Chapter 1

On the night of my 80th birthday, my husband of 55 years stabbed me 10 times, each blow fatal.

After the final stab, he finally let go with satisfaction. The knife clattered to the floor.

"Rachel Lee, I'm finally free of you," he said.

Pain spread throughout my body. I had no strength left to cry out.

Bright red blood flowed from my heart onto the floor, staining my favorite floral jacket.

Gabriel Gray stood before me, hunched over, carefully wiping the blood off the knife with his sleeve.

At 81 years old, his movements were unsteady.

I wanted to remind him that the blood left on his sleeve would still be evidence and he'd be convicted anyway.

But I didn't have the strength to open my mouth or lift a hand.

Perhaps it was a final moment of clarity before death, but I saw visions of Gabriel at different ages before my eyes.

10-year-old Gabriel, 20-year-old Gabriel, all the way up to 81-year-old Gabriel. They all smiled at me and gently called me "Rachel."

But behind those smiles was a cold knife, piercing my heart.

As I felt my body growing colder, Gabriel and I's life together flashed before my eyes like a montage.