Chapter 1

On Valentine's Day, Mia Parker and I were caught in a dangerous hostage situation.

The captor made Lucas choose between us.

Without hesitation, he chose to save me.

But Mia lost her life as a result.

Since then, Lucas has grown increasingly cold towards me.

When I ate cake on my birthday, he said:

"You can still celebrate your birthday, but Mia will never come back."

When I put on lipstick, he remarked:

"You still have the heart to prettify yourself, while Mia's clothes were torn in her final moments."

Overwhelmed with guilt, I spent a fortune on weekly counseling sessions for Mia's sake.

But later, I discovered:

The so-called hostage situation was entirely orchestrated by Lucas.

The money I spent became the down payment for their new home together.

My hands trembled uncontrollably as I stared at the endless stream of messages.

Lucas's contact name for Mia stabbed at my heart.

"Wifey"

Those two words felt like a stinging slap, leaving me dizzy and disoriented.

It made me feel like a fool for the past two months.

Realizing Lucas was about to finish his shower, I quickly wiped away my tears and put his phone back.

To hide any signs of crying, I even touched up my makeup with some foundation.

But it turned out to be unnecessary.

Lucas didn't notice my tear-stained face. Instead, he mocked:

"You still have the heart to put on makeup? What's the point of looking pretty when Mia can never come back?"

I froze, feeling as if my entire body was being crushed by pain.

Seeing my lack of response, Lucas impatiently urged:

"Let's go, don't keep Mia waiting."

My heart ached again, and the tears I had just managed to stop threatened to fall once more.

This year's Valentine's Day was the most unforgettable day of my life.

That day, Mia and I were caught in a hostage situation together.

But the captor said:

"The ransom can only save one person."

My wrists were bound by rough rope, and my eyes were red from crying countless tears.

Mia was terrified too, shaking uncontrollably.

Lucas, without hesitation, called out my name.

As Lucas's wife, I should have been happy about his unwavering decision.

But later, the captor chose to end it all with Mia, both plunging into the sea.

From then on, Mia's name became my nightmare.

Lucas, guilt-ridden for failing to save Mia, grew increasingly distant towards me.

He refused to sleep in the same room with me.

"Seeing you reminds me of Mia. I'm sorry, but I just can't handle it."

I couldn't even show a hint of relaxation in his presence.

On my birthday, when I just wanted to eat some cake, Lucas publicly knocked over the cake and accused me:

"How can you think about eating cake? Mia died because of you. How can you be so heartless?"

But Mia's death wasn't my fault at all.

I was a victim too.