Everything has been intense lately. As each day passes, Dana’s manipulation seems to catch up with me more and more. It’s like I’m trapped in this endless cycle, and I can’t escape. I feel sick, really sick. I’ve taken the medicine for the poison Dana put in my food, but it’s not helping. My body is burning up, and I feel like I’m going to melt into the bed. My cheeks are flushed, and my teeth are chattering. I can barely move, and I’ve sent three texts to Daniel already, but there’s no reply.

Then, the door creaks open. Dana walks in holding a bottle of perfume, the same perfume she’d sprayed on my hair earlier. I could’ve sworn she was trying to make some kind of warning when she cut my hair earlie this morning. The smell of it clung to her as she stood in the doorway. She sprayed it once, then twice, then…

“I… I can't breathe!” Dana wheezed, dropping to her knees in exaggerated distress. “My asthma!”

Asthma? When did she have asthma? I watched as Daniel rushed through the door, his face filled with panic.

“What happened?!” he yelled, rushing to her side. “Dana?” She clutched his shirt, looking up at him with wide, pleading eyes.

“Cynthia sprayed something toxic!” Dana gasped. “I was just trying to check on her, and now…”

I croaked, barely able to whisper, “That wasn’t me…” But Daniel turned to me like ice had frozen him from the inside out.

“You need help, Cynthia. You’ve gone too far this time.” His words were cold. Then, he sighed, his eyes narrowing as though he was exhausted with me. “Every time I come home, I wonder what kind of mess I’m going to walk into. Can you ever just keep things under control for once?”

I was too weak to even stand. The pain in my stomach was unbearable, this sharp, relentless ache that made me clutch at my sides in desperation. “Please, Daniel,” I whispered, my voice barely more than a rasp. “Take me to the hospital.”

He stepped toward me, his face clouded with concern, but just as he reached out to help, Dana’s hand shot out, gripping his arm with the force of a vice.

“Do you really believe her lies?” Dana’s voice was sweet, but it was a sweetness laced with venom. Her eyes widened, an almost too-perfect innocence on her face. I could see through it, she was playing him, and it made my blood boil.

Daniel hesitated for a second, but Dana quickly cut him off before he could speak. “If you check on her, that means you believe she’s telling the truth,” she said, her voice laced with mock pity. “That would mean I poisoned her food, right? But it wasn’t poison. Maybe she cooked it wrong… put too much spice. Now she’s pretending to be sick. She’s always pretending.”

I felt the anger swell in my chest. “She’s lying, Daniel,” I managed to say, my voice trembling. “She’s faking it. Look at her. She had asthma, but now she’s fine. She’s just pretending.”

Dana took a deep breath, a theatrical cough escaping her lips as she cleared her throat in a way that felt entirely rehearsed. “I can’t breathe, Dan. I really can’t,” she wheezed, her voice shaky, but it didn’t feel real. It felt like a show, a performance to get Daniel on her side.

Daniel looked torn, his gaze flickering between us. He was confused, but then his expression softened, like he was convinced by Dana’s act.

“Even if it’s not poison, I still need to take you to the hospital,” Daniel said quietly, his words gentle but filled with hesitation, like he didn’t want to upset either of us.

But Dana wasn’t done yet. She let out another soft, pained gasp, clutching at her chest in what seemed like a rehearsed move. “I need to go too, Daniel. I really can’t breathe,” she insisted, her voice rising with desperation.

He looked at her, his expression immediately softening, like she was the one he needed to save. His hand reached out to comfort her, and then he turned to me, his eyes now colder, more distant.

“I’ll call an ambulance for you,” he said, his voice colder than I’d ever heard it. “But first, I need to take Dana to the hospital. For the baby’s sake.” And with that, he left with her, taking her away without a second thought.

I managed to find my way to the hospital, my legs shaky, and when the doctors ran some tests on me, it was confirmed. Poison.

It hit me hard, the confirmation. Dana had poisoned me, and yet, here I was, the one no one believed.

“You really think anyone cares about you?” I could hear Dana’s voice echoing in my head, the cruel words she had said to me a couple of weeks ago. “Look at you. Desperate to hold on to whatever scraps of affection he throws your way, even though he’s busy making me the center of his world. Your love was never enough for him.”

And it’s true. No one cares about me anymore. My father, the man who should have been the only one to love me, doesn’t even bother to check on me. All he cares about is business.

He changed as soon as he married my stepmother. I was just a little girl, only four when my mother died. Then came the woman who abused me even before she got pregnant with Dana.

I was always the second option to everyone. To my father, to my husband. No matter how hard I tried, no matter how much I did for Daniel, it was never enough. I tried to be the woman he wanted, but every time I thought I was doing something right, he shot me down. What am I doing wrong?

Am I really that useless? Why do I always feel like I’m walking on eggshells, like nothing I do is ever good enough? Maybe it’s me. Maybe I’ve been the problem all along. Maybe I’m not worth it.

The doctor prescribed me some medication, and I left the hospital, my heart heavy. When I walked up the stairs back into the house, I overheard laughter coming from Daniel’s office. Laughter that could only belong to Dana. How could she laugh like that when she’s supposedly struggling with asthma?

And Daniel… he’s blinded by all of it. Every time I think about his betrayal, it feels like my heart is being torn apart. How could he do this to me? How could he let her manipulate him so easily? Does he not see what she’s doing?

Later that night, Daniel walked in and told me without a trace of hesitation that he wouldn’t be spending the night here. He'd be in Dana’s room. Like I cared. Like he had been sleeping beside me at all these past few weeks.

I didn’t flinch, I didn’t lift my head. I just gave him a dry “Okay” and kept tapping on my phone like his words meant nothing. Because, honestly, they didn’t… not anymore.

He turned to leave but paused halfway to the door. “Oh,” he said, as if just remembering. “How about the hospital? How did it go?”

I didn’t even glance up. “Fine,” I said simply. That was all I gave him. That was all he deserved.

We were strangers now. This was the same man who once promised me forever, said he’d die without me, called me his oxygen. Now he didn’t even notice when I came back from a hospital visit.

Four years of marriage, and I still hadn’t given him a child. I’ve heard it all… mockery, gossip, the cruelest words people could form with their mouths. They called me a witch, they said I’d traded my womb for the comfort of a wealthy man. Labeled me barren like I was broken merchandise.

The pain cut deeper when Dana got pregnant. Then the whispers turned into screams. “I thought her husband was the problem, but clearly, it’s her.” “Are we sure she even has a womb?”

Dana fed on the rumors, she lived for those moments when she could remind me I hadn’t borne a child.

I remember the day Daniel came home with two boxes of chocolates. One was a delicate gourmet brand, the other a simpler one which was my favorite. Before I could say anything, Dana clutched the gourmet box and pouted like some spoiled child. “The baby’s been craving these,” she said with a smug smile. “It’s her choice.”

Daniel just chuckled, completely blind to the insult. He handed me the simpler box, and I took it silently.

Later that day, I overheard Dana in the hallway, saying loudly enough for me to hear, “I’m craving strawberries dipped in chocolate. The baby loves it. Cynthia wouldn’t understand… She’s not a mother.”

She did the same thing with flowers. Daniel brought home a gorgeous bouquet one afternoon. Before I could touch them, Dana swooped in, arranged them into a vase, then placed it on her belly. “The baby loves the smell of roses,” she said sweetly. “That’s why I asked Dan to get them.”

Then she looked at me with those venom-laced eyes and said, “Maybe you can be the nanny. You’ve got the time.” I stood there, humiliated again. Like I wasn’t even part of this marriage.

So no, I didn’t care that Daniel said good night and went into her room. I just sighed, I still loved him… God, I wish I didn’t, but I did. How long could I hold on like this? Maybe things would change after Dana gave birth. Perhaps not.

Sleep refused to come. I got up, wandered into the living room, and turned on the TV just to drown the silence. That’s when Dana appeared, floating down the stairs in a skimpy dress, oozing confidence.

“Aww,” she said with a fake pout. “Look who’s watching TV alone. Dan and I are watching Netflix upstairs. I just came to get us some wine.”

I looked her in the eye and said flatly, “Good luck keeping my husband. When you deliver, Daniel will finally see through your lies.”

She laughed, not politely, no. But a loud, mocking laugh that bounced off the walls. “You act like the world owes you something,” she said. “Sweetheart, it doesn’t. Not even a drop of pity.”

She turned to leave, then paused on the stairs. “You were never the chosen one. Not by your father and not by Dan… not even by fate. Me? I was born to outshine you.” She tossed the words like a grenade and walked off, laughing.

The worst part? She was only able to “outshine” me because of her mother’s manipulation. I still remember in school when my name had been selected as the top student. The news was ready to be posted on the school board. But my stepmother didn’t like it. She bribed the principal with a generous donation, and just like that, Dana’s name replaced mine.

She didn’t win, and she never did. Her mother just cheated me out of what I earned.

When I turned off the television, a sickening sound replaced it… moans, it was loud and theatrical, echoing from Dana’s room. She wanted me to hear and to know Daniel was with her, choosing her over and over again.

I didn’t react. I walked to my room, took a bath, and went to bed.

The next morning, I made up my mind that I wouldn’t cook, and I wouldn’t play house. I bathed, dressed up, and left without saying a word.

I went straight to Lucia’s house. She was my best friend, the only one who hadn’t turned her back on me.

We sat and talked for hours. Laughed about old times. I told her everything, and she shook her head, furious. “I never liked Dana,” she said. “Remember your wedding? She wore white, a whole wedding gown to your wedding. And tried to toast Daniel during the reception like she was the bride.”

I nodded, a bitter smile tugging at my lips. Yeah. That was Dana, always desperate for the spotlight, no matter who she had to trample to get there.

But one day, I’d shine again. Not because of anyone’s help. Not because someone handed it to me. But because I fought for it.

Spending time with Lucia was a breath of fresh air. For once, I felt like myself again… seen, heard, even happy. The moments stretched out like a soft lullaby, the kind you wish would never end. But time, cruel as ever, kept ticking, and eventually, I had to leave.

I drove back to the house, the place that no longer felt like home. When I got there, I honked at the gate, expecting the gate man to open like he always did. But nothing happened.

I was confused, I got out of the car and knocked. Still no response. That’s when Dana emerged from inside the compound, a grin spread across her face like she’d just won a trophy.

“You didn’t cook,” she announced, smug and loud. “You left the house without a word, left me and my unborn child to starve, you forgot your duties, didn’t you?”

I stared at her, exhausted and frustrated. “Dana, cut the nonsense,” I said. “I’m tired.”

But she only stepped closer and hissed, “You will never be enough, Cynthia. Not for a man. Not for a baby. Not even for yourself.”

I didn’t react. Not with words, not with anger. I just told her again to open the gate. Instead, she stepped back, smirking, and said, “Go back to wherever you came from.” Then she slammed the gate and locked it before I could get to her.

I gave up. The clouds were already dark, and the wind smelled like rain. I climbed back into my car and drove away, heart heavy and spirit crushed. I ended up at a nearby inn.

Surprisingly, I managed to sleep well that night. Sleep had been a rare luxury lately. Most nights, Dana would play baby cries from her phone, turning the silence into a twisted horror show.

“Pregnancy insomnia, huh? Rough,” she’d smirk. “I sleep like a baby, personally. But you can’t.”

That night, though… away from her and the chaos, I finally rested. And when I woke up, I felt… lighter. For the first time in a long time, I didn’t want to return. I knew what waited for me behind that gate. The insults, the manipulation and loneliness.

So I stayed.

One day turned into three. I didn’t call anyone, I didn’t tell a soul where I was. And no one noticed I was gone. My phone sat silent, no buzzing, no missed calls, no frantic messages. It was quiet, and maybe that was the clearest sign of how invisible I had become.

On the third morning, a knock came at the door. I figured it was room service, but when I opened it, there stood Daniel.

I froze. “How did you…?”

He stepped inside, his eyes sweeping the room. His jaw clenched, and his voice was loud. “What the hell, Cynthia? You deleted your number from my phone so I couldn’t find you? That’s stupid.”

I blinked, confused. “I didn’t delete anything.” Of course, Dana.

She must have gone through his phone and erased my number. Another one of her games. But the bigger question lingered… why did Daniel come looking for me? Did he actually care?

He took a deep breath and said, “Get ready. We’re leaving.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” I replied. “I need a few more days.”

He shook his head. “I need you at the house. I’m hosting a party and I want you there. You’re my wife.”

Then, without warning, he kissed me, soft at first, then desperate, like a man trying to remember how it felt to love. One thing led to another, and we ended up making love. It had been so long since he touched me that way. So long since I felt… wanted.

And, God help me, I missed it.

******

Back at the house, Dana’s eyes found me the moment we stepped in. The look she gave me could’ve set a city on fire… burning jealousy mixed with disbelief. I almost smiled.

I wouldn’t have come back if Daniel hadn’t asked me to, hadn’t insisted that I stand by him as his wife. It meant something, even if only a flicker. Maybe I wasn’t completely forgotten after all.

I took charge of the event, making sure everything was perfect. The caterers arrived, the decorations were flawless. The guest list, tight and prestigious. People started to pour in, dressed in their best.

The party had just begun when Dana decided to strike again, pretending to forget my name.

She walked over to a small crowd and gestured toward me. “Carla, right? Or… Cathy? Whatever. You get it.”

She said it with the kind of fake confusion that fools no one just loud enough for everyone to hear. As if I were some hired help, a nameless, forgettable errand girl.

My spine straightened, and my fists clenched, but I didn’t react… not then and not because I didn’t want to. But because when a snake strikes, you don’t hiss back.

You wait, and then you crush it under your heel.