Revenge plot

VIOLET

The delete button had become my closest companion.

I stared at the screen, my first draft glaring back at me with its jagged sentences and inconsistent tone. The story I’d imagined so vividly felt dull and lifeless on the page, and every word seemed wrong. With a frustrated sigh, I highlighted an entire paragraph and hit delete. Again.

“It doesn’t feel right,” I muttered to myself, leaning back in my chair.

I’d spent the better part of an hour trying to make progress, but the more I wrote, the more I doubted myself. My characters felt hollow, the dialogue forced. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.

But then I thought about Ryan. He always had an annoying way of seeing things differently—finding potential where I only saw flaws.

Grabbing my phone, I opened the messaging app and attached the file. 

“Be honest, but don’t crush my spirit”

I typed, adding a laughing emoji before sending it off to Ryan. If anyone could give me a brutally honest critique without completely dismantling my confidence, it was him.

The moment I hit send, my phone buzzed with an incoming call. Ashley.

Grinning, I picked up. “Look who finally remembered I exist.”

“Hey!” Ashley’s voice came through, a mix of warmth and mock offense. “I’ve been busy, okay? You have no idea. School’s been insane—papers, group projects, presentations. I barely have time to eat, let alone call.”

“Uh-huh,” I teased, letting the words draw out. “And yet, somehow, you find time to text your classmates and rant about professors. Don’t think I haven’t noticed.”

“Oh, come on!” she groaned dramatically. “You know those don’t count. It's been a nightmare here, Vi. But enough about me. How’s Berkeley? Making friends? Joining clubs? Taking over the world?”

I smiled. “Something like that. Actually, I’ve been working on a story idea, but it’s a mess. I just sent Ryan my draft to look over.”

“Ryan,” she repeated, her tone teasing. “Still can’t let go of that one, huh?”

“Shut up,” I said, laughing. “And for the record, yes, I’ve been making friends. I even grabbed coffee with someone new today.”

“Oh, really?” Ashley’s voice sharpened. “Who is this ‘someone new,’ and why am I just hearing about them now?”

“Her name’s Amelia. We met her on my first day here, and she’s really nice. We had coffee, talked about campus life. Nothing major.”

“Nice, huh?” Ashley said. “So, she’s ‘nice,’ and now you’re grabbing coffee like besties? Wow. I’ve been dethroned.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“No, no, it’s fine,” she said. “You’ve got Amelia now. I’m just old news. Yesterday’s headline.”

“Is that jealousy I hear, Ashley Carrington?” I teased, unable to keep the laughter out of my voice.

“Jealous? Me? Please,” she said, scoffing. “I just think it’s funny how fast people forget their roots. You meet one ‘cool’ girl, and suddenly I’m chopped liver.”

“Stop it,” I said, still laughing. “You’re being absurd.”

“Am I? Next thing I know, you’ll be grabbing coffee with her every week, sharing all your secrets, and I’ll be sitting here like a forgotten relic.”

“Okay, now you’re being dramatic,” I said, shaking my head. “You know you’re irreplaceable.”

“Am I, though?” she shot back. “Because it sure sounds like you’re auditioning new best friends.”

I grinned. “You’re impossible, you know that?”

“Someone’s gotta keep you on your toes,” she quipped.

“You do that just fine,” I said. “But seriously, Ash, you’re my best friend. Always you. No contest.”

There was a brief pause on the other end, and when she spoke again, her voice had softened. “Well, obviously. I just wanted to make sure you knew.”

“Of course I know,” I said, rolling my eyes. “You’re impossible to forget.”

“Good,” she said, her sass returning. “Because I refuse to let some random girl steal my bestie.”

I laughed, shaking my head. “You’re ridiculous. But seriously, I miss you. When are you visiting?”

“Soon,” she promised. “As soon as I survive this, I’m coming to see you. And when I do, Amelia better be ready for some serious competition.”

We talked for a while longer, teasing each other and catching up on everything we’d missed. By the time we hung up, my earlier frustration with writing had faded

AMELIA POV

It’s crazy how life works. How someone you’ve sworn to leave behind—buried deep in a past you’d rather forget—can reappear so unexpectedly, so innocently. As if the ruins they left behind were never there.

I sat cross-legged on my bed, slurping noodles from a takeout carton, my thoughts swirling like the steam rising from the broth. It had been years since I’d thought of him—really thought of him. I’d shoved those memories so far down, buried them under layers of school, work, and carefully curated distractions. But today, his face had shattered through all of it.

Ryan.

The image of Violet and Ryan, so innocent—so perfect—flashed across my mind again. Her laughing smile, his arm around her, their eyes locked in some sweet, naive moment.

The way he’d ruined me, just like that.

The way he had torn apart everything, and for what? For a few fleeting moments of pleasure and ego. Then he’d walked away, leaving me to pick up the pieces.

But now—now he was with her.

I pushed the image aside, pretending it didn’t matter. It was just another one of those things I’d buried—another one of those things I would never let anyone know about. Violet didn't know. She didn’t need to know the truth. She didn’t need to know what kind of person Ryan really was.

But I couldn't stop the bitterness from creeping in.

She will be my leverage.

Violet didn’t realize how easy it would be to tear her little fairytale apart. She seems so innocent, so trusting. She believed in the goodness of people, even in someone like him. She didn’t know what he was capable of. She didn’t know that he wasn’t capable of love. Not the real kind.

The thought of it made my blood boil. I’d spent so long trying to bury the memory of Ryan, trying to move on from the wreckage he’d left behind. But now, it was all too clear. I wasn’t going to let him get away with it. 

Not when I've finally gotten a chance for revenge.

A text popped up on my phone, pulling me from my thoughts.

“Thanks for earlier. It was really nice to hang out.”

I stared at the message for a moment, my fingers hovering over the screen. Violet—so sweet, so trusting. She didn’t know that I wasn’t just a friend to her. I wasn’t just some harmless girl who’d helped her find her way…at least not anymore.

No, I was playing a far bigger game.

I didn’t need to make Ryan suffer immediately. I could take my time. I could use Violet to bring him to his knees, to make him see the damage he’d caused. He had no idea what was coming. He didn’t know the kind of person I’d become, the kind of vengeance that ran through my veins.

“Anytime. Your company is always nice. Let's hang out some other time”

I typed back.

I felt a strange sense of satisfaction as I hit send. Violet had no idea she was the pawn in this little game. She didn’t know I was going to use her to destroy the last piece of Ryan’s pathetic little life.

I wasn’t going to tell her the truth right away. I wasn’t going to scream it out and ruin everything in one go. No, I was going to make her question him—make her doubt everything she thought she knew about Ryan. One little seed at a time.

She was going to hate him.

And when she did, I’d be there, waiting. Ready to pick up the pieces of her broken heart, ready to show her that I was the one who had always been there. Ryan was nothing. He was a liar, a coward, and I was going to make sure she saw that.

I tapped my fingers against the screen, staring at the message I’d just sent. This wasn’t just about revenge anymore. This was about destroying everything Ryan had. I’d take away the one thing he had that mattered. I’d watch him burn, and in the ashes, I’d be the one standing.

I wasn’t just going to ruin his life—I was going to destroy it. And Violet? She was going to help me do it.

And when she finally realized what kind of monster he really was, she’d hate him just as much as I did. I’d make sure of that.

No more Mr. Nice Guy. Ryan had messed with the wrong woman.