Chapter 1

Audrey's POV

I stood frozen in my striped hospital gown, overwhelmed by a tangle of emotions.

The warm, happy scene inside was everything I'd once wished for, yet there had never been a place for me in it.

Memories flashed through my mind. They had cried and begged me to keep living for Ethan Cregger.

Yet, they were also the ones who had nearly gotten me killed time and time again.

The wind drove the rain against me, and I shivered from the cold that seemed to seep into my bones.

Then I felt something wet on my face. I reached up, only to realize that at some point, tears had started streaming down my cheeks.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to run. But my feet felt rooted to the ground, impossibly heavy, and I couldn't move.

Suddenly, the front gate swung open.

The young boy everyone had been fussing over came running toward me under a child-sized umbrella, holding out another one. "Ma'am, this is for you. It's raining. You should hurry home."

My hand trembled as I took it, my eyes fixed on his face. He looked so much like Ethan.

Home? I didn't think I had one anymore. I bit down hard on the inside of my cheek, my eyes burning.

Everyone inside watched the boy with encouraging smiles. Not a single person recognized me.

Maybe I looked too much of a mess. Or maybe it had simply been too long.

They didn't recognize me anymore.

The boy studied me for a moment. "Ma'am, are you sick? You should come inside and get out of the rain."

He tugged at the hem of my gown and started leading me toward the house, chattering the whole way. "It's my birthday today. My dad made a huge dinner. It's really good."

It suddenly hit me that that day marked exactly three years since Ethan had faked his death. Back then, my sister had already been away on a business trip overseas for months.

My heart clenched painfully.

So soon…

Ethan had always hated cooking. Whenever it came up, he'd shake his head and joke that he must have had a lifelong feud with the kitchen.

Fortunately, I knew how to cook, so he'd never had to worry about going hungry.

Apparently, he could learn to cook after all, for the woman he loved and their child.

"Dad! It's raining even harder now. Can she come inside until it stops?"

The boy let go of me and ran excitedly toward Ethan. Ethan scooped him up, smiled, and kissed his cheek.

The married life I'd imagined countless times was right there in front of me. Except I wasn't the woman at Ethan's side.

The moment Ethan saw me, his smile faded. His expression grew complicated, and he visibly tensed.

The lively chatter in the room came to an abrupt stop, leaving only the cheerful music playing in the background, almost mockingly.

Everyone stared at me in confusion, exchanging uncertain looks.

Ethan was the first to recover. He instinctively shifted in front of my younger sister, Mia Bennett, shielding her. "Audrey…"

My parents quickly came over, blocking my view of the others. Their smiles were stiff. "Audrey, you're not fully recovered yet. Why did you come back here by yourself?"

Even my childhood friend, Adrian Mercer, did not attempt to hide the hostility in his eyes as he looked me over. "You need to go through the discharge process before leaving the hospital. How did you get here?"

I forced down the emotions threatening to overwhelm me and took a deep breath. "If I hadn't come back and found out the truth, were you going to keep me locked away in that psychiatric hospital?"

No one answered, but their silence told me everything.

Yes. They would have.

Mia gritted her teeth and started to drop to her knees. "Audrey, if you need someone to blame, blame me. I'm the one who wronged you!"

Ethan immediately pulled her back up and into his arms. He gently brushed a loose strand of hair away from her face. "This isn't your fault."

Adrian snapped, "Weren't you the one who asked to go there?"

I'd only made that choice because I couldn't stand watching them run themselves ragged back then.

But apparently, that meant nothing to them.

My parents looked like they wanted to say something, but in the end, they simply turned away and sighed.

One after another, their words closed in on me until my chest felt tight.

I hadn't even accused them of anything, yet somehow, in their eyes, I was already the villain.

Exhaustion washed over me. I forced a faint smile. "I'm tired. I'm going to get some rest."

Our housekeeper, Maggie Carter, draped a blanket over my shoulders to keep me warm. Her eyes reddened as she whispered, "Ms. Audrey, I'm just glad you're home."

The moment I walked away, everyone behind me breathed a sigh of relief. I never knew they found me so terrifying.

I thought back to when I'd first been admitted to the psychiatric hospital. Mom and Dad had visited often, and Maggie would regularly bring me my favorite meals.

Eventually, Mom and Dad stopped coming. Maggie's visits became less frequent too. After showing up several times with tearful eyes, she stopped coming altogether.

That went on for about two years.

I'd always assumed everyone was busy. Now I realized they had probably been afraid Maggie would tell me the truth.

How ridiculous.

My own family could've simply told me the truth.

Instead, they chose to shut me out.

My heart ached.

The scar on my wrist seemed to ache with it.

From the stairs, I looked down at all of them gathered together and remembered how, years ago, we'd raised our glasses to celebrate being together again.

From now on, I truly had no home.