Chapter 1

After my husband Julian fell in love with Vivian, the girl who bullied me relentlessly in high school, I was forced to learn three rules:

First, Vivian's commands had to be obeyed twenty-four hours a day.

Second, whenever Vivian claimed I hurt her, I had to drop to my knees and apologize.

Third, when Vivian wanted to sleep with my husband, I was the one who had to open the box of condoms for them.

If I refused, I would be thrown into the dark basement.

No food for seven straight days.

If I dared to resist, they would kill my dog.

I tried to run once, but they threw me into a psychiatric ward instead.

The day I was admitted, Vivian smiled like an angel and whispered in my ear that I was still the same pathetic loser I'd always been, telling me to rot in there until I died.

What she didn't know was that I had prepared a special parting gift for her.

In three days, they were all going to pay.

On the giant TV screen, Julian was down on one knee, proposing to Vivian.

Reporters shoved microphones straight in his face:

"Mr. Vance! Does this extravagant public proposal mean you've finally moved on from your past?"

"We heard you arranged a multi-million-dollar firework show just for Miss Blake. Is that true?"

Julian's smile was soft, his eyes dripping with indulgence.

Until a voice suddenly cut through the cheering crowd:

"Mr. Vance! What about your ex-girlfriend who was locked away in the asylum? Does she know you're getting engaged today?!"

Camera flashes erupted frantically.

Julian's smile instantly froze on the screen.

A second later, he pulled Vivian tightly into his arms and said with quiet conviction, "In this life, there is only Vivian for me."

I peeled the last strip of apple skin and let out a sudden laugh.

Behind me, the bodyguard shifted uncomfortably, avoiding my eyes.

Nobody expected that the broken woman dragged out of the mental hospital would be sitting here, watching the whole thing unfold live.

I don't know how long passed.

The front door clicked open. The TV was still replaying the proposal on a loop.

Julian walked in, holding Vivian's hand.

His eyes caught the small paring knife in my hand, and by pure instinct, he stepped in front of Vivian, shielding her behind his back.

His voice sounded exhausted.

"Rain, Vivian and I are just keeping up appearances. Her mother is critically ill and only wants to see her settled down before she passes. I had no choice..."

"Is that so?" I smiled faintly. "Keeping up appearances all the way into each other's bed?"

Vivian cut in, her voice sickeningly sweet and trembling.

"Rainie, please don't say that. You're breaking Julian's heart."

She took a small step forward. "I know how hurt you are. Your fake suicide attempts didn't work, so now you're lashing out in other ways... But the doctors explicitly said your moods are unstable. You might hurt someone..."

I counted down in my head.

Not even a second passed.

Julian's voice dropped, icy and furious. "Lorraine! Vivian has suffered enough for your sake! What more do you want?!"

Right then, footsteps thudded upstairs.

A guard hurried down, his face pale and conflicted. "Mr. Vance... in Miss Blake's closet... all her dresses have been shredded to pieces."

Julian's expression snapped.

He crossed the room in two strides, ripping the knife from my grip with savage force.

His fingers clamped around my wrist like iron bands, wrenching me up.

"You never change! After all these years, you're still trying to destroy her! Lorraine, do you really think my patience with you is limitless?!"

I stumbled against his brutal pull. "I never went near her room."

He didn't care to listen.

Slam.

I was thrown into the pitch-black storage room under the stairs.

The heavy door slammed shut from the outside with violent force. "Don't bother coming out until you apologize to Vivian!"

In the total darkness, I curled up on the cold floor, pulling my knees to my chest.

Through the thin wood, Vivian's soft, spoiled giggles soon drifted in.

Julian was whispering low, soothing words to her.

Before long, the rustle of clothes, breathless gasps, and intentionally loud moans pierced through the cracks like needles.

I shut my eyes.

Seven years.

Seven years of Vivian claiming I pushed her down the stairs, shredded her designer gowns, poisoned her drinks.

And every single time, Julian believed her without a shred of doubt.

“Rain, you're sick. Let the doctors help you.”

Even after I was dragged out of the facility and brought back to this house, I was still locked inside dark rooms every single day.

Now, listening to them making out right outside my prison, my heart was a barren wasteland.

My mind kept looping the scene from the screen.

A proposal watched by thousands. A multi-million-dollar display of devoted love.

None of it mattered anymore.