Chapter 1

My husband's first love had been trapped in a car for an hour. After she was rescued, he shoved me into a wooden box and nailed it shut!

"You will suffer a hundred times more than she did!" he yelled.

I begged, "Please, Yoel, I didn't mean to forget her in the car! It was an accident!"

He showed no mercy. "Stay in there and think about your actions. You'll come out once you've learned your lesson!" he snapped.

I struggled, cried, and pleaded, but it was no use. I curled up in the small wooden box, my body breaking, blood staining the floor beneath me.

A week later, he and his first love returned from their trip, planning to let me out. I was already dead and suffocated—a cold corpse.

...

It was cold outside, yet the room reeked of decay. I had been dead for a week when the door finally opened.

The foul stench made Elaine stop in her tracks. "Oh my god, what is that smell?" she asked, covering her nose in disgust.

Yoel, who was drunk, held her tightly. "Today is your birthday. I want that bitch Julianna to apologize to you publicly."

Elaine's eyes flashed with pride though she spoke softly. "Yoel, there's no need for that. She didn't mean to trap me in the car. She must have forgotten to let me out. It was an accident."

"I'm fine now. Don't let this affect your relationship," she added, attempting to sound sincere.

Yoel's eyes burned with fury. "She did it on purpose! She's jealous of the attention I give you!" he roared. "If I hadn't found you in time, you'd be dead!"

Elaine covered her mouth, appearing as though she might vomit. The stench was overpowering, even from the door. “Then do what you think is best, Yoel. Teach her a lesson,” she said, her voice trembling.

Yoel nodded, his face set in determination. "I won't go easy on her," he muttered, more to himself than to Elaine, as he stepped into the room.

"I'll head back to the party. You and Julianna can sort this out!" Elaine called over her shoulder as she hurried away.

Yoel yelled after her, "Wait! I'll make sure she comes and apologizes!"

I couldn't help but sneer as my long-imprisoned soul surged with anger. I floated to his side, unseen. I was already dead. Was he really going to drag my corpse out to make amends?

Yoel pried the nails off the wooden box but did not bother lifting the lid. Instead, he kicked it hard. "Do you admit you were wrong?" he shouted. "If you do, get out and apologize to Elaine! You have half an hour to clean yourself up and get rid of that stench! If you're late, I'll nail the box shut again!" With that, he stormed out of the room, off to enjoy the party with his first love.

Half an hour later, a pouting Elaine approached Yoel. "Why isn't Julianna here yet? Is she still mad at us? It's my birthday, and I want her blessing!"

Yoel glanced at his watch, frustration boiling over. He snapped at his assistant, "Go check on her! Now!"

The assistant nodded and rushed to the basement. When he lifted the lid of the wooden box, the stench of decay filled the room, and he saw my lifeless body. He screamed and ran back upstairs, his face ashen.

Yoel growled impatiently, "What's the holdup? Is she still playing games? She is wasting Elaine's time!"

The assistant, trembling, stammered, "Mr. Dalton, Mrs. Dalton... she's dead. There's no sign of life. The room smells of decay, and her body... It's starting to decompose..."

Shock rippled through the room as everyone realized the truth. On the night meant to celebrate Elaine's birthday, a grim and horrifying reality emerged from the shadows. She was having fun with everyone at the party, and I had suffocated to death in the basement.

Elaine quickly tried to smooth things over. "The assistant—he's drunk and joking. Don't worry about it."

"But this isn't funny!" someone snapped, eyes darting nervously around the room.

Despite her words, everyone still looked unsure. The assistant's face was pale, sweat trickling down his forehead, and his fear seemed genuine.

Yoel turned, furious that I had ruined Elaine's birthday!

He erupted in anger, his voice shaking with rage. "How could that woman die so easily? She values her life too much; she even survived a car accident. To stay alive, she drank her own urine and sucked her own blood. This time, I locked her up for a few days, so she probably did the same disgusting things. It's normal for her to smell!"

The assistant cautiously suggested, "Mr. Dalton, maybe you should check for yourself."