Chapter 1

My fiancé staged his own death after hiring a hitman, dying in my arms.

Since then, I became the widow of a convicted murderer, struggling to survive with our unborn child.

I took every dirty, low-paying job imaginable, all to afford the medication for my daughter’s heart disease.

On the day she turned three, she had a sudden attack. I collapsed in the hospital hallway, sobbing in absolute despair.

That was when I heard Julian’s voice, chatting with another woman nearby.

"It’s been three years. Isn’t this a bit too cruel for Chloe? She’s all alone..."

My stepsister, Vivian, shrieked in response:

"Cruel? She stole my dad’s love! She stole the life that belonged to me for twenty years!

I want her to live in guilt forever. I want her to crawl like a rat in the dark, never able to lift her head. Only then will I be satisfied."

After a long silence, Julian sighed and murmured:

"Fine. Anything you want. When you feel she has been punished enough, I’ll bring her back."

So, Julian wasn't dead.

All the agony, the starvation, and the terror I went through over the past three years were nothing but a game between them.

I slumped against the freezing wall, completely exhausted.

Slowly, I reached into my bag and tore every single photo of Julian into tiny pieces.

Since they didn't want me to live in peace, then none of us would.