Root of All Evil

For Sasha Barker, the last three weeks have been a rollercoaster. She was in near mourning as she sat at the side of her fiancée, Samantha Reinhart, who had been hospitalized for that aforementioned amount of time. Samantha had been in a coma following a terrible accident; she was struck down by a random vehicle as she was leaving her workplace. Sasha was beside herself with emotion when she got the call from lead detective Terri K. Matthews, who had been investigating the accident ever since.

During the time that passed, Sasha found herself visited by a familiar face: Vera Carter, her one time girlfriend. Vera and Sasha hadn't even spoken to each other in just over a year, and both of them remember that their break-up wasn't exactly amicable. A heated argument between them resulted in their relationship coming to an end, and it was two months after the break-up that Sasha met Samantha.

The time Sasha and Vera spent together did help ease the pain, but at one point, the pair found themselves at a near romantic embrace, but stopped themselves. Sasha reminded herself that she was still with Samantha, but as the days flew by, Samantha's condition remained the same. She was still in her coma, still unresponsive. As Sasha left the hospital room, she was deep in thought. So much went through her mind as she drove away from the hospital, but once she arrived at her planned destination, she finally let out the very words that had been on her mind:

"Vera, will you marry me?"

Sasha couldn't believe what she had said, and after a month passed, she still couldn't believe it. Even more shocking was Vera accepting, but what was expected was the backlash from those who knew Sasha. Sasha told herself that it was basically for business. Vera came from wealth, and that would be used to help Samantha; pay the medical bills for her. Both women were looking forward to the day that they would become an official married couple, but as they planned things out, a knock at the door interrupted things.

"Hello, Miss Barker."

It was Detective Matthews, and after being let in by Sasha, she walked up to Vera. "Vera Carter," said Matthews, "you're under arrest for the attempted murder of Samantha Reinhart."

Sasha was floored by this development. The very woman she knew for four years--dated for three, had been split up for a year before becoming engaged--was arrested for nearly killing her comatose ex-fiancée. What could possibly be Vera's motive?

"Jealousy. Vera did have a jealous side to her."

"Miss Barker," said Matthews, "you dated Miss Carter for three years. Did you have a good relationship?"

"For the most part," said Sasha. "I mean...at first it was, well, bliss. But as time passed, she became controlling."

"Controlling, how?" asked Matthews.

"I don't like talking about it," replied Sasha. "It was too painful to relive."

"It's OK," said Matthews. "Just tell me what you can." Sasha gave a deep sigh before finally responding:

"On the day we split up, she told me that I would regret leaving her, and that she would make sure of that."

The evidence against Vera was damning, as after Sasha's statement claiming that she was being controlled by Vera, surveillance video of a car matching one owned by Vera was shown headed towards the direction of Samantha's workplace, with one angle seeing a blonde woman inside the vehicle with Vera's exact hairstyle. As all of the evidence was being inspected, Matthews received a phone call from Samantha's hospital.

"She's awake."

On the following day, Sasha was at home, still processing Vera's arrest, when her cellphone rang.

"Hello?"

"Miss Barker, it's Detective Matthews. I just want to inform you that the hospital called, and Samantha is awake from her coma."

"Oh my God, that's great!" exclaimed Sasha. "I'm so overjoyed. I have to go see her!"

"That may not be a good idea," said Matthews. "It hasn't even been 12 hours since she emerged. We don't know how she'll respond."

"Don't some people recover quickly from comas?" asked Sasha.

"We can't chance it, Miss Barker," said Matthews. "You'll just have to be patient. In the meantime, Vera posted bail, so she'll be under house arrest until her trial begins."

At the hospital, Samantha was still in her bed, having been awake for nearly 24 hours after a coma that lasted almost two months. As she rested, she saw someone enter her room, though the opening of the door was the only light that entered. Samantha couldn't see who it was, but she knew it was a woman's voice, because she heard the following statement.

"Sorry, Sammy. I can't let you get in my way."

"Freeze!" The voice of Detective Matthews was heard in the room, and after she turned on the light, the aura revealed a masked woman holding a syringe, consisting of a deadly chemical. Matthews approached the mysterious villainess and unmasked her, which was followed by an expression of contentment and assurance.

"Hello, Sasha. We were expecting you. I had already talked to Samantha, and she told me a lot about you, including the fact that you're the only one who calls her Sammy."

Sasha gave a defiant snarl as she was handcuffed and arrested, while Samantha breathed a sigh of relief over the capture of her evil ex-fiancée. Following her arrest, Sasha revealed the entire truth.

"You don't know what it's like, coming from nothing. When I was with Vera, it was paradise. I was the queen of the jungle. All Vera had to do was accept the fact that I would be spending some money on lavish things here and there, but no-o-o-o-o! She had to be cheap! She had to control me! I told her I was the best thing to happen to her, and she'd regret dumping me!"

"And what about Samantha?" asked Matthews.

"Samantha was a pain," snarled Sasha. "I waited so patiently for her to move up the ladder, but she was being too slow about it. She wasn't worth my time."

"So you ran her down?" asked Matthews. "I assume the wig we found was to set up Vera?"

"I deserve the world!" said Sasha. "Vera was worth a fortune. All I wanted was a piece. I couldn't even get that! And then Sammy had to be useless and lazy. Both of them had to pay for embarrassing me!"

Epilogue

Sasha's trial was a speedy one. She had the temerity to attempt an insanity plea, claiming that she wasn't in her right mind and was overcome with emotion. Her attempt failed miserably. A replay of Sasha's venomous confession, Vera revealing Sasha's terrible demeanor during their relationship, and a fully recovered Samantha told her story of how Sasha continuously berated and insulted her for not making more money at her workplace. Having seen Sasha as a cold-hearted and cold-blooded attempted killer, the jury wasted no time convicting Sasha, who received a life sentence.

As for Vera and Samantha, their lives are intertwined due to their experiences with Sasha. They each retold their stories and ordeals with their shared villainous ex-lover, and became close friends as a result, with Vera paying Samantha's hospital bills. Sasha truly thought she could have it all, and when she didn't, she thought that she could make those who stopped her pay. Not only did Sasha fail, she ended up exposed as a greedy and vindictive psychopath, while the women she plagued with her darkness ended up bonded together by their shared survival.

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