Her close cropped strawberry blonde hair perfectly framed her slightly elfin, heart shaped face. She smiled briefly as he looked down into those deep, ever so deep, green grey eyes; then she glanced away shyly, her small pink tongue emerging momentarily to moisten her soft, pale peach tinted lips. He couldn’t resist, what man would want to? But it wasn’t supposed to be this way, never supposed to happen. What was that old adage? Yes that’s it, ‘Keep your friends close and your enemies even closer‘. So what happens if you suddenly lose the fine line that divides the friends from the enemies, what can you do then?

I guess it all started that evening in August. It had been a scorching day and I had woken and couldn’t settle back to sleep. I don’t know what had disturbed me; maybe it was just the heat of the night or maybe the restless plodding of my cat as she crept over me in search of somewhere cool to relax. But there I was at four in the morning, lying motionless, enjoying the peace and darkness after the unbearable warmth of the day…then I heard it. Almost too pure and light to be that hateful disclosure of infidelity. As he lay beside me, still and relaxed, from the depths of his dreams came a name whispered softly onto the breeze...Marianne...our neighbour...and my best friend.

I had always believed that people were intrinsically good, but here were the two people that I cared most about in the world, who supposedly cared about me, walking all over my feelings without giving a damn about how much they hurt me, how much they ripped me apart. This was not how friends were supposed to act; she was meant to be there when I needed a shoulder to cry on and he always said I was the love of his life. So what do you do when you are let down by the two people in the world who are supposed to love you the most, the two people you should be able to rely on. Who is there left for you to turn to, torn in two, deceived and totally alone?

The heavy rain beat down mercilessly and my windscreen wipers screeched and gasped as they attempted to clear my waterlogged screen. The foul weather matched my temper perfectly as I drove back home. I had been out to lunch with Marianne, given her the chance to explain…confess…tell me how it had happened. Tell me it was all his fault, how he had seduced her…talked her into it; anything but the fact that my husband and best friend had betrayed me, taken my life and brutally ripped it to pieces, all the while laughing at me behind my sad, trusting back. But no, there were no sad confessions, no tears of painful guilt, not even when I told her that I suspected he was being unfaithful, not even then did she take my offered way out; just a smile and a reassurance not to be ‘so silly!!’

As the spray from the preceding vehicles continued to overtax my already slowing wipers, my tears poured down my soaked cheeks, threatening to blur out my remaining vision of the rain soaked road ahead. I really wanted, no, needed to believe her; I tried so hard to convince myself that I was wrong, but later, as I entered the house hearing him humming happily to himself in the shower I knew that I wasn’t. In the way that only a wife knows her husband, I knew that he was going to meet her. And as he drove away from our house that evening I followed.

So here I was sitting alone in a secluded booth in a little restaurant way off the beaten track, drinking wine and watching; they didn’t see me, I don’t think they really noticed anything they were far too lost in one another. And as I watched, my feelings changed; my self pity faded slowly and turned to anger, pure cold hatred. And hatred is a very dangerous emotion.

After my third or fourth glass of wine (I think I lost count somewhere along the way) I paid my bill and left the restaurant. I guess I really was in no condition to drive, but anger clouds your judgement somewhat so I returned to my car and waited.

It wasn’t long before they appeared; he had his arm around her shoulders. They sheltered in the doorway, huddled together waiting for the rain to stop. They were still buried deep in intimate conversation, leaning close together. The rain eased and he raised his coat over the two of them as they prepared to make a run for the car. As he leant in to plant a gentle kiss on her lips it all suddenly became so clear. They started off across the car park and I put my key in the ignition and started the engine.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion as I slowly drove towards the two figures. They were oblivious to me as they leant together, then my foot pressed down hard on the accelerator and my car shot forward. In that instant, they turned in time to form their final thoughts - that I knew of their betrayal.

It was strange I felt anything, neither sadness nor remorse; nothing really except a curious feeling of relief that it was all over. Even as I reversed my car from the two crushed figures and sped quickly out of the car park it didn’t even seem to register what I’d done. Not until I got home, closed my front door and sat down.

There’s so much truth in those old proverbs, and it’s true what they say...revenge truly is sweet!