Chapter 1

1

My husband's childhood sweetheart broke into our home and murdered me.

Soren Miller, a top-tier defense attorney and the man I called my husband, defended her in court. He claimed I staged the entire home invasion just to get his attention.

He even showed up at my funeral, pointing at my casket with a look of pure disgust.

"Tessa, stop this pathetic act and get out of there right now," he barked. "Apologize to Lacey for your cheap tricks!"

My entire body felt like it was being gnawed on by a thousand ants before everything went numb. I realized then that my soul was floating in mid-air.

The home we once shared, a place filled with warmth, was now a wreck from the robbery. Even though the housekeeper had scrubbed the floors, the air still smelled like death.

Soon, I heard the lock turn. It was Soren.

Habit made me want to rush forward to greet him, but reality struck me like a physical blow. He wasn't alone. He was supporting a woman―Lacey Chambers.

Lacey's arm was in a cast. Soren carried several bags of groceries. It looked like they had just enjoyed a cozy trip to the supermarket.

After settling Lacey on the couch, Soren rolled up his sleeves and headed for the kitchen. He had given the housekeeper the day off just so he could cook for Lacey himself.

In all our years of marriage, I never received such treatment.

To me, Soren had always been a god. I watched his career skyrocket and happily played the role of the woman supporting him from the shadows.

But my sacrifice never bought his love.

Soren always claimed he was too busy for grocery shopping, calling it a waste of time. He certainly never stepped into the kitchen for me.

Seeing this tender side of him for the first time felt like having my dignity trampled under his boots.

"Aren't you going to check on Tessa?" Lacey's voice came from the kitchen doorway, soft and testing.

At the mention of my name, the knife in Soren's hand slammed harder against the cutting board.

"Why would I?" he snapped. "If she hadn't lured you to the house in the first place, you wouldn't have been hurt."

"Her parents called me a few days ago claiming she was dead. Only a fool would believe those liars. The whole family is full of it."

It wasn't like that at all. Why was I the criminal in his version of the story?

I stood beside Soren, waving my arms in front of his face, desperate to prove my innocence.

But I was truly dead. My funeral had already been held.

He had ignored me enough when I was alive. There was no way he would notice me now.

Lacey's eyes flickered with a triumphant glint at his answer.

"Tessa probably just wanted to talk to me about us," she sighed, playing the martyr.

"I just didn't expect her to be so jealous. She actually tried to kill me…"

She let out a small, rehearsed shudder. The sight of her distress sent a wave of protective fury through Soren.

He dropped the knife and pulled her into a gentle embrace, his eyes darkening with malice.

"Don't worry. I'll make her pay for this. I'll make sure she faces the full extent of the law."

But Lacey was the killer!

Seven years of marriage, and this was how it ended. This was the man I had loved with everything I had.

As a world-class lawyer, he was supposed to value evidence above all else. Yet, a few words from Lacey were all he needed to grant her his total trust.

I should have realized it sooner. In Soren's world, it was always a choice between Lacey and me.

And Lacey was always the only answer.