathan said. “I’ll see you later.”

He kissed the top of my head before turning his back to walk toward the ocean, then when he was already out of sight, I overheard a conversation between the villagers.

“A millionaire from the City is looking for his only daughter heiress. They said she vanished almost a year ago and was suspected to be kidnapped by syndicates.”