Chapter Six

I buried my face walking in the store. I never felt so many eyes upon me or heard more whispers about me in my entire life. It doesn't help that we live in a little town. Likewise, Lynn talks about me to everyone.

Drug addict, she lost custody of her son and she can't hold a job. I hear those claims constantly, and it's on replay in my head, picking at my brain and installing hate in my heart. 

I fill my shopping cart full of simple groceries. There's no point in cooking for one person. I mainly eat unhealthy things, like cans of spaghetti and Lunchables, things I would never feed my son.

I see Lynn and Kelvin in the next aisle in the store. It sends a burst of happiness to my heart. I haven't laid eyes on my son for nearly 7 months, and here he was. My feet rush quickly towards them, and I feel the excitement enter my soul. 

Then I see the concern in his face as he looks away. 

"What do you think you're doing? I hear Lynn hiss. Even her voice assaults me at this point. She could be saying something kind, and it gets on my nerves.

"I'm saying hi to my son."

"I don't want to talk to you. You abandoned me, calling off our visits, not wanting to see me."

My eyes quickly fall on Lynn, who has her evil nasty smile. She was clearly proud of herself. Proud that she caused all this pain that I feel.

"Is that what you told him?" I yell, feeling my world spin around me. 

The anger that's boiling up on my chest I can't even explain. She completely destroyed my relationship with my son. I would never break a promise to him.

I feel my hands bowling up in a fist. 

"She's going to hit me", she screams.

I didn't look around and see all the eyes watching us. But most importantly, the store manager walking towards us. 

"This isn't over." My feet moved to the door. We are far from over, and I am not playing this game anymore.

I spend the next month planning my revenge. I will show her what it's like to lose your life. To have your life come crashing down and everything that was important to you disappear. I plan to kill her, but first she'll suffer at my hands. I know this is probably an irrational conclusion, but one I can only come to. It'll never stop. I can't see past the amount of things that I lost. The respect of the community, my son and my husband. She will be in the same boat. I am no longer playing her game now, she's playing mine. It'll be the worst game she ever played. And I am the ringleader, I am calling the shots. And I am so ready for revenge.