Dying for His Lover

The pain I expected never came.The wine bottle never hit my mascot head. Kevin's hand shot out and intercepted it mid-air.I stood frozen, staring at him in stunned silence.He slouched lazily on the sofa, his figure cloaked in cigarette smoke that curled around his dark brows like ghosts. His devastatingly handsome face turned toward me, his eyes calm and unreadable."Bar staff?"I nodded."Your boss sent you over?"Another nod.He stared at me for a moment—and then, unexpectedly, he laughed.And the thing was—everyone knew Kevin never laughed lightly. If he did, it meant one of two things: someone was about to be drowned in diamonds… or in blood.My heart thumped wildly. Inside the suffocating mascot costume, my fists were clenched so tightly I could feel the fabric of my uniform tearing beneath my nails. I just wanted to leave. I wanted him to let me go.The way he held Audrey was too intimate. It made my eyes sting."Your dancing…" he said slowly, "reminds me of someon

Of course, Audrey showed up to Kevin's grandfather's birthday party.She was seated to Kevin's left, while I was separated from him by a stranger—clearly, a message. No words were needed. The seating arrangement alone revealed the truth in its stark simplicity: She was the one he wanted to protect. She was the one he cared for.Dinner was halfway through when Kevin's grandfather suddenly raised his glass and made a declaration that stopped every clink of cutlery in the room."Since Kevin and Cate are already engaged," the old man said with a faint smile and a voice still full of command, "I have no other wish but to live long enough to see them married properly. And hopefully, to hold a cute little grandson in my arms someday."Cate may not have grown up with you all, and she might not be one of your childhood friends, but I hope none of you will exclude her. She's the granddaughter-in-law I approve of. She will be Kevin's wife in every way that counts—by name, by law, and by heart

And then, just like that, it was the day of the wedding.Kevin looked me up and down as I stood in front of him in my wedding dress. He lifted my chin, his eyes dark with some intoxicating blend of possessiveness and hunger. "Cate," he murmured, "you're absolutely stunning.""This beauty of yours," he added with a smirk, "it can only belong to me, forever. Understand? I want to rip that dress off you right now… and watch you beg and moan beneath me."I, meanwhile, continued calmly doing my makeup. The makeshift wedding stage had already been erected. If I didn't walk out looking utterly breathtaking, how else was I going to dazzle Kevin into regretting everything for the rest of his life?Catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror—so stunning I nearly forgot to breathe—I finally smiled. For the first time in days, the tension around my brows and eyes lifted.Kevin was elated, drunk on power and expensive liquor. I had never seen him this high on life. He was practically floating,

I was certain Kevin had seen me.Broadcast live to the entire world from the Olympic Games, I stood poised on the diving platform, drew in a slow, steady breath, and offered a radiant smile before executing the perfect dive.A thunderous round of applause erupted from the stands.In that moment, I was transported back to the edge of the cliff where I had once been pushed to my supposed end.How could Kevin ever have imagined? I may have only graduated from vocational school, but I was born with an exceptional gift for diving.Did he really think a few crashing waves would take me under?Steve had been diagnosed with leukemia, and the only matching bone marrow I could find for him came with a price tag: one million dollars.That night, in a dimly lit alleyway, a blood-soaked suit clung to a man like a second skin. The tailoring alone screamed a five-figure price tag. Even in the murky glow of the streetlight, I recognized it immediately.For days, I had been trapped in a suffoca