Every time my husband, Damian, brought his secretary into our bedroom, he made me kneel by the bed and wait. If she didn’t know what to do, he’d make me teach her, guiding her hands with mine. And after they were finished, I would dutifully approach with a tray, offering them drinks to soothe their throats. Damian would grip my neck, his voice a low rasp. “Don’t you feel a single shred of jealousy?” I would just shake my head, even offering to get them protection for next time. His rage would boil over. He’d throw me onto the bed and take me again and again, but the next day, I would be right back on my knees beside their bed. He’d snarl through clenched teeth, “Elara, you’re pathetic.” I would only smile at him. He didn't know. He didn't know that these were the last days I had left to spend with him. … I walked into the house to the familiar scene playing out on the living room sofa. Sienna, the secretary, had her back to me. Hearing the door, she turned, a triumphant smirk playing on her red lips as she deliberately let out a moan. Ignoring them, I tied on my apron and went into the kitchen. I chopped vegetables, the rhythmic thud of the knife on the board a countdown until they were finished, until it was my turn to go out and clean up after them. Sienna’s throat was always raw afterward. She required honey water to soothe it. I knelt silently, offering the glass to her with both hands, like a servant from a bygone era. Damian lit a cigarette, his gaze flicking over me, his sharp brows furrowing in irritation. CRASH! Sienna’s hand went limp as she took the glass. Scalding honey water shattered on the floor, splashing all over me. “Oh, dear! Elara, are you alright?” she cried, rushing to help me up. But as she grabbed my arm, her nails dug viciously into my flesh. I sucked in a sharp breath against the pain. She leaned in close, her face a mask of false concern that Damian couldn't see, a venomous threat glittering in her eyes. “You have to be more careful, Elara. If you don’t want to serve me, you could just say so. No need to throw a tantrum.” I gritted my teeth, forcing a smile. “How could I possibly trouble you with such things?” With that, I gestured for her to return to the sofa while I knelt to clean up the mess. Shards of glass dug into my hands and knees, the sticky honey water making the tiny cuts sting and tremble. Yet I clenched my jaw, acting as if I felt nothing, even lifting Sienna’s foot to wipe a stray drop of honey water from her shoe. “Get out,” Damian’s voice was cold as he tossed Sienna her clothes. “Mr. Ashford?” “You’re done here.” Sienna pouted, shooting me a resentful glare before slipping into her dress, grabbing the designer handbag Damian had bought her, and leaving. I remained on the floor, silent. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to get up. My knees were bleeding, and every movement was agony. “Still have nothing to say to me?” Damian’s voice was like ice. I shook my head. He gritted his teeth. “It’s just us here. I can personally guarantee this house isn’t bugged!” “I really have nothing.” Damian slammed his cigarette down. He lunged, one hand closing around my throat, the other shoving a photograph of a man in my face. “We both know he’s the killer. Why won’t you testify? What the hell are you to him?” I looked at the man in the photo and gave a bitter laugh. “I don’t know him.” “Then why are you protecting him?” I met Damian’s furious gaze. “I’m not.” He threw me to the floor and began to pace, a caged animal. “Was my sister not good enough to you?” At the thought of Lily, my eyes stung. I shook my head. “She was the best friend I ever had.” He seized my chin, forcing me to look at him. “And this is how you repay her? By letting the monster who killed her walk free?” I couldn’t speak. He threw a crime scene photo in my face. The horrific image of my dearest friend, her body covered in wounds, hanging from a tree, tore a scream from my throat. I clamped my hands over my eyes, the nightmare seared into my mind. “You can’t bear to look, can you?” he hissed, forcing my face up. “Then tell me what that bastard did! I swear, Elara, if you testify, I’ll get rid of Sienna for good. I’ll send her away, and you’ll never see her again.” My eyes were red, but a sad smile touched my lips. “There’s no need.” His hand on my shoulder went rigid. “You’d rather watch me with her, day after day, right in front of your face?” “It doesn’t matter.” SLAP! The sting of his hand across my cheek was white-hot. His fist trembled uncontrollably. “You’re truly pathetic, Elara! Pathetic!” His words hit me like another slap. The Damian I once knew would never have said such a thing. Back in school, when boys made fun of my looks, he’d used his fists to make a dozen of them apologize. After we were married, he never let me cook, fussing over the smallest cut on my finger like it was a mortal wound. I truly believed we would go on like that forever. That he would always protect me. “Damian…” I whispered, my voice hoarse. He spun around, a flicker of hope in his eyes. I tried to stand, but a sharp, stabbing pain shot through my chest and I collapsed. The image of Lily dying in front of me flashed through my mind. I clutched the fabric over my heart, gasping. When I looked up, I saw the front door creak open. Sienna had never left. She peered at me through the crack, a smug, predatory look in her eyes. She pressed a single finger to her lips in a universal sign for silence. Shhh. “What were you going to say?” Damian pressed, waiting. I shook my head. He stepped closer. “You were about to say something. I know it.” “Mr. Ashford,” Sienna called from the doorway. Damian froze but didn’t turn away from me. He was still waiting. I glanced at Sienna’s tense expression, then reached into my pocket and pulled out a box of condoms, holding it out to him. “Don’t forget this.” A dark, humorless laugh escaped Damian’s lips. He snatched the box and threw it in my face before storming out. Sienna closed the door for him, a satisfied smirk on her face as she watched my unspoken words die on my lips. The door slammed shut, leaving me in the echoing silence. I slumped against the wall, my hand clutching my chest. Not yet… Just a little longer. I have to wait a little longer. … I searched through room after room in the enormous estate before I found a small first-aid kit to patch myself up. A month passed. Damian never came home. Then one day, the front door was kicked open with a thunderous crash. Damian charged in, carrying a blood-soaked Sienna in his arms. Behind him was a team of private medical professionals. The team had originally been for me, for my poor health. But after Lily died, he’d sent them away. Damian paced anxiously outside the room where they worked on Sienna, his ears tuned to her pained cries. He spotted me and dragged me forward. “Why did you push her?” I stared at him, confused. “Did you know she was over a month pregnant? Did you do this to her on purpose?” My eyes widened as I looked toward the room. Sienna’s brows were only slightly furrowed; she didn’t look to be in much pain at all, but her screams were blood-curdling. Her eyes met mine, filled with a silent threat. A slow smile spread across my face. “Yes. What of it?” Damian froze, searching my expression. “Do you have any idea what you’re admitting to?” “I do.” “You’re not even going to try and defend yourself?” “There’s nothing to defend.” “Once you confess, I’m pressing charges. Assault.” I stiffened, my gaze locking with his. He stared back, his eyes boring into me. “Or… you tell me the truth about what happened to my sister, and I’ll let this go.” I glanced toward Sienna’s room. I took a deep breath. “You’ll find out.” Hope flickered in his eyes. “But not now.” His grip on my shoulders tightened, his eyes turning red. “What is your relationship with that murderer? You’d rather go to prison than betray him?” “I’ve told you, Damian. I have nothing to do with him.” He was so furious he was speechless. He just nodded, his jaw tight. “You think I won’t do it? You think I won’t send you to prison?” I just looked at him. He shoved me away. Three days later, I received a court summons. The moment I pleaded guilty in court, I saw Sienna raise an eyebrow, a flicker of an ‘I-knew-it’ expression on her face. Only Damian’s face was a mask of stone-cold fury. He’d hired the best lawyers, a team of sharks who picked through legal statutes and twisted my actions until they’d stretched my sentence to the maximum: eight years. He came to see me. “Testify for Lily. I can get you out of here.” I just smiled at him. “Take care of yourself, Mr. Ashford.” I probably won’t make it out of here alive. His breath hitched, and a look of pure agony crossed his face. “You know! That night, it was just him and the two of you! You saw everything, didn’t you?” I said nothing, which was its own confession. “In high school, when you could only afford one meal a day, it was Lily who shared her lunch money with you every single day. Have you forgotten all that?” Tears streamed down my face. I shook my head. “No.” “Then why won’t you just say it?” My eyes were red as I met his. “Not now.” “Do I have to die before you’re willing to talk?” I shook my head again. Not your death. Mine. When I died, the killer would be brought to justice without me ever having to say a word. But I couldn’t tell him that. I was afraid it would break him. I thought the truth would come out while I was in prison. But less than a month later, my sentence was overturned. I was declared innocent and released, completely bewildered. Damian was waiting for me outside, leaning against his Rolls-Royce. The drive home was silent. As we stepped through the door, I finally spoke. “Thank you.” He stopped but didn’t turn around. “You’re pathetic, Elara,” he said, before heading upstairs. I laughed, but tears fell. Sienna’s baby had been saved. Damian never brought her back to the house to flaunt in front of me again. We lived under the same roof, but we were strangers. If we passed in the hall, he’d look right through me. He refused to touch a single bite of the food I made. I didn’t react. I just went on with my quiet routines. Finally, after a month, he broke. He knocked on my door, the smell of alcohol clinging to him. “We need to talk.” His eyes were rimmed with red. I let him in. We sat down together, a rare moment of peace between us. “I’m begging you. Please, testify for Lily. Please?” His voice was low, stripped of all its usual authority. “If you agree, I’ll make Sienna get rid of the baby. I’ll even give you my assets, everything.” I shook my head. “There’s no need.” “Who the hell is Rick to you?” Rick. The monster who had killed Lily. “I’ve told you so many times. I have nothing to do with him.” “How am I supposed to believe that?” His eyes were bloodshot. “You’d protect the man who murdered Lily, a man you claim is a stranger?” I looked him straight in the eye. “Damian, the day that baby is born, I promise you, you will know the truth.” “I can’t wait another day!” he exploded, jumping to his feet. “Elara, if you don’t tell me everything right now, we’re through!” My heart clenched. The look on his face told me he wasn’t bluffing. I pressed my lips together and nodded. “Fine.” The time I’d had with him… it had been long enough. More than I deserved. His breath caught. The hand gripping my shoulder began to tremble. “Say that again.” “Let’s separate. It’s for the best.” He laughed, a bitter, broken sound. “You think I’m joking?” I said nothing. He stormed out, slamming the door behind him. That night, divorce papers were thrown in front of me. I would leave with nothing. I picked up the pen, ready to sign. He grabbed my wrist. “Think carefully before you sign this.” “I have,” I said, nodding. Then, I slowly began to write my name, the pressure of my hand dragging his along with it. The moment I finished, he snatched the papers away, a childish, spiteful gesture. He loomed over me. “I was wrong about you.” I closed my eyes. That day, I was thrown out of the estate. With no money to my name, I found a tiny, 300-square-foot rental. And I waited. I waited for the day of judgment. I could almost see it: the day I died, the day Rick was finally brought to justice. My breath hitched, my hands trembling. On that day, I could finally face Lily with a clear conscience. But that moment didn’t come. What came instead were Damian’s bodyguards. They dragged me back to the mansion. The first thing I saw was Sienna, lying on the bed, covered in blood. The swell of her stomach was gone. Damian’s eyes were sunken and bruised, as if he hadn’t slept in days. The moment he saw me, he slapped me, hard. “You said you didn’t care if she had the baby! You said you could accept anything! So why did you hire men to assault her until she miscarried?” I was stunned. Sienna’s body shook with sobs. “Elara… if you didn’t want me to have the child, I would have gotten rid of it. Why… why did you have to torture my baby out of me in such a cruel way?” I looked at her torn clothes, the blood soaking the sheets, and I understood what she was claiming had happened. Damian kicked the back of my knees, forcing me to the ground. He pinned me there. “I will find the thugs you hired. I’ll make sure those animals who did this to Sienna, who took my child from me, suffer a fate worse than death! “But you… I can give you one more chance.” He yanked my chin up, his fingers digging into my jaw until it felt like the bone would crack. “Testify. Go to court and testify, and I’ll have my legal team defend you. Get you a reduced sentence.” Cold sweat beaded on my forehead. I struggled to speak. “I’m afraid… I can’t.” “What did you say?” “Because I’m going to die.” He let out a derisive, angry laugh. “You’re still protecting Rick, even now? I’m telling you, this is your last chance. You will be a witness, whether you want to or not!” He grabbed my hand and, with a sickening crack, bent my ring finger back until it broke. The wedding band was still on it. A gut-wrenching scream tore from my lungs. “Are you going to talk?” he snarled, squeezing my jaw. “What did Rick do to my sister that night?” My body was slick with sweat. “When I’m dead… you’ll know.” His eyes were a terrifying shade of red. He seemed to think I was taunting him. “You really think I can’t bring myself to kill you?” My index finger. Another snap. “Talk!” “Just kill me,” I sobbed, tears streaming down my face. “Kill me, and you’ll know everything.” His eyes were wild. He nodded. “Fine. I’ll grant your wish.”
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