So you were the one?

"How did I end up like this? Am I gonna die now? What's gonna happen to the pizza I was gonna have for dinner tonight? No wait, I shouldn't be thinking about food when I'm literally dying right now! I haven't even avenged Amy's murder yet! I finally found them! God, why now of all times when I was this close to exposing them!? I really wish there was a chance for me to go back in time and fix everything! Just this once! Please God! I'll do anything. Let me just take my revenge God! Please!"

These were the last thoughts Cindy was having while falling from the same building her best friend Amy was murdered at! Or should it be said, while she was murdered too!

The day of Amy's murder was an unforgettable torturous day for Cindy as she was on the phone with Amy, moments before the murderer silenced her forever. It was a cold winter night. Cindy was working as a florist. Since it was Amy's birthday the next day, Cindy was planning to give her a surprise so excitedly until she got a call from Amy.

"Hello, Cindy" Amy called Cindy with a trembling voice as if she was so scared by something.

"Hey miss busybee, where have you been all day? I've trying to call but couldn't reach you. Did anything happen?"

"Cindy, there's something you need to know." Her voice seemed exhausted. It was clear she had been running for a while.

"Know what? And where are you?"

"I'm at my place."

"Just wait for me. I'll finish my shift and come meet you and then we'll talk about it while having pizza. Okay?"

"NO! you need to know now. They've been using you Cindy. They've been stealing from you. I caught them today. But they saw me too. It feels like they're after me now. I'm scared Cindy"

"What are you talking about Amy? Who's stealing? Who's after you? Are you drunk?"

"It's…it's…why are you here?" the call got cut before Amy could say anything. Cindy was in a shock. She could feel something was wrong. She took off her apron and rushed to see Amy. But it was already too late. All she found was Amy lying on the floor and blood drenching the ice in dark red around Amy. The police was there, the whole neighbourhood had gathered around. Cindy could not take the scenery in front of her and screamed Amy's name trying to wake her up. But seeing no response from Amy, Cindy burst into tears, soon falling unconscious.

While being unconscious, Cindy had a dream of how they met at the orphanage 20 years ago and how they were inseparable since then. The moments they spent together flashed in front of her eyes but suddenly she heard Amy calling for her.

"Cindy, Cindy wake up! I need to tell you something. Wake up!"

Cindy jumped from her sleep only to realize it was just a vague dream she had while lying unconscious on the hospital bed.

It had been 2 years since Amy's death. The case was closed declaring it as a suicide but Cindy knew that there was more than met the eye. She tried hard to find evidence since the past two years. But after failing to find any solid proof she had no one to accuse so she was about to give up when suddenly Cindy received a parcel from an anonymous sender. As she opened the parcel, she was left speechless. It was Amy's phone! The phone that was lost from the scene. But she kept thinking how did someone else find it. Along with the phone, Cindy found a note.

"To Cindy,

I'm sorry for being too late. I had been a coward and was afraid to face you but I finally mustered up the courage. I was there. I was present when Amy was pushed from the building. I couldn't see who did it but as I wanted to go upstairs, Amy stopped me asking for my help. She told me to give this phone to you. She said you know the password and to check her recorder. I really hope you find the truth now. And when everything's settled, I will come meet you myself. I'm just not confident enough yet.

"From Zennyx."

"Zennyx?" Cindy tried to remember if she knew someone by that name but couldn't think of anyone but she was certain it was someone who knew her. Then she took the phone out of the envelope. The password? How could she forget the password! It's the day they first met each other at the orphanage! October 26th. So the password is of course 2610! It's the password they used for everything!

Unlocking the phone, Cindy's eyes filled with tears when she saw the photo of herself and Amy together as her wallpaper. Memories started flashing before her eyes again. Cindy calmed herself down while eating a burger as she believed that hunger should never be the victim of someone's misery and opened the recorder where she was about to find out the biggest blow of her life. When she played the voice record, she heard the conversation of Amy and the person she's been looking for so long. The criminal!

"Why are you here?" this was last thing Amy said before Amy cut the call that day. Cindy knew Amy was talking to the murderer and secretly recorded their conversation. Cindy was waiting to hear the other person's voice imagining if it's a girl or a guy! But never did she imagine in her worst nightmare that the voice to appear next was of someone she knew very well!

"Give me the photos, Amy. We don't want any trouble between us! Just give me the photos and everything will go back to the way it was!"

Cindy's whole world crumbled when she heard the voice! How would she not recognize it? It was the voice she heard everyday! It was the voice of her boyfriend Mark! The boyfriend that she loved and trusted more than herself! How could that be? Why would Mark be there with Amy? And what would he have to do with her death? Cindy kept wondering these things with a blank mind scared of discovering something she would not be able to endure.

As she listened to the rest of the recording, she realized that the person she had been seeing and trusting more than herself, had a completely different side of him that she wasn't even aware of… and that too was such a scary personality! A personality similar to a treacherous monster! But still with huge courage, she kept listening.

"To the way it was? To the way how you kept deceiving and stealing from Cindy for all these years?! And how you were cheating on her with that bitch Kiara?"

"Deceive? I never deceived her! And it wasn't stealing either! I was just using her designs in return for the love I gave her! And to be frank, I was helping her! Her designs were gonna be introduced to everyone because of me! It was such a waste that she never wanted to disclose them! I did her the favour!"

"How could you be so selfish, Mark? How could you do this to her? She freaking loved you so much! Did u even love her?!"

"Love? Of course I did love her." Mark said with a wicked laugh. "Who wouldn't love their golden egg laying goose! You see, whatever I am today, it's all thanks to her! I even got a job at Kiara's company because of her! All I had to do was pretend to be her partner at the competition back in college, and help her lose so that Kiara could win. The next day, her father Mr. Woodwick called me himself and told me to join their company as soon as I finished my college. And wanna know an amazing fact? Kiara and I are gonna be married soon! After I take Cindy's designs from her, I'm gonna dump her and be with the one who suits me perfectly. Isn't that amazing?"

Hearing these words, Cindy fell on the ground. Her precious burger also lost the grip of her hand. "He made me lose on purpose? He knew how much that competition meant to me. He knew how desperate I was to win and yet he helped Kiara, the girl I hate the most in the world to win!" Cindy kept thinking to herself and continued to listen to the audio.

"You're such a shameless jerk Mark! You deserve to rot in hell! And that bitch Kiara as well! I'm gonna tell Cindy all about your schemes."

"I'm afraid you won't have the chance to do that honey."

"What do you mean?"

"You see, I can't let you ruin everything that I've worked so hard for! And besides, every great achievements require sacrifices. So I would really appreciate your noble sacrifice for the sake of my greater achievement. But if you give me the photos that you took of me and Kiara and I'll let you go. How does that sound?"

"Go screw yourself! You're never gonna get those photos."

"Then you left me no choice Amy. Don't resent me too much. I had offered peace."

Saying this, Mark started to choke Amy. As Amy was struggling to get away from his tight grip, they were moving towards the edge of the rooftop. And at one point, Amy lost control of her feet. Mark also pushed her and kept watching her as she was falling and quickly left the place to avoid any kind of suspicions.

"So you were the one who took my only family away from me?" Cindy thought to herself.