Chapter 1

"Ms. Grace Sullivan, just confirming: the staged death is scheduled for one week from today? Cause of death: a house fire. The deceased...is you, correct?"

I nodded, calmly pulling up my bank app to transfer a $500,000 deposit.

On the way back, the giant LED screens in Beacon Plaza were plastered with headlines about my upcoming wedding to Ethan Wood, the CEO of Wood Enterprises.

The dress alone cost $15 million, and the wedding was being planned as the most extravagant event the city had ever seen.

Everywhere I went, people gushed about how deeply Ethan adored me.

But even a man like him, with all his charm and devotion, could cheat.

All those nights he claimed to be working late?

Turns out he was with someone else.

I'd stood by his side as he climbed from a scrappy underdog to the wealthiest man in town.

His love felt real—but so did his betrayals.

Checking the time on my phone, I stepped into the bridal boutique as scheduled.

The moment I gave my name, the clerk lit up as if she were looking at a celebrity.

"Ms. Sullivan, your gown is ready. Would you like to try it on now?"

Before I could answer, Ethan burst into the store, holding a large iced latte—the kind he knew I loved.

"Babe, why didn't you let the driver bring you? I sent him for a reason! Didn't he show up? I swear I'll handle him later."

"No, I just wanted some fresh air," I said, keeping my voice light.

Ethan tousled my hair with his usual affectionate grin, then motioned for the clerk to bring out my multi-million-dollar gown.

But I noticed his body tense up.

Following his gaze, I turned—and froze.

The clerk holding my gown was her.

The woman from the photos.

I'd stared at those explicit images too many times to forget a single detail.

There was no mistaking it.

I didn't know how she'd gotten into the store, but judging by Ethan's wide-eyed panic, he was just as blindsided.

Without a word, he grabbed me and ushered me into the fitting room.

I kept my expression calm, as if nothing had happened.

But as I bent down to pull on the gown, hot tears splashed onto the floor.

Then, muffled sounds filtered through the wall: two people, gasping for breath.

"Are you out of your mind? Why the hell are you here—"

Before the man could finish, the woman giggled, cutting him off.

"Relax, Ethan. No one can hear us. These walls are soundproof."

Her voice turned coy.

"Unlessa...you've never wondered what it'd feel like to do this with me in a wedding dress?"

"You want to see the surprise I brought for you today?"

Then came the sound of fabric ripping.

The rhythmic thuds against my side of the wall hammered into my chest.

It wasn't just their bodies colliding.

It was my world falling apart.

The muffled thuds echoed through the wall, each one striking me like a hammer to the heart.

I couldn't even remember how I managed to put on the wedding dress.

By the time I stepped out of the fitting room, my eyes were swollen and red from crying.

Ethan was already outside, composed and waiting for me.

When he saw me, his gaze shifted.

The raw desire that had filled his eyes earlier was replaced by a look of awe.

"My darling, you are without a doubt the most beautiful bride in the world," he said, his voice dripping with affection.

The tender tone stood in stark contrast to the wildness I knew he'd just indulged in.

The sales associate, perceptive and eager to please, chimed in with her own words of congratulations, wishing us eternal happiness and a love that would last forever.

Ethan, clearly delighted, handed out generous tips—$1,000 to each staff member on the spot.

Watching his excitement, a cold thought crept into my mind.

What would his reaction be when, on our wedding day, he learned of my death?

I glanced around the boutique one last time.

Madison Carter was gone.

After paying, his phone buzzed.

As he glanced down, I caught a flicker of something in his eyes—desire.

He quickly silenced the phone and looked at me with a practiced smile.

"Hey, babe. There's a last-minute work dinner tonight, and I need to be there..."

"Go ahead," I said evenly.

"I knew you'd understand. You're amazing."

Before leaving, he leaned in, pressed a kiss to my forehead, and walked out without looking back.

I changed back into my regular clothes but didn't feel like going home.

Instead, I wandered the streets, aimless and restless.

Eventually, my phone buzzed again—a message from Madison Carter.

The photo showed a hotel room floor strewn with shredded pieces of a wedding dress.

A single leg, clad in white lace stockings, stuck provocatively into the frame.

I thought I was prepared for this, but the ache in my chest proved otherwise.

I stared at the photo for an hour, letting the pain sink in.

When the sun finally set, I walked home, the streets eerily quiet.

Just like so many nights before, Ethan didn't come back.

At 3 a.m., my phone buzzed again.

This time, Madison's message read:

"Sorry, Grace! Ethan said he's always wanted to see me in a wedding dress, and I couldn't say no. You understand, right?"

"Oh, and last night? He was wild—I can barely stand today. Sorry I can't apologize in person!"

My stomach churned as I read her words.

I closed my eyes, steadying myself against the wave of nausea.

Chapter 2

"So sorry, Grace! Ethan told me he always wanted to see me in a wedding dress. And I love him, so of course, I had to make his wish come true. You understand, right?"

"Last night, he went absolutely wild—I can barely stand today. Forgive me for not apologizing to you in person!"

She finished the message with a cheeky emoji, her audacity dripping through the screen.

The nausea hit instantly. I barely made it to the bathroom before collapsing over the toilet.

After rinsing my face with cold water, I sat in the living room, too drained to move, as the hours ticked by.

Ethan finally came home around sunrise, carrying a bag of bagels—the kind I used to love.

The moment he saw me, his face fell. He hurried over, pulling me into his arms.

"Baby, why are you up? Were you waiting for me? I'm so sorry—last night's work dinner ran late, and I ended up crashing at the hotel. I swear, next time, I'll let you know in advance."

"As an apology, let me take you out today. A movie date—just us two. I've got a surprise for you!"

I didn't respond.

Ethan took it upon himself to feed me breakfast, his voice rambling nervously as he gave me a detailed account of his fake "work dinner."

Once, I would have believed him.

Now, it was painfully obvious how clumsy his lies were.

Still, he had managed to fool me for eight years.

At the theater, Ethan had rented out the entire space, leaving just the two of us inside.

The screen lit up, and my heart twisted.

It was a montage of our eight years together—a carefully curated highlight reel of every milestone in our relationship.

Scene after scene, it pulled me back into moments I once thought were pure and beautiful.

Tears began to spill down my cheeks.

Ethan, clearly flustered, reached over with a tissue, gently dabbing at my face.

"Baby, don't cry! I was planning to show this at the wedding, but I just couldn't wait. I wanted to surprise you. Please don't cry—you're breaking my heart."

Before I could respond, the door behind us opened, and someone slipped into the seat next to Ethan.

In the dim light, I recognized her immediately—Madison Carter.

Her smug, taunting smile sent my blood boiling.

Ethan, thinking I wouldn't remember the fleeting glimpse I'd gotten at the boutique yesterday, quickly offered an excuse.

"She's just here to adjust the sound system for us—she works at the theater."

His hand, trembling slightly, continued wiping my tears.

So, he could be afraid after all.

I said nothing, keeping my gaze fixed on the screen, silently bidding farewell to every memory playing before me.

Lost in thought, I dropped my phone.

As I bent to pick it up, I caught sight of Ethan's hand, resting shamelessly between Madison's legs.

Pain erupted in my chest, my fingernails digging into my palms to keep me from breaking.

The movie wasn't even halfway through when Ethan's breathing grew heavier.

He muttered some excuse and rushed out of the room.

Madison followed a few seconds later.

Not long after, my phone buzzed with a new message.

From her.

"Wow, you and Ethan have such a beautiful love story—it almost brought me to tears! But poor Ethan, he just couldn't wait. He pulled me out before I could even finish watching."

"Oh, by the way, he promised to send me a copy of the full video later. I should thank you, Grace!"

As the movie neared its end, Ethan's voice played over the speakers—a recording from the day he proposed to me.

"I'll never betray you, Grace. You are my one and only. Not even life or death can tear us apart."

A bitter laugh escaped my lips.

What a joke.

Ethan Wood, let's see if death really can't separate us.

The credits rolled, and in the silence, the unmistakable sounds of bodies colliding came from the hallway outside.

Every thud, every moan, felt like a knife twisting deeper into my heart.

Chapter 3

When Ethan returned, he was holding a bucket of popcorn—the same snack I used to love on our dates.

Back then, the simple act of our hands brushing against each other in the bucket was enough to make my heart race.

Now, just the smell of it made me feel nauseous.

The shy boy who once blushed at holding my hand was gone, replaced by someone I could hardly recognize.

Maybe his mind was still lingering on the passion he'd just shared with Madison, because in his rush to leave, he forgot to grab the USB drive that had been playing our movie.

I slipped it into my bag before following him out.

In the car, he glanced at his phone. His Adam's apple bobbed nervously as he swallowed.

"Babe, there's another work dinner tonight..."

I knew he was lying, but I didn't care enough to call him out.

"Go ahead," I said, my tone flat.

"You're the best," he said with a smile. "I promise I'll make it up to you when I get back."

Leaning over, he kissed my cheek.

The scent of perfume—one that wasn't mine—hit me like a slap.

Without a word, I wiped the spot where he'd touched me the moment he turned away.

When I got home, another text from Madison was waiting for me.

This time, it was a screenshot of their conversation.

Ethan had been questioning her, demanding to know why she kept showing up around me.

She responded with a photo of herself in a tight skirt, striking a provocative pose, her expression teasing.

That was enough to make him swallow his anger.

"Wait for me. I'm coming over to punish you."

"And tonight, no protection. Don't complain about the pain."

My hand shook as I read the messages, my breath coming in shallow gasps.

I stared at the screen, my eyes burning, refusing to cry.

The man I had loved for eight years, the one who treated me with such care and gentleness, was saying these things to another woman.

It was time to end this.

Closing the messages, I began gathering every gift he had ever given me over the years. Jewelry, designer bags, all the luxury items he'd showered me with—along with the USB drive that held the movie he'd spent weeks creating.

All of it went into the trash.

Those gifts, worth millions, meant nothing to me now.

That night, Ethan did something unusual: he came home.

The first thing he noticed was the empty display case where the gifts had been.

He froze, then rushed over to me, his expression panicked.

"Babe, where's everything? What happened to the gifts?"

"And the USB drive—the one from today's movie—did you see it? I checked my computer, and it's gone. I spent a month putting it together—it's more important than my life!"

His voice trembled, almost breaking.

I looked at him calmly, taking a sip of water before replying.

"I put the gifts away. They're so precious—I couldn't risk someone else seeing them."

"As for the USB drive...I didn't see it. Losing it so close to the wedding—isn't that a sign? You didn't do anything to betray me, right?"

I kept my tone light, almost amused.

Ethan's face went pale. He dropped to his knees in front of me, his voice frantic.

"Grace, I swear on my life, I'd never betray you. You're more important to me than anything. If I ever cheated on you, I'd deserve the worst!"

I chuckled softly.

"Relax. I was just joking. You take everything so seriously."

"You're making it sound like I'm going to end up a widow before we're even married."

My nonchalant attitude seemed to put him at ease.

His shoulders relaxed, and he let out a shaky laugh.

After excusing himself to wash up, I heard him laughing quietly to himself in the bathroom.

When he came out, he announced he was heading out to look for the USB drive, saying he wouldn't be able to sleep without it.

I knew exactly where he was going—to Madison, to continue the "punishment" he'd promised earlier.

I didn't stop him.

"Be careful," I said casually.

He left in such a hurry he didn't even glance back.

The moment the door clicked shut, my phone buzzed with a message from the team helping me fake my death.

"Your new ID is ready. Everything's on track for the plan."