1 I was known in our social circle as the ultimate control freak. When it came to Ben, I demanded absolute loyalty. I would not allow another woman to even breathe in his direction. Three days before our wedding, I caught him in bed with his childhood best friend, Stella. This time, he did not apologize or back down. "We can either call it off right now and go our separate ways, or you can drop to your knees, beg for my forgiveness, and I might consider going through with this wedding." Everyone in the room thought I would throw a massive fit and tear the place apart. Instead, I dropped straight to my knees. His friends sneered, laughing openly. "I told you women just need to be put in their place. Look at her. The second Ben actually gets serious, she falls right in line." Overnight, I became the biggest joke in Seattle. But I did not care. I no longer loved Ben. I just desperately needed his money. … Ben ultimately granted me his twisted mercy and married me. But the sweet honeymoon phase I was supposed to have never happened. He vanished on our wedding night and did not come home for an entire month. Every text I sent sank like a stone in the ocean. The only way I knew what my husband was doing was by looking at Stella's social media. On the night of our wedding, he was in her bed, wearing the custom suit I had spent a month altering perfectly for him. He took Stella to the exact beach where we had our first date. He took her to Iceland to see the Northern Lights, a trip I had been begging him to take with me for years. They looked like the newlyweds. I was just the unwanted third wheel. I swallowed my pride and stopped bothering them, until the hospital called. "Miss Paterson, we need you to settle your mother's outstanding medical bills immediately. If the balance isn't paid, we will have to halt her treatments." Panic seized my chest. "Ben paid the entire balance in one lump sum. Is there a mistake?" "There is no mistake," the doctor explained, his tone heavy with pity. "Mr. Prescott's girlfriend came in this morning and withdrew the remaining funds. Your mother's condition is critical. If we don't have the money for the surgery within three hours, I am afraid..." A loud ringing exploded in my ears. I frantically dialed Ben's number. I expected him to decline the call, but surprisingly, he picked up. Loud, thumping bass echoed in the background. He was at a club. His voice came through the speaker, thick with annoyance. "What do you want?" I rushed my words. "Stella took back my mom's medical funds. She needs surgery right now, Ben. Can you please just tell Stella to put the money back?" Before he could answer, Stella's voice overpowered mine through the receiver. "Ben, is your ball and chain checking up on you again? Didn't we all agree to ignore her tonight? Just block her already. The guys are waiting for you to take a shot." Pure terror gripped my throat. "No, please wait..." The line went dead. When I tried calling back, it went straight to voicemail. He had blocked me. It felt like a cold hand was squeezing my heart, stealing the air from my lungs. Thank God I still had access to his location. Back when he wanted to prove his loyalty, he had installed a tracker on his phone for me, and he never bothered to turn it off. I followed the map to an exclusive VIP lounge downtown. Pushing the heavy velvet doors open, I found Ben sitting on a plush leather sofa, holding Stella in his lap. They were playing a drinking game. Stella tore a small strip of paper until it was barely a centimeter long, placed it between her lips, and leaned in, gesturing for Ben to take it with his mouth. The crowd erupted in cheers, whistling and shouting for them to just kiss already. The cheering stopped when someone finally noticed me standing by the door. "Look who it is. The boss lady is here." The flirtatious atmosphere shattered. Every single pair of eyes turned to me, dripping with hostility. Ben frowned, his jaw tightening in irritation. "Why are you here?" Stella looked me up and down with absolute disdain, a mocking smile on her lips. "Are you really here to play the jealous wife? Do you honestly still not understand your place?" I clutched the hem of my shirt, my fingers trembling. "I am not here to check on him. The doctor said my mom needs emergency surgery, but Stella took all the money back. I just came for the medical funds." The room went dead silent for two seconds before erupting into roaring laughter. "Wow. You are seriously making up a story about your own dying mother just to drag Ben back home? Does your mom know you are cursing her like that?" "Stella and Ben grew up together. They know everything about each other. A pathetic outsider like you could never come between them." "You better watch your step, or Ben is going to kick you to the curb, and you won't even have a shoulder to cry on." Back when Ben was completely devoted to me, these same men used to treat me like royalty. Now that they knew I had lost his favor, they could not wait to trample me into the dirt. Stella suddenly let out a dramatic sob, burying her face in her hands like a victim. "I know you hate me, Serena, but you don't have to joke about someone's life! Imagine how heartbroken your mother would be if she heard you say that." Ben's face darkened into a dangerous scowl. He glared at me, his voice a freezing command. "So you are a liar now too, Serena? Apologize to Stella right now." I shook my head, desperately trying to get through to him. "I am not lying! Just call the hospital and ask them!" A crystal whiskey glass suddenly shattered right at my feet. Sharp shards of glass sliced through my ankle, drawing warm blood. Ben stared at me with pure disgust. "Since you love talking back so much, I guess a simple warning isn't going to work. Get on your knees on that broken glass and apologize to Stella." Before I could even process his words, someone kicked me hard in the back of my knees. I collapsed. My bare knees slammed directly into the jagged crystal. The glass dug deep into my skin, and blood immediately pooled on the floor. Cold sweat broke out across my forehead from the agonizing pain. I tried to push myself up, but a heavy boot slammed into my shoulder, shoving me back down. My palms hit the floor, catching more glass. My hands were covered in blood. Ben watched me with a completely blank expression, looking at me like I was a piece of trash on the street. This was the same man who used to panic if I got a tiny papercut. He used to bandage my fingers and throw away every sharp object in the house. He used to tell me, "You are the love of my life, Serena. I will never let anyone hurt you." My phone began to vibrate in my pocket. It was my mother's surgeon. Swallowing the blinding pain, I hit accept. "Miss Paterson, where are you? If the payment doesn't clear in the next hour, we cannot proceed with the surgery!" Ben narrowed his eyes, shifting his gaze down to Stella. Stella shrank back, looking guilty. "I didn't mean to take her mom's money. I was just so angry about how strict she used to be with you. I wanted to teach her a lesson. I'll transfer the money back right now." Seeing her fake tears, Ben's expression softened completely. He gently patted her hair. "It is not your fault. You were just trying to protect me. If anyone is to blame, it is Serena for being a suffocating, controlling bitch." The physical agony radiating from my bleeding limbs was instantly eclipsed by the sheer, devastating blow to my heart. It felt like someone had reached into my chest and ripped it apart barehanded. When he first chased me, I hesitated because he was a wealthy heir with a reputation for playing games. To prove me wrong, he knelt in front of me, handed over all his passwords, his bank accounts, and the deeds to his properties. With red, desperate eyes, he had begged me. "I want to be yours completely. I want you to control me. If you tell me to go left, I will never go right. I swear I will never leave your sight." Now, that exact devotion was suddenly my greatest crime. It was almost funny. When I finally made it to the hospital, I did not stop to get my wounds cleaned. I limped straight toward my mother's wing. I expected to push the door open and see her warm, gentle smile. Instead, as I reached the hallway, I saw two nurses wheeling a stretcher out of her room. The body on the bed was completely covered by a thick white sheet. A terrifying sense of dread swallowed me whole. I lunged forward and yanked the sheet back. My mother's weathered, exhausted face stared blindly at the ceiling, completely drained of color. I froze, my voice trembling so violently I could barely form words. "What happened to her?" The young nurse looked at me with deep pity. "The patient passed away. I am so sorry for your loss." The words struck me like lightning. The blood in my veins turned to solid ice. "Why? The money was transferred back, wasn't it? Why did this happen?" The nurse let out a heavy sigh. "The funds cleared, yes. But right as we were prepping her for surgery, a woman named Stella stormed into the operating wing with a group of private security guards. They caused a massive scene and physically unplugged the surgical equipment. The delay was too long. Your mother suffered a massive hemorrhage and we lost her." My mind shattered into a million pieces. My knees buckled, and I nearly collapsed onto the sterile tiles. Stella. A blazing inferno of pure hatred burned away every last shred of my sanity. After quickly finalizing the paperwork for my mother's body, I drove straight to Stella's apartment. Ben was sitting on her sofa, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist as they shared a deep, passionate kiss. When he saw me standing in the doorway, his face twisted in anger. "Are you stalking me now, Serena? Are you a psycho? When are you going to stop?" I did not waste a single breath on him. I grabbed a heavy ceramic vase from the entryway table and smashed it directly over Stella's head. Stella let out a bloodcurdling scream and fell back. Blood poured down the side of her face. Before I could take another step, Ben kicked me squarely in the stomach. I crashed to the floor, the back of my head slamming violently against the sharp edge of the coffee table. Warm blood instantly soaked my hair. I tried to force myself up, but the room spun, and I collapsed back down. Ben was frantically pressing a towel to Stella's bleeding head. He glared at me, his eyes burning with absolute fury. "You belong in a mental asylum! What the hell is wrong with you!" Fighting through the crushing pain in my skull, I screamed at the top of my lungs. "I am crazy? That bitch just murdered my mother, and I am not allowed to get even?" A stinging slap snapped my head to the side. Ben looked at me like I was a monster. "That is enough! You are actually making up a story about a murder just to ruin my relationship with Stella? You make me sick!" The raw, unfiltered hatred in his eyes left me completely paralyzed. This was the boy who used to take my side unconditionally. If someone so much as made me shed a single tear, he would wage war against them without asking a single question. Now, the man standing in front of me looked like he wanted to strangle me to death. My heart physically ached, a sharp, suffocating pain that made it hard to breathe. Stella's dramatic crying interrupted us, fueling Ben's rage even further. He grabbed me by the wrist and dragged me roughly toward the basement door. I thrashed in terror. "Let go of me! What are you doing!" His voice was devoid of any humanity. "I spoiled you too much. That is why you act like an entitled lunatic. I am going to make you pay for what you did today." With one violent shove, he threw me down the stairs into the basement like a broken ragdoll. The heavy iron door slammed shut, and the lock clicked. I was swallowed by absolute, suffocating darkness. Blind panic wrapped around my throat like a vine. I scrambled up the stairs and pounded my fists against the door. "Let me out! Ben, please, let me out!" Besides my mother, Ben was the only person in the world who knew I suffered from severe claustrophobia. Whenever my anxiety flared up, he refused to let me stay in a room alone. No matter how busy he was at work, he would rush home while I was sleeping and sit by my bed, just so I would not wake up to an empty, terrifying room. Now, the terror was eating me alive. I scratched and clawed at the wooden door until my fingernails cracked and broke. My fresh wounds tore open, soaking my clothes in blood. Outside the door, I heard Stella's sickeningly sweet voice. "Ben, are you sure it's okay to lock her down there?" Ben scoffed coldly. "She brought this on herself. I let her walk all over me for years. It is time she learns some respect." Their footsteps faded away. No matter how loud I screamed, no matter how hard I cried, no one came back. I curled into a ball on the cold concrete floor, weeping until my throat bled. The emotional agony was far worse than the physical pain. Eventually, my vision went black, and I passed out. When I finally woke up, I was lying in a sterile hospital bed. Ben was sitting in a chair beside me, looking genuinely concerned. But the moment I opened my eyes, his concern morphed back into arrogance. "A man in my position is going to have a few women on the side. It is perfectly normal. As my wife, you need to learn to be generous." "I know I was a little harsh with the punishment this time. When you get discharged, I'll take you to Iceland to see the Northern Lights. You've always wanted to go, right?" An image of him kissing Stella under the glowing green sky flashed in my mind. My stomach violently churned. I shook my head slowly. "Save it. I want a divorce." Ben's face darkened instantly. "What kind of tantrum is this?" I looked at him with dead, empty eyes. "I am completely serious." The only reason I had swallowed my pride and married him after he cheated on me was to pay for my mother's medical care. Now that she was gone, this marriage meant absolutely nothing. Ben kicked the leg of my hospital bed in frustration. "I never realized you were this pathetic. If you leave me, who is going to pay for your mother's treatments? Stop dragging her down just because you want to throw a pity party." "There is no talking to you right now. Take some time and cool off." He turned on his heel and marched out of the room without looking back. I didn't stop him. I calmly pulled the IV needle out of the back of my hand, called a lawyer, and had two copies of a divorce settlement drafted. After signing my name, I sent them to Ben's office via overnight courier. Then, I went to the funeral home, collected my mother's ashes in a simple wooden urn, and bought a train ticket to take her back to our hometown. Just as I was walking toward the boarding platform, a group of massive bodyguards blocked my path. Stella stepped out from behind them. She glared at me with vicious hatred. "You think running away is going to make Ben miss you and come crawling back? You are delusional." I frowned, gripping the urn tightly. "What do you want?" She let out a cold, sharp laugh. She suddenly lunged forward, slapping the urn out of my hands. It hit the pavement, shattering open. Gray ash spilled across the dirty concrete. Before I could even scream, she slammed her designer boot directly into the pile of ashes, grinding her heel into the dirt. I raised my hand to strike her, but one of her guards kicked me hard in the ribs. I collapsed onto the concrete. Stella looked down at me with mocking, venomous eyes. "You loved your mommy so much, right? Since she is dead, why don't you go join her?" The bodyguards grabbed me by my hair and dragged me away. They hauled me to an abandoned industrial rail yard on the edge of the city. With heavy ropes, they tied my wrists and ankles directly to the rusted train tracks. I thrashed and fought with every ounce of strength I had left, but it was completely useless. Stella stood safely on the gravel bank, crossing her arms and watching me with absolute triumph. The ground beneath me began to vibrate. In the distance, the blaring horn of a massive freight train pierced the air. The blinding headlight grew larger and larger. I knew there was no escaping this. I stopped fighting and closed my eyes in absolute despair. Mom. I'm coming to find you. Across town, Ben sat at his massive oak desk. When he opened the overnight envelope and saw the divorce papers, he scoffed, assuming I was just playing hard to get. He ripped the documents into shreds and tossed them into the trash can. Then, he called his bank and froze every single one of my credit cards, fully expecting me to come crawling back in tears. Later that night, he was drinking expensive whiskey in a private VIP room with his friends, having the time of his life. His phone vibrated on the table. Seeing my name on the caller ID, he let out a smug chuckle, fully expecting an apology. He answered the call, a mocking remark already on his tongue. But instead of my voice, a grim, unfamiliar man spoke through the receiver. "Is this the family of Miss Serena Paterson? She was involved in a fatal accident at the rail yard. We need you to come down and identify the body."
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