Poisonous friend

Ashley always called me her best friend, but when she went out with guys, she’d tell her husband she was shopping with me. She constantly funneled money to her family, a classic "brother-moocher," but told her husband she was lending it to me for designer bags. Then, she cheated on her husband with her first love, caught something nasty, and had the audacity to blame me, sobbing that I’d purposely given her infected clothes. The result? Her in-laws showed up at my door, broke my ribs, and I died in agony.

…

Ashley Peterson, my supposed best friend and college roommate, used me as her scapegoat time and time again. When her husband, Chris Stewart, called, I instinctively touched my ribs. I was alive! Somehow, I’d been given a second chance.

"Sarah," Chris’s voice was sharp, "Where's Ashley? She said she was going shopping with you. Why isn't she home?" His tone shifted from worried to accusatory. "Don't you have your own friends? Why are you always dragging Ashley around? She's pregnant!"

I thought about it. Right now, Ashley was probably with her lover. "Oh," I said casually, "She's at the bingo hall. The one down the street from me."

"You just wait!" he snarled before hanging up.

Oh, I’ll wait. I’ll wait for you to blow this whole thing wide open. I’ll wait for your whole family to crash and burn.

I adjusted the security cameras in my apartment, even adding one by the front door. Just as I finished, a furious pounding echoed through the hallway.

"Sarah! Get out here!"

I opened the door to find Chris and his entire family, faces contorted with rage.

"Where is she, Sarah?! She wasn't at the bingo hall!" Chris stormed inside, kicking over a vase. "Where have you hidden her?!"

I shrugged. "Maybe I misheard. She told me she was going to bingo."

"You're lying! You did something to her!" Chris’s mother shrieked. "If anything happens to Ashley, you’ll pay!"

"Oh, we'll call the police!" I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "Not just the police, the media too! Let's see how a pregnant woman just vanishes into thin air!" I pointed at Chris. "And you! Breaking and entering. This isn't over."

Chris’s eyes flashed. "You bitch! You're asking for it!" He lunged at me, slapping me hard across the face. My ears rang.

Neighbors started to gather in the hallway.

"What's going on?"

"Why are you hitting her?"

Chris’s mother launched into a dramatic performance. "This woman took my pregnant daughter-in-law out and now she’s missing! She also borrowed $30,000 from Ashley and spent it all on herself! She’s a gold digger!"

The neighbors murmured among themselves.

"I can't believe she'd do something like that."

"So pretty, but such a wicked heart."

"Spoiled brat."

I seethed inside, but kept my voice calm. "Slander is a crime, Chris. Are you ready to say all that on camera?"

"Slander? Sarah, you’re unbelievable!" Chris, enraged, moved to hit me again. I darted into the kitchen, grabbed a carving knife, and pointed it at him. "Don't! Come any clos...