Chapter 1

1

Brooke intentionally ran me over with her car, leaving me paralyzed.

My husband, Jason, was at her place, probably making her some fancy avocado toast.

I thought I was a goner, but somehow, I was still breathing, lying in a pool of blood, begging for help.

When Brooke saw I wasn't dead, she put the car in drive and ran me over again.

She didn't stop until every bone in my legs was crushed, still not satisfied, inventing new ways to torture me.

Three years after I died...

Brooke developed a heart condition, and Jason finally remembered I existed.

He showed up in the sticks with a bunch of goons, looking for me, convinced I was hiding somewhere.

"Just agree to give Brooke your heart, and I'll let you see our daughter. I'll even spring for a top-of-the-line artificial heart for you."

He tore the whole town apart.

He dug everywhere, but he couldn't find my ashes anywhere.

...

When Jason and his security detail arrived in this godforsaken mountain town, his brow was furrowed so deeply it looked permanent.

The place was a ghost town, everyone young had bailed for the city, leaving only a few old folks waiting to die.

Jason had bought up the whole town and the surrounding farmland, just to keep me locked up.

Now it's been three years and nobody has seen me.

There was a rundown shack by the edge of town, covered in spiderwebs.

After a heavy rain, the ground was nothing but mud.

Jason took one step and grimaced.

He pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket, covering his nose and mouth.

I have no idea what smell bothered him.

"Ashley, are you getting a kick out of living out here? Get your butt out here now!"

He was so condescending, his eyes full of disgust.

He yelled a few times, but nobody answered.

Just dead silence.

Jason's eyes turned ice-cold.

"You guys, kick the door down!"

He casually ordered the goons behind him.

With a loud crash, the old wooden door splintered into pieces, falling down.

The goons rushed in, ready to grab me.

But after five minutes, they ran out looking confused.

"Mr. Stone, nobody's in there."