Chapter 1
A loud bang echoed as the massive door slammed open. I lifted my tear-stained eyes, clutching the urn containing my child’s ashes.
Zack Chapman’s large hand was already around my throat, his temple throbbing with rage as he glared at me with knife-like eyes.
“Aria Frost! How could you be so vicious!”
“Mia is so pure and kind-hearted. You’re playing with fire, always trying to cause trouble for her!”
“Don’t think I won’t do anything to you!”
His grip tightened until I nearly passed out before he finally let go.
I stumbled back, collapsing to the floor. “Zack, it’s all my fault. I deserve whatever punishment you give me.”
He frowned at me. “Aria Frost, are you planning some new trick to hurt Mia?”
I shook my head, my voice devoid of emotion.
“I’ll kneel before your precious Mia and beg for her forgiveness. No matter how upset she is, it’s all my fault.”
The urn tilted, spilling a small amount of ashes. I silently gathered them with trembling hands, tears occasionally falling onto the white powder. Each time I wiped away a tear, it left a sticky mark.
Zack approached me, slowly crouching down and gently wiping away a tear that was about to fall.
When I looked at him, he abruptly pulled his hand back.
Mia wasn’t just his family’s adopted daughter; she was his prized possession. Whatever Mia said, he believed. Whatever I said, he suspected ulterior motives.
I had long understood that in his heart, I was nothing but a sinner through and through.
If Mia caught a cold, he’d say my negative energy was affecting her.
If Mia was unhappy, he’d interrogate me about what I’d done.
Three days ago, Mia had faked a miscarriage, claiming I’d pushed her down the stairs. After returning from the hospital, Zack actually made Mia stand on the same stairs to push me down.
I tried to protect my eight-month pregnant belly, desperately attempting to escape, but Zack grabbed me by the collar like a helpless chicken. No matter how much I begged, it was useless.
At the hospital, even though the baby still had a faint heartbeat when delivered, the doctor declared him dead after accepting a red envelope from Mia.
The tiny spark of hope I had kindled for life was thoroughly extinguished.
Zack watched me lovingly caress the urn in my arms, a fleeting look of sympathy crossing his face.
Just as I set the urn back in its place, Zack suddenly picked me up.
“What are you doing?!”
He carried me into the bedroom, tossing me onto the bed before starting to tug at my clothes.
As he leaned down towards me, I saw the hickey on his neck.
I shrank back. “My body hasn’t fully recovered yet. Maybe next time.”
Zack first doubted he had heard correctly, then looked at me with a cold smirk, his tone full of mockery.
“You think you have any value to me beyond your body?”
I stared at him blankly as he forced himself on me, tearing my clothes despite my resistance.
Tears streamed down my face, but his actions didn’t pause for a moment.
Zack and I were childhood sweethearts. From playing games in kindergarten where I often played his bride, I grew up listening to his constant declarations of love.
Even though he became comatose, I never gave up on marrying him, always hoping he would wake up one day.
But what I waited for was greater pain and an even longer wait.
My mother lay unconscious in the hospital, with no idea when she might wake. I was so tired. Perhaps it was time to leave this heartbreaking place behind.