Chapter 1

The feeling of falling was strangely quite wonderful.

It felt like a kite with its string snapped, finally free from the hand that had held it so tightly.

The wind shrieked in my ears, yet everything felt impossibly quiet.

For the first time in six months since I was diagnosed with stomach cancer, I felt no pain.

It had been so long…

For the past six months, my world had held nothing but the smell of rust and disinfectants.

Every time I threw up, it felt like my insides were being ripped apart. Every time I swallowed something, it felt like gulping down literal razor blades.

To keep Justin from thinking I was trying to gain his sympathy, I learned to flush the bloodstained tissue papers down the toilet. Whenever the agony struck, I bit the back of my hand to stop myself from making a sound.

I even had to hide my painkillers in a vitamin bottle.

All because Justin had once said to me, "Wendy… Even if a woman like you, who will do anything for attention, drops dead right in front of me, all I'll ever feel is disgust."

And now, I really was going to die in front of him.

I plunged toward the ground, and a deafening crash rang out below.

The agony lasted only an instant before endless darkness and coldness swallowed me.

Blood poured from my body and bloomed in the pure-white snow, looking almost like the pattern on the expensive handmade rug inside Justin's home.

I lay with my eyes open, staring at the black night sky. Snowflakes settled on my eyes, their touch cool.

So… This was what dying felt like.

There was none of the fear I had imagined, only relief.

I looked at my twisted limbs and the horrifying pool of scarlet around me, then struggled to form my final smile.

Justin, tonight was the night of your engagement to Kelly Harris.

I had nothing else to give you.

Consider this life my engagement gift to you.

From now on, you would never have to worry about me secretly checking your phone, drugging that delicate first love of yours, or refusing to give up my place as your wife.

Your Wendy was dead.

The Wendy you had despised for three years was finally gone from your world.

As my consciousness faded for good, I thought I heard cheers coming from the banquet hall.

"Kiss her! Kiss her!"

What a lively celebration…

At the very end, I thought I saw Justin's stony face. For once, he wasn't frowning at me.