Chapter 1

"Kelly's been quiet these past few days. Has she realized her mistakes?" Cody Rummish asked as he held Luna Briche in his arms, gently tugging on a loose strand of hair before kissing her deeply.

"If I had known she would've become this obedient, I would've thrown her inside the first time she caused trouble for you. Then you wouldn't have had to suffer so many grievances."

Luna's face flushed pink as she snuggled deeper into Cody's arms and smiled at him sweetly.

Cody's secretary, Trent Pencer, on the other hand, looked hesitant.

"Mrs. Rummish hasn't eaten or drunk anything in five days. Will she be—"

Trent hadn't finished speaking before Cody grabbed a mug and smashed it hard against his head.

"How many times do I have to tell you? You're not allowed to call her 'Mrs. Rummish'! That vile woman doesn't deserve the title! Luna is my wife now!"

Cody wasn't wrong. He was legally married to Luna.

"Babe, they're just names on a marriage certificate. They don't mean anything. I married her just so I could save the company my brother left behind. His will states that only a legal spouse can inherit his shares," he had said to me.

"My brother's dead, so I need to handle all of this. If I don't marry her, Luna's family members who are on the board will swallow up everything my family has built over three generations.

"I swear that this marriage will end in a year. Then, the only person I'll marry is you."

He had even been holding me in his arms when he had said those words.

At first, he had used his elders to pressure me. He had told me that if he didn't do it, then it'd ruin his family's reputation and bring shame upon his elders. He couldn't let his family down.

As unwilling as I had been, I had decided to endure it. However, that choice had only made Cody worse.

"Babe, it's just a child. I don't have any feelings for her. The moment she gets pregnant, I'll divorce her and marry you!

"Stop crying. Do you think I want this? If the flight you'd arranged for my brother hadn't crashed, would I even need to atone for your sins on your behalf?"

No matter how much I had cried or thrown a tantrum, he would always have a reason to shut me down.

"Mr. Rummish! There's a strong smell coming from the bedroom. A life is at stake here, so I think it's best if you go check on… Kelly."

Cody was getting annoyed with Trent. He walked up to his secretary and gave him a swift kick before warning him to never speak of my name again.

"So what if it smells? That's exactly where she needs to be so she can reflect properly! Don't comment on my decisions again! I know what I'm doing. Now, get lost!"

Cody's level of annoyance was abnormally high. Even he wasn't sure why he was feeling so frustrated.

"Don't worry, Luna. I'll make things right for you. I swear I won't let my brother's soul roam around in agony."

Luna walked over and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"You're the best. I'm sure your brother would find peace if he knew how well you take care of me.

"But will Kelly be scared? Should we just let it go?"

Cody scoffed, completely unbothered.

As I listened to their brazen reasons for cheating, I couldn't help but laugh through my tears.

The truth was… I had already died.

I had even felt peace the moment my soul left me and drifted out of that dark, cramped, and suffocating wardrobe.

My blood had pooled around me, and the corpse had started to stink. There were multiple chains hanging on the closet door, appearing as if they were intending to lock me inside for eternity.

"You don't know how hilarious it was when she was on her knees begging me when I first locked her in.

"She may be desperate to live now, but did she ever think about how hopeless my brother must've felt when he'd died at her hands? Or how terrified you must've felt when you were trapped in the elevator while pregnant, almost dying?

"Kelly believed she could do anything just because I loved her, including going after my family. I won't let her off the hook so easily!"

What Cody didn't know was that I hadn't been desperate to stay alive just for myself.

I had been pregnant. I had been begging him on behalf of our child.

My mouth had been taped shut, so I couldn't yell out. Instead, I had banged on the closet doors so desperately that my arms had become mangled, with blood pouring out uncontrollably.

"Stay inside, and think about what you've done!"

Blood had gushed out from my lower half, and I realized that I had lost the child. Ignoring the lack of oxygen, I had used my last bit of strength to slam my head into the closet doors, hoping Cody would understand how helpless I had felt.

"Looks like you're actually scared, huh? Can you finally understand the terror Luna felt when she was trapped?"

In the end, I had suffocated to death. Before I had closed my eyes for the final time, I had heard him say coldly, "Chain this closet up! I'm sick and tired of all this commotion! Let me know when she's finally quiet and behaving."

The giant padlock had pierced through my heart and shackled my soul. And with it, all my love and hopes for Cody had dissipated, and my world had crumbled into nothingness.