Chapter 1

I died in that windowless storage closet.

The sound of my skull cracking still echoes deep within my ears. Liam’s fist, Linda’s sneer, Arthur’s back turning as he locked the door―those memories are like rusted nails driven into my mind.

I am Elena. In my past life, I emptied my savings to buy a condo in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, putting the title in Liam’s name. I thought that was love. It turned into a sanctuary for his family of six, while I was nothing more than a worker ant tasked with keeping them fed.

I paid the internet bills, covered the mortgage, and scrubbed every dirty dish. In return, I was framed for theft and locked in a storage closet to be beaten to death.

Now, I have returned to three months ago.

The afternoon the security system was installed.

This time, I will not just be the one paying the bills.