Chapter 1

1

I've been dead for five years.

My husband's obsession, his so-called "white moonlight," just had a heart attack. Suddenly, he remembered me―the top cardiothoracic surgeon in the country.

To force me out of hiding for her surgery, he drove his car over my father's legs. He forced my mother to her knees in the dirt. He even locked my ten-year-old sister in a cage, letting wild dogs tear at her.

He sat there, smug and confident, waiting for me to crawl back and beg for his forgiveness. That was when his assistant finally brought him the news.

"Mr. Vaughan, Dr. Stella Channing has been dead for five years."

"That heart transplant you received five years ago when you were dying of heart failure? That was hers."

……

I never imagined my reunion with Felix Vaughan after five years would be this gruesome.

The hand I once swore to hold forever was now gripped tight on a steering wheel.

And under his tires lay my own father.

My father's leg was crushed beneath the wheels of that luxury car. His body shook with agony as he let out a piercing, jagged scream.

"Ahhh!"

"Help! Someone help me!"

My father was a combat veteran. He'd taken bullets on the battlefield without making a sound. But now, his shrieks were like serrated blades carving into my soul.

How much pain must he be in?

I lunged forward, desperate to pull him up and end his suffering.

But my hands passed straight through his broken body.

I froze, the cold reality hitting me again. I was dead.

I had been dead for five long years.

For half a decade, my spirit had been drifting, tethered to my family. I was forced to watch them suffer, unable to lift a finger to protect them.

A hollow, crushing ache exploded in my chest.

I knelt beside my father, tears streaming down my face.

I remembered how he used to carry me when I was little. He was so tall, so strong―my ultimate protector.

Now, I couldn't protect him. Worse, he was being tortured like an animal all because of me.

All because of the only man I had ever loved.

Felix Vaughan.

Felix finally stepped out of the car. He adjusted his suit and pressed the tip of his expensive leather shoe against my father's face. Then, he spat on him.

"You old fossil, listen to me. Tell Stella to come out and face me right now."

"Otherwise, losing a leg will be the least of your worries."

The veins in my father's neck bulged from the pain. His voice was a raw, broken rasp. "I told you... Stella is dead! She's been gone for years!"

"How can you be this cruel? You killed my daughter, isn't that enough for you?"

"Do you really have to destroy our entire family to be satisfied?!"

My father's heartbroken questioning only seemed to provoke Felix further.

He raised his hand and delivered a brutal, stinging slap across my father's face.

"No!"

I threw myself at him, trying to stop the blow, but I felt nothing.

I had to watch my silver-haired father be humiliated in public by a man he once treated like a son.

My tears fell like rain.

I stared at Felix, my eyes burning with phantom blood.

I wanted to scream at him. Why? Why are you doing this to my father? Why are you doing this to me?

When we got married, my family's modest background was nothing compared to the wealthy Vaughan empire. Yet, my father loved Felix more than his own flesh and blood.

Every time Felix visited, my father would spend all day in the kitchen.

He memorized every single one of Felix's allergies and dislikes just to make sure he felt at home.

"Felix, try the brisket. I slow-cooked it just for you."

"Felix, you're family here. Don't you dare be polite."

"Go rest after dinner, son. Don't worry about the dishes."

The memories played back in vivid color. Five years of unconditional love and respect were being repaid with this monstrous cruelty.

"Old man, you think I'm stupid?"

"You think I'll fall for your lies?"

"Stella is dead? Ha! You'll be in the ground long before she ever is."