Chapter 1

One week before our wedding, my phone rang with a call from an unknown number.

Julian had been kidnapped. The kidnapper gave me an ultimatum: wire three million dollars in twenty-four hours, or Julian would be dead.

I hadn't worked in a year. I was completely broke.

Panicked and shaking, I dialed my sister, Natalie.

She let out a scoffing laugh through the speaker.

"Avery, you really have some nerve! Asking for three million just like that?"

"I don't have that kind of money. Deal with it yourself."

Before I could beg again, she hung up on me.

I couldn't wait a single second, so I called Mom and Dad immediately.

"Have you lost your mind?!"

"What do you expect us to do, rob a bank?!"

I went through every single contact in my phone, begging everyone I knew.

Not a single person was willing to lend me a penny.

With only two hours left before the deadline, I had no choice but to go to the address the kidnappers sent.

Seeing that I had no money, the kidnapper said there was only one way Julian would walk out alive: if I put on a wire harness and jumped off the fifteenth floor.

Terrified of heights to the point of nausea, I didn't hesitate for a second. I jumped.

When they pulled me back up, every drop of color had drained from my face.

My entire body was trembling violently.

Then, out walked Julian—the man who was supposedly kidnapped—alongside my sister and my parents, who hadn't spared me a single cent.

All four of them were clapping.

Julian rushed forward and wrapped me in an excited hug. "Congratulations! You passed the ultimate love test! You're officially ready to be my wife!"

I stared blankly at their laughing faces.

My heart felt completely hollow, stripped down to pure numbness.

A cold, humorless smile crept onto my lips.

From this moment on, I was done playing their twisted little games.

Seeing me drenched in cold sweat, Natalie clutched her stomach, laughing so hard she could barely stand.

"You actually jumped from the fifteenth floor?"

"Avery, how can you still be this stupid?"

Mom and Dad burst into laughter too. The sound pierced my ears like sharp needles.

"I know, right? She actually called us begging for cash!"

"If we'd lent it to her, we would've missed out on this hilarious show!"

Natalie beamed proudly, looking like she deserved an award.

"My test was brilliant, wasn't it? Just look at how much Avery loves you."

So that was it. Throwing away every shred of my dignity, begging on my knees to save Julian's life—it was all just part of their entertainment.

Seeing my stiff, frozen expression, Julian sighed helplessly.

"Avery, don't be mad at Natalie."

"Our wedding is next week. She only set up this love test because she cares about me."

I clenched my fists so tight my nails dug deep into my palms. My shoulders shook uncontrollably.

"So you staged this entire kidnapping... forced me into a harness and made me jump fifteen stories... just to see if I truly love you?"

Natalie smiled sweetly, completely unfazed by the burning rage in my voice.

"What else? Julian treats you like a queen. Without a little test, how could we know if you're actually worthy of being Mrs. Vance?"

Mom and Dad chimed in right on cue, their voices dripping with patronizing judgment.

"Avery, stop acting like an ungrateful brat. Your sister did this for the sake of your relationship."

"Exactly. It was just a harmless prank. Do you really have to pull that pathetic, miserable face?"

Looking at me shaking on the ground, Julian seemed to realize they might have pushed it a bit too far.

"All right, all right, let's wrap it up. Let's head downstairs and go home."

I was on my knees, my legs completely useless.

Julian reached out to pull me up, but Natalie suddenly pinched her nose and jumped back with an exaggerated gasp. Her sharp, mocking voice echoed across the barren concrete floor.

"Ugh! What is that disgusting smell?!"

Her eyes landed straight on my pants, and her laugh turned shrill.

"No way, Avery... you literally peed yourself!"

"It was just a stunt harness for a little prank, and you pissed your pants?!"

She pointed her finger right at my crotch.

Everyone's eyes followed her finger, locking onto me.

Julian froze. His brows knitted into a tight frown, and he quietly took half a step backward.

Mom and Dad looked embarrassed, glancing at each other before quickly averting their eyes in disgust.

Humiliation crashed over me like boiling water. The blood rushed violently to my head.

I bit down on my bottom lip until the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. In that moment, I genuinely wanted to throw myself off that ledge again—no harness this time. Just to end it all.

Ashamed to even be seen near me, Mom and Dad turned toward the exit.

"Enough! Let's get out of here. Go home and change your damn pants."

The group moved toward the elevator.

Natalie shot me a look of pure revulsion.

"Julian, leave her alone. Let's go down first."

"She reeks of sweat and piss. If she rides the elevator with us, she's going to suffocate everyone!"

Julian had been about to help me, but hearing Natalie's words, he pulled his hands back instantly. He looked at me with an awkward, conflicted grimace.

"Natalie has a point."

"Avery, we'll wait for you downstairs."

Natalie tilted her head, a venomous smirk playing on her lips.

"Hey Avery, if waiting for the next elevator is too much trouble, why don't you clip back into the harness and slide down again?"

"You can prove your undying love for Julian one more time!"

Already inside the elevator, Julian reached out and playfully tapped Natalie on the head.

"Natalie, stop teasing."

There wasn't an ounce of real scolding in his tone.

The cold metal elevator doors slowly slid shut, locking them on the other side and shutting me out completely.

I was left entirely alone on that massive, empty fifteenth floor.

The biting wind whipped through the open concrete frame, lashing against my skin.

I touched my chest. Oddly enough, it didn't hurt anymore.

I guess when you hit rock bottom, you run out of tears.