The Comeback Queen

Nora's POV

I never thought a grave could feel so cold, so final. The soil pressed against my chest, suffocating, like the weight of betrayal itself. Darkness surrounded me, the smell of earth filling my nostrils. I tried to scream, but the dirt swallowed my voice.

How did it come to this? How had the people I loved my husband, my best friend turned into my executioners?

Memories crashed over me, relentless and vivid.

They wanted me erased.

But the thought of my unborn child kept me struggling.

I wasn’t just fighting for me anymore. I was fighting for us.

Flashback.

It started the night of the party the night everything collapsed.

I stood just outside the ballroom doors, i could hear my heartbeat loud in my ears. Laughter and champagne clinks through the heavy wood, but none of it sounded inviting. I felt like an outsider, like I was already unwelcome.

For years, I’d stayed home. Not because I wanted to but because my own husband had grown ashamed of me. Of my body. Of how I’d changed.

He used to hold me proudly. Now he could barely look at me. And because I didn’t want him to attend those high-profile events alone, I’d told my best friend Tina to accompany him. She was charming, presentable and most of all, trusted.

I thought I was helping him.

Helping us.

I never imagined I was handing him over.

But tonight, I couldn’t sit in the shadows any longer. I had given up everything to help Carson rebuild after his company collapsed my savings, my dreams, my peace and he owed me more than silence. I smoothed down my black silk dress, the fabric hugging the curves I had come to resent. Still, I held my head high.

I needed him to see me. To remember who I am.

The doors opened.

I blinked. My smile faltered. What…?

My feet moved on their own as I pushed through the stunned crowd.

“Carson?” I called out, confused. “Carson, what did you just say?”

The room fell into an awkward silence. Guests whispered behind their glasses.

“Who is she?”

“She sounds angry.”

“This just got interesting.”

Carson’s brow furrowed, his charming mask slipping. “Excuse me?”

I stepped closer, heart pounding. “Did you just say Tina is your wife? Carson, what is going on?”

Tina stepped forward, her arm still wrapped around Carson’s arm.

“Lady, I think you’ve had too much to drink.”

I looked at her, horrified. “Tina… it’s me, Nora. Your best friend. What are you saying?”

Tina’s expression twisted into practiced confusion. “I think you’re mistaking me for someone else. I don’t know you.”

Laughter and low murmurs rippled through the crowd.

“She must be mentally unstable.”

“Probably obsessed with Carson.”

“She’s too fat to be his wife anyway.”

My throat tightened. “This isn’t a joke,” I said, voice trembling. “Carson, tell them. Tell them who I am.”

Carson’s gaze turned cold. “I have no idea who you are. Security will be here shortly.”

No… no, you’re lying.

“You’re doing this because of how I look?” I whispered, my voice cracking. “Because I gained weight?”

Tears filled up my eyes, blurring the room. “I gave everything to you, Carson. I sold my inheritance to save your company. I stood by you when no one else would!”

Carson gave a tight, rehearsed smile. “Miss, I think you should leave.”

“Carson!” I shouted, my voice rising with the weight of my fury. “You begged me for help when you had nothing. You were nothing. And now you stand there parading my best friend as your wife? Is this how you repay me?”

Tina scoffed, eyes flicking with barely concealed smugness.

I turned to her, my heart broken. “Tina… please. We’ve known each other since college. You were there the day Carson proposed to me. You helped me pick out my dress. How can you stand there and lie?”

“Ma’am,” she said coldly, “I don’t know you. And I think you’re embarrassing yourself.”

I froze.

Was this really my best friend?

My tears spilled freely now, my entire body trembling.

Was it my fault? Was it because I was fat?

I hated the way my face burned. The shame, the humiliation—like my worth had been erased by every pound I’d gained.

Was it my fault that Carson’s stress became mine?

That helping him ruined me?

And now that I’d served my purpose… they’d discarded me.

The ballroom seemed to spin. I clutched my chest, trying to breathe.

“You betrayed me. Both of you.”

Laughter erupted like wildfire.

“She’s delusional.”

“Security, get her out.”

“She’s ruining the gala.”

Carson’s voice sliced through the noise.

“You have five seconds to leave before I have you physically removed.”

“I’m not going anywhere!” I shouted. “Not until you tell them who I am! That Tina is my best friend—not your wife!”

Then came the slam of the double doors.

Two large security guards in black suits stormed in. The crowd parted like water, eager for them to see what comes next.

My heart jumped into my throat. “Wait… wait, please.”

The guards didn’t hesitate. One grabbed my arm.

“You need to leave, ma’am.”

“Let me go!” I screamed, thrashing. “Don’t touch me! Carson—please!”

He stood there. Cold. Unmoving. Silent.

“You coward!” I cried, my voice raw with betrayal. “Is this who you are now? Hiding behind guards to erase the woman who built you?”

Tina smirked from the stage. “If she wanted attention, she got it.”

“Let me go!” I shrieked as my dress tore at the seam, nearly exposing me. Gasps filled the room.

“Stop it! You’re hurting me!” My voice cracked as I fought back.

More flashes. Phones recording.

“This is going viral.”

“She’ll be on every gossip blog by morning.”

“Crazy and fat? Poor woman.”

They shoved me out the front doors. The cold night air slapped against my skin like punishment. I stumbled to the stone bench outside, hugging myself. My dress was torn, my makeup ruined, and my dignity was gone.

Then I heard it. Her voice.

Soft. Controlled. Cruel.

“You embarrassed him, Nora. This is what happens when you don’t know your place.”

“Tina?” I whispered, trembling as I turned to find her approaching, heels clicking like a countdown.

She stopped just a few feet away, eyes full of mock sympathy.

“I didn’t want to scare you,” she said, her tone falsely gentle. “But you need to understand why I did what I did.”

I stared at her, confused, hurt, furious.

“Why?...….Why? How could you betray me like that? How could you stand there while Carson threw me out like garbage like I was nothing?”

She took a breath, her eyes flickering with something unreadable. “You have to see it from my side, Nora. Carson’s world is ruthless. You showed up like that unannounced, disheveled and people were whispering. It wasn’t just about looks. It was about his reputation. Everything he’s worked for.”

I blinked, stunned. “So I’m just... collateral damage?”

Her lips pressed into a thin line, then softened with practiced sympathy.

“No. I’m trying to protect you. From him… from this life you were never built for. Carson didn’t deny you because he hates you. He did it because he’s scared. If the world sees you as vulnerable, broken... it could tear everything down. You have to trust me on this.”

I wanted to scream at her. To shove her hand away.

But some bitter, exhausted part of me… wondered if she was right.

Had I misunderstood him? Had I misunderstood everything?

Tina’s fingers wrapped around mine cold, firm, steady.

“Let me help you, Nora. This doesn’t have to be the end. It’s a chance to rebuild stronger. Better. You don’t have to be the woman they mocked tonight.”

Tears blurred my vision. I didn’t know if I felt relief… or shame.

Was she really trying to help?

Or was this just another lie spun in silk?

Before I could answer, a sleek black car pulled up beside us.

Tina smiled almost tenderly. “Come on. Let’s get you somewhere safe.”

I hesitated, the weight of humiliation still fresh on my skin. But something inside me a hollow, hurting voice whispered that maybe, just maybe, I had no other choice.

That night, Carson came home.

He held flowers. Red roses. Like that could fix everything.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he said, his eyes avoiding mine. “I panicked. I didn’t expect you to show up like that. I only wanted to protect our image.”

His words hit like stones.

I should have screamed. I should have thrown him out.

But instead… I looked at him, and I saw the man I once loved. The man I fought for. The man who used to look at me like I was his whole world.

And for some stupid, aching reason…

I still loved him.

So I nodded.

And forgave him.

Not knowing…

it was only the beginning.