Chapter 1

"Ruth, are you sure you don't need me to stay? You're not feeling well, after all," Zayne Colman said with concern as he held my hands, seemingly reluctant to leave. A deep frown was etched across his forehead.

Shaking my head, I rasped, "I'll be fine. Besides, Mom and the others will take good care of me. You can go without worry.

"I know how important this project is. You and Reagan spent so many sleepless nights working on it. You're right at the finish line. How can I hold you back just because I'm sick?"

My mother-in-law, Pamela Kinsley, patted Zayne on his shoulder. "Ruth is right. You and Reagan have both poured so much into this project.

"You've even lost weight stressing over it. You're about to secure it. Hurry up and get ready to set off."

My mom agreed, too. "Yes, Zayne. Reagan has only been at your company for a year, and she's already contributing significantly to such a major project, thanks to your guidance.

"There are plenty of us here to take care of Ruth. You two can go with peace of mind."

Zayne bent down and placed a kiss on my forehead. He said in a gentle voice, "You focus on getting better. Stay home and wait for our good news."

I nodded weakly, watching as Zayne and my younger sister, Reagan Spencer, leave the hospital room.

Inwardly, I said, "My dear sister and husband, I will fulfill your wish in this life. May you both stay together forever… Even in hell."

Half an hour later, Reagan posted on her social media account. In the photo, she leaned intimately against Zayne's shoulder. Their heads were touching as they looked at some documents together. The air between them was charged with unspoken affection.

Her caption cut like a knife. "How lucky I am to have both my life's work and the man I love by my side."

My stomach churned as I stared at that photo. A year ago, Reagan joined Zayne's company after graduating from college. I never imagined the two of them would use work as an excuse to spend every night together.

They stayed in the office, in hotels, in the car… Even in the home Zayne and I shared as husband and wife, they left behind traces of their affair.

For the sake of our family, I swallowed my pride and pain. I tried every trick in my book to win Zayne back.

Looking back now, I realize I was being ridiculous. Once a man's heart had drifted off elsewhere, it would never return.

In my previous life, I deliberately got myself completely soaked in the rain so that I would run a high fever. I did it to stop Zayne and Reagan from going on that business trip to the border.

I succeeded, but I never expected Reagan to end up going alone. And I certainly didn't know that the other party was actually a scam syndicate. Reagan fell into a trap that devoured her alive.

When news came that Reagan had died in a foreign land, I lived in endless guilt and blamed myself. I thought it was all my fault, and that my selfishness had killed her. I believed that I had destroyed both her life and what she had built in the company with Zayne.

Right before the day I gave birth, I found a recording of Zayne and Reagan plotting to kill me once they returned. That was when I finally discovered their true colors.

My anger and grief sent me into premature labor. In that moment of weakness, Zayne sent both me and our unborn child to our deaths. Now that I somehow got to live again, I would make sure this horrid couple would die together and be bound to each other in the eternal depths of hell.

My phone screen lit up as a message from Reagan popped up. Her tone seemed naive as she asked via text, "Ruth, guess what surprise Zayne has prepared for me tonight?"