Chapter 1

My husband’s true love was being stalked by a twisted killer. To protect her, he pushed me straight into the lion’s den.

When I refused to act as bait to draw out the murderer, he threatened me. “Be careful, or your brother in the vegetative ward will pay the price.”

In the end, I was brutally murdered in a basement, my body turned into a macabre trophy.

When the police notified him of my death, he scoffed with disdain. “Nice try with the actors. Tonight, get your act together and go to that alley by the street. It’s time you paid for your mistakes.”

1.

The killer’s hideous, grinning face still haunts my vision, and the physical agony I felt keeps me disturbingly alert.

Eighty-two cuts. Every single one tore through my heart, leaving me bleeding out.

I was trapped, forced to feel my body heat slowly drain away.

I hadn’t eaten for three days. My hands and feet were chained to the floor, and my eyelids felt like they were made of lead.

My world drifted into total darkness. Only Silas Sterling’s face appeared before me, his voice dripping with venomous threats.

“Elara Vance, this is all a debt you owe Celeste. You have to pay it back!”

When I opened my eyes again, I was back by Silas’s side.

After everything I had endured, my first instinct was to lunge forward and embrace that tall, imposing figure. But then, I realized my body was translucent.

It hit me in a daze―I was dead.

Suddenly, a high-pitched, fragile voice pierced the air, filled with trembling fear.

“Ah! Silas, Silas!”

She woke up as if shaken from a nightmare, her lips quivering, tears shimmering in her wide, doe-like eyes.

Silas took long, decisive strides to her side, steadying her frail frame and holding her hand to give her strength.

“Celeste, don’t be afraid. I am right here.”

I finally noticed we were in a hospital room. Lying on the bed was Celeste Montgomery, her face deathly pale, looking utterly pathetic.

Seeing this, my heart felt like it was being crushed by an invisible hand. The sharp pain made it impossible to breathe.

I had been married to Silas for five years, yet I had never seen him act this gentle, this protective.

He looked at her as if she were the most precious treasure in the world.

He was nothing like this with me. When he looked at me, his eyes were always filled with nothing but disgust, as if I were a pile of trash.

I never imagined that even after death, I would have to watch him dote on another woman.

“I just had that dream about the killer again. It was so terrifying…”

Seeing her so fragile and shaken, Silas pulled her into his arms with a mix of heartache and guilt, his large hand gently soothing her back.

“Is there any news from Elara? I hope she’s alright,” Celeste said, her brows furrowed like a delicate flower. She played the part of the understanding saint, making her even more sympathetic.

The moment he heard my name, Silas’s tenderness vanished. He frowned, his face twisted with irritation.

“What could possibly happen to her? If it weren’t for her, you wouldn’t be targeted by that monster in the first place. This is all her own doing; she owes you!”

“Celeste, you are just too kind. Even after being scared out of your wits, you are still thinking about someone like her.”

Hearing those words felt like a thousand needles stabbing into my heart.

I never realized how worthless I was in Silas’s eyes.

Silas’s phone buzzed. He checked it and saw the takeout order he’d placed for Celeste had arrived.

Only then did he notice a red notification bubble on a text message. The sender was me.

I had triggered the emergency alert on my phone the moment I was in danger, sending it to my primary contact.

But he had been busy watching over Celeste’s peaceful sleeping face and had intentionally muted his phone, missing my desperate plea for help.

Looking at our chat history, which was filled almost entirely with my messages, a bitter sting hit my eyes. I wondered sadly, if he had seen the text, would I still be alive?

Sadly, it was too late. In that dark, suffocating basement, my heart had stopped beating forever.

Silas raised an eyebrow and let out a cold, sharp laugh.

“What a cheap trick. Trying to play the sympathy card? How pathetic!”

He tried to call me, but it didn’t go through. His brow knitted even tighter, his face contorting with annoyance at how much trouble I was causing him. He opened the voice message and unleashed a torrent of abuse.

“Elara, listen to me. Spare me these stupid games. No one wants to watch you play the victim! Just get your ass to that alley by the street and lure that psycho out for me!”

“You can’t even handle a simple task. You are such a useless burden, Elara!”

The hatred in his voice sent my spirit sinking into the abyss.

So, even if he had seen the text, he wouldn’t have lifted a finger to help.