A gunshot shattered the silence.
My breath caught in my throat as I watched Mrs. Letoya slump to the floor, blood pooling beneath her. My hands trembled, my mind struggling to process what had just happened. Harrison… he had shot her.
Not me.
I slowly turned to him, my chest rising and falling in rapid, uneven breaths. “Why?” I whispered.
Harrison glanced at the lifeless body as if it were nothing more than an inconvenience. He sighed, adjusting the cuffs of his suit. “Mrs. Letoya was useful once. She helped me gain access to the elite circle. But now? She was nothing more than a charity case I kept around for amusement.” His lips curled into a smirk. “You should be thanking me, love. That bullet could’ve been for you.”
I staggered back, horror clawing at my insides. “You’re a monster.”
He chuckled, stepping toward me. “Oh, come on. Did you really think I was going to kill you? That was all just a prank.”
I froze, my brain struggling to catch up. “A… prank?”
Harrison suddenly dropped to one knee.
My stomach lurched.
A velvet box appeared in his hands, and when he opened it, a diamond ring glistened under the dim lights. My pulse pounded in my ears.
“I want a real wedding with you,” he said, his voice smooth, confident. “You belong to me. Let’s make it official.”
Every fiber of my being screamed at me to run. But then I looked at him—at his cold, powerful gaze—and I understood. He had won. He was now part of the most powerful elite circle. There was no escaping him.
Slowly, I exhaled.
And then, I nodded.
Harrison’s smirk widened.
We were married within days.
The townhouse was suffocating.
Harrison had purchased an extravagant home, far from the city, where no one could reach me. It was just us and Lawrent. No one else. No family, no friends, no escape.
Months turned into years.
Five years passed, and with each day, I felt my fight slowly fading. I had accepted it—this was my life now. I was Harrison’s wife. My only purpose was to care for Lawrent. I lived for my daughter, and nothing else.
Every day, I watched over her as she attended one of the most prestigious schools in the country. That was my only task. Harrison didn’t trust me with anything else. I was nothing more than a beautifully caged bird.
Until the news broke.
The headline spread across every media platform.
Ychan Del Fuego Involved in University Riot
I stared at the screen, my heart hammering. Ychan… he was eighteen now. It had been years since I had last seen him. Guilt settled in my chest. Had he rebelled because of me? Had he suffered because Harrison had chosen me over him?
That night, I got my answer.
Harrison brought Ychan home.
“He’ll be staying with us,” Harrison said casually, pouring himself a drink. “It’s best if I keep an eye on him.”
The moment Harrison left the room, Ychan turned to me, his eyes burning with hatred. “I hate you.”
His words hit like a slap.
“You ruined everything,” he hissed. “Ever since you married him, he stopped caring about me. You replaced me.”
I swallowed hard. “Ychan, I—”
“Don’t pretend you care,” he cut me off. “I don’t want your pity. I just want you gone.”
I stared at him, a realization settling in.
“Then help us escape,” I whispered.
Ychan stiffened. His expression flickered with something unreadable.
A long pause stretched between us. Then, slowly, he nodded.
For days, we planned in secret. Ychan studied the guards, learned their routines. We waited for the right moment—when Del Fuego Corporation was in chaos, too distracted to notice our absence.
The night finally came.
Ychan drugged one of the guards, stealing his key card. My hands trembled as I held Lawrent close, whispering reassurances in her ear.
We reached the gate. Ychan swiped the card. The lock clicked.
We were free.
But before we could take another step, Ychan suddenly stopped.
“I need to hug her,” he said.
I blinked, watching as he knelt beside Lawrent, wrapping his arms around her. My heart ached. He wasn’t just helping us escape—he was saying goodbye to the only family he had left.
Then, we ran.
We sprinted through the dark streets, my lungs burning. We had to make it out. We had to—
A car screeched to a halt in front of us.
My body froze.
The window rolled down, and my breath caught in my throat.
Kristoph.
A sob escaped my lips. “Kristoph?”
He grinned. “Get in.”
We didn’t hesitate. We jumped into the car. The moment the doors shut, Kristoph floored the gas.
Tears blurred my vision. “I thought you were dead.”
Kristoph smirked. “Yeah, well, I thought you were, too.”
But before relief could settle, another car roared behind us.
“They found us,” Ychan cursed.
Gunshots rang out.
Kristoph swerved, narrowly avoiding the bullets. Lawrent screamed, clinging to me. My heart pounded so hard it hurt.
Then I realized—Harrison had tracked my phone.
I grabbed the device and hurled it out the window.
“Hold on!” Kristoph shouted.
I barely had time to react before he yanked the wheel—sending the car straight toward the ocean.
My stomach dropped.
“We have no other choice,” Kristoph yelled. “Brace yourselves!”
The vehicle soared through the air.
Water exploded around us as we crashed into the sea.
Panic seized my chest. The car was sinking fast.
Kristoph smashed the window. Water rushed in.
“Take Lawrent!” I shoved her toward him.
He grabbed her, pushing her through the broken glass.
I tried to follow, but the moment I moved—
My body seized as my foot stucked on the car seat.
The cold swallowed me whole.
My limbs went numb. My lungs screamed for air.
Darkness crept into the edges of my vision.
I reached out blindly.
And then—
Nothing.
