Austin was the name I had chosen.

When I had dreamed of holding my child, I had thought of the name Austin for a boy… Daisy if it had been a girl.

Even this. Even my dead son’s name was stolen.

It was as if he had never existed at all.

“Don’t throw a tantrum…It’s just a name Amelia. You have been the madam of this mansion for so many years but you have still so much to learn. To think you are jealous of Victoria at this petty thing!” Alexander’s voice boomed as he glared at me disapproving of my behaviour.

Before I could take another step forward, my mother-in-law’s gaze snapped to me. Her expression twisted into fury.

"You demon!" she shrieked, rising to her feet and rushing towards me enraged.

The room fell silent and just as her palm was about to strike my face, it froze mid-air.

Her eyes locked onto my arms, covered in bandages and bruises from the fire in horror.

"Filthy!" She recoiled, covering her nose in absolute disgust as if I carried a contagious disease.

"How come you are still not dead! You dare endanger your own child in fire?!" Her voice dripped with venom. "If it weren’t for Victoria, Austin wouldn’t be alive today! She operated on him and saved him in time and now that he is alright, you want to attack Victoria, this innocent girl?!

Somebody make this evil woman kneel right now!"

“Auntie, sister has her grievances from me, even if she slaps me I will not resist...”

“Really? Then how about you come here so that I can slap you hard.” I shouted in rage feeling absolutely furious making Victoria's smile fall.

“Amelia!” Alexander’s cold voice boomed throughout the mansion as he reprimanded me harshly.

“God damnit! what the fuck are you even doing?! Haven’t you already committed so many mistakes and now you are even bullying Victoria?!” I turned to Alexander, my misty eyes full of indignation but he glared at me sharply.

“Don’t forget that you time and time again failed terribly as a mother.” The words were like acid cascading and corroding my soul.

“I? I committed a crime?” My voice trembled as I could not believe how Alexander could say such words without guilt gnawing at his insides,

“Do you..do you even have a damn conscience?!” Tears dribbled down my eyes as I looked at Alexander in rage.

“Shutup! You are just being jealous and creating trouble, as always!”

My husband strode towards Victoria, his expression dark as he stood infront of her crying figure protectively.

“I am being jealous when this woman has tried to snatch everything I ever had?! If I didn’t knew better I would have thought you were her husband and not mine!”

“Amelia! Haven’t I told you Victoria is my most precious friend! It is only you with a filthy mind who can find dirt everywhere!

No wonder you parents hated you!”

Silence covered the surroundings as Alexander did not even hesitate a single moment and clawed at my most vulnerable wounds.

“This unlucky woman!” My mother-in-law interrupted loudly in rage, her gaze filled with disdain. “Apologize to Victoria now.”

“I would not do it.” I spat in tears, my throat burning as all the servants and maids watched me with utter disgust.

My heart twisted in devastation, yet due to years of fear and submission accumulated in my body, my body wanted to automatically obey them like a machine.

“Kneel! Now! Or I will make others drag you down!”

When I still refused to cooperate two maids pushed me down with force, with trembling knees, I lowered myself to the cold marble floor feeling so much humiliation that death felt better.

Victoria smirked behind Alexander looking at me with her head high.

“Sister Amelia, we are twins, anything between us can be solved with an apology, please don’t take this as if I am being prideful…I-I will stay away from Austin from now on so that you can feel comfortable.. .” she cried, her voice sickeningly sweet.

“No need! See how sad you made this sweet girl!

Apologise right now or there will be no food for you!” My mother-in-law snapped in rage making it seem like I was the villainess.

“No!” I spat, my nails digging into my palms as hot tears continuously fell from my eyes.

“It’s okay sister we don’t need any formalities between us. Just don’t do it again.” Victoria said,

Dinner that evening was silent, except for the occasional clinking of glasswares. Sitting in the very corner with my head bowed, I barely ate with the constant pain making me wish I could disappear, each bite felt like I was swallowing stones.

“Ahh!” At that moment a sudden burning sensation shot through my arm making me gasp in horror.

“Oh dear Amelia, are you alright?” Victoria called in fake concern “I-I can’t believe I am so clumsy.” Her voice dripped with remorse as she glanced at the boiling pot of soup overturned on my arm, right where my burned skin was still healing.

“Amelia, are you alright?” Alexander stood up quickly in concern.

As I tried to hurriedly get up, Victoria’s leg shot out from beneath the table making me fall on the ground with a thud.

I bit my lip hard, swallowing back a cry of pain.

Alexander came rushing but before he could touch me, Victoria let out a small cry of pain.

“Alexander!… it hurts…it hurts so much!” She clutched her stomach artificially, doubling in terrible pain.

“Victoria!” Alexander’s expression changed instantly as he was by her side in a moment, forgetting all about me in panic.

He did not look at me, didn’t even spare me a glance.

“I don’t know…it feels like I am dying…” Victoria cried with tears brimming in her eyes, she looked at me from her position and a small smirk played on her lips.

“No, don’t say such things! Hurry up and call the best doctors in the city immediately!”

Without a single hesitation, he picked her up into his arms bridal style, cradling her like she was the most fragile thing in the world, too busy to notice my agonizing condition.

For three long years I never saw the truth and foolishly thought that Alexander was my saviour, that even if the world is against me he will be my rock, my anchor.

But all my stupid dreams were shattered.

I watched the scene unfold, cradling my wounded arm which was long forgotten as I stood up with pain blossoming in each pore of my body.

“Don’t worry! I am with you!”Alexander did not even turn to glance at me as he quickly carried Victoria upstairs, his voice filled with concern.

The door shut behind them, leaving me alone amidst of disdainful gazes in the dining hall, my skin still burning, but it was nothing compared to the ache in my heart.

I had never been loved.

My husband who once promised to love and cherish me was the one to trample on my heart with such cruelty.

The marriage I thought was my salvation turned to be my hell.

I had enough.

Not anymore.

That night I received a message that shook my entire being from within.

[Victoria: My dearest sister today was just a reminder to never go against me again.

I know very well that you are aware that the bastard you gave birth to is long dead and Austin is my and Alexander’s son.

But don’t worry, just like your daughter Mila, your son’s remains were disposed of too by Alexander himself.].

[Victoria: Alexander was busy playing with Austin so he did had time for proper funeral or to even bury your child in a soil inside the Salvatore mansion, so we decided to just burn the body.]

They… burned my baby like trash?

My fingers trembled as I stared at the phone, a video of a burning pyre played on screen making me fall down as my breathing became haggard.

[Victoria: You are a powerless fool who was born for my convenience. You were not meant to be loved, don’t cross me ever again.]

“How dare you touch my child?!” With bloodshot eyes that were bleeding tears, I rushed to confront Victoria.

“You call yourself a human after committing such atrocious acts!” my voice broke as I screamed like a wounded beast, eyes burning with miserable grief and anger like I couldn’t wait to rip her apart to shreds.

"Oh, my my, a small clip of your dear child and you came running like a headless chicken? How foolish.” Victoria smiled, her eyes full of provocation.

“Human? Ofcouse I am a human, but I can’t say the same thing for you and your children…small pests who were born to be squashed and thrown.”

“You demon! Ahhhh!” I wanted to strangle the woman infront of me yet Victoria took advantage of my fragile state and held my shoulders in a bruising grip, pressing down on my wounds.

“I wanted to show you that I won and you lost everything to me again bitch!" She leaned forward, her eyes glinting with sadistic pleasure.

“Alexander’s one true love is me and you? Do you know why Alexander married you in the first place?"

Because you are fucking convenient! He must have used you like his sex toy.

A thing he released his frustrations and sexual tensions upon, but his heart always lied with me.

You were nothing but a pig born to donate her organs to me when I needed them! Just because you spread your legs for Alexander while I was absent, you forget your filthy identity and even think of conceiving a child with my man!

He could have never loved you!”

I pushed her away looking at Victoria like she was a monster as she said the things I was most afraid of. It was as if I was living a nightmare.

“He married you Amelia because you looked like me.

That’s all you are…a cheap copy of mine."

The more Victoria said those things the more I looked at her calmly, my rage and hatred towards her intensifying as the hidden camera tucked in my shirt recorded everything.

"Do you want to see how much I mean to him?" Victoria smirked before reaching into her luxurious bag, and pulling out a small, hand-knitted sweater-the one I had painstakingly made for my baby in my nine months of difficult pregnancy where my body suffered severely.

“Alexander gave it to me saying that instead of a bastard, it would suit Austin better.

Something inside me snapped as I looked at the small pink cardigan with bloodshot eyes.

“If that was true then you already had Alexander!

What did my innocent children ever did to you?! Even a demon is not as cruel as you to experiment on innocent babies!”

Unknown to me Victoria smiled as she saw Alexander approaching us from behind. She came closer whispering softly.

"Mila’s death was a mistake…an unfortunate incident. But your newborn? That was pure science.

You should have seen him trying to gasp for his last breaths before I cut off his windpipe, his death contributed to my experience. You should be proud-“

Before Victoria could complete her sentence my palm connected with her cheek as I slapped her hard making her fall on the ground with a thud.

“Amelia how can you wish to kill me…I-I was just playing with Austin…”

Before I could understand what was happening a raged scream echoed.

"AMELIA!" The furious roar startled me, sending chills down my spine.

Startled all the servants in the mansion and they rushed to the scene in fear with my mother-in-law in front.

I turned around to see Alexander’s furious figure looming over me as his dark blazing eyes burning holes in my skull in wrath.

A bitter laughter left my lips when I saw Victoria whose eyes flashed with fury that I dared to slap her but soon a fake tremor passed through her body as she shuddered as if my presence threatened her with sobs escaping her lips.

So she would act right?

Too bad that I did not care anymore.

"You slapped her? Have you fucking forgotten your place Amelia!

You fucking dare slap Victoria?!”

“Instead of blaming me why don’t you tell everyone how did we lose Mila and our son?!” I sneered at Alexander making Victoria’s cries stop for a moment as she looked at me in surprise..

“It was because you were fucking careless! Mom was right, I could never be hard on you and you fucking took advantage of the fact and always bullied Victoria!”

Alexander closed onto me his eyes filled with fury,

“Today I will not repeat my mistakes, I will teach you a lesson you never forget in your life!”

With that Alexander held my hand dragging me out of the room as I kept resisting, amidst cries and tears his pace fastened making me trip multiple times yet all my sorrowful broken sobs fell on deaf ears.

“Leave me! Where are you taking me?!”

Soon with a kick the dark storage room without a single source of light was kicked open.

I shuddered in horror as I looked at my husband of three years whom I once loved with all my heart.

“I didn’t want to do this, but it is you who has forced my hands Amelia.” With that he pushed me inside the small dingy storage room despite knowing my absolute fear of darkness and shut the door tightly.

Falling down on the ground with a thud, I banged the door as I suffocated, clawing at my throat in desperate attempt to breathe.

Alexander looked uncertain for a moment before he was reminded of Victoria and Austin.

“Amelia is phobic to darkness so this is a good lesson, let her scream all she wants but nobody is allowed to open the door! I will come to bring her out tomorrow.”

“Open! Let me out! Let me out please!” The door was banged for two hours, it was only when my bleeding hands could not take any more that I fell down on the floor helplessly, my body convulsing violently with the lack of oxygen.

My biological mother once locked me inside a dark room when I was little, stuffing my mouth with a cloth so that I would not scream, often ‘forgetting’ to feed me for days just because I broke Victoria’s doll.

It was Alexander with whose help I learned how to smile, a husband who married and brought me out of the hellhole that was my parent’s home but this was the truth of his love.

Betrayal

Lying limp with a completely broken body I rocked my body back and forth in a slow rhythmic motion as I hallucinated.

My Mila was crying.

My son was weeping.

“Baby? Where are you my dear?” I stood up quickly searching each corner of the room but my children were nowhere to be found.

And it was at that moment the last thread of any relation between me and Alexander snapped and altogether the absolute fear in my heart stopped.

Taking out my outdated cellphone I dialled a number.

“It is me Amelia, Doctor Anderson.

If I am not wrong, it was you who injected me with a sterility drug right?” The panicked male voice on the other hand made me laugh through tears.

“If the truth comes out do you think you can survive? The only way I will let you live is if you follow my command.

By tomorrow arrange a deadbody that looks like me and yes don’t forget to bring an antidote of the drug you injected me with.”

Sitting like that for hours, I did not even get a wink of sleep and as soon as morning arrived the doors of my prison opened with Alexander entering inside looking at my eyes with some guilt.

“Amelia…are you alright? Why did you went against me-” Before the sentence could be completed I limped to my husband and embraced him lovingly almost as if nothing had transpired.

“I know I was wrong. I will apologize to your mother and Victoria.

Today is Victoria’s birthday right, how about I plan a grand party for her? I will cook all her favourite foods to show my change of heart.” Startled by my change in demeanour Alexander beamed not finding my sudden change suspicious.

He forgot that not only today was Victoria’s birthday but mine too.

A new birth of the woman whose dreams he murdered.

“That’s more like my Amelia! Docile and obedient, how can you ever go against me!” Alexander gave me permission not noticing the trace of ruthlessness that flashed in my eyes.

“Do you forgive me then Alexander?” He smiled gently as if he had not locked and abused me at all.

“Ofcouse Amelia. How can I not forgive you?”

But I have not forgiven or forgotten your cruelty Alexander.

Anyone who played a part in turning my word to ashes would pay a price.

A villaness you desired so a villaness you will get.