Chapter 1

I was abducted on the night Victoria Hewitt got married. My life was hanging on by a thread.

The television was still broadcasting news of Victoria's wedding when I was taken away.

She was a famous sculptor, which was why the sudden news of her marriage caused tremendous waves throughout the city.

Victoria had been wearing a pure white wedding dress during the broadcast, smiling brightly as she held her fiance's hand.

The media showered them with praise, calling them an attractive couple who were a match made in heaven.

As I listened to the cacophony of noises coming from the television, I kept my eyes trained on Victoria's dress.

Truth be told, I had personally designed the wedding dress that she was wearing during my university days.

Victoria and I had just started dating at the time. I was absolutely smitten with her, which prompted me to design the wedding dress. I had then begged her to wear it when we got married.

Victoria had acquiesced to my request. She promised that she would fulfill my wish as she hooked our pinky fingers together.

However, at that moment, she was marrying another man while wearing the wedding dress that I had designed.

My heart ached terribly. I didn't even notice when someone discreetly opened my door.

The abductors were already right behind me when I finally realized that something was amiss.

One of them raised his hand at the same time I turned around, bringing it down on my neck.

I fainted within seconds.

The last thing I saw right before I lost consciousness was still Victoria. Her smile looked especially sweet on the television.

A single thought ran through my mind as my eyes fluttered shut.

"Congratulations on your marriage, Victoria."

…

I found myself bound in a cramped and damp basement when I regained consciousness.

The rope around me was tight and secure. My wrists were badly swollen, making it clear that I had been tied up for a long time.

The abductors smoked as they discussed among themselves regarding how to deal with me. When they realized that I was awake, one of them approached me and kicked me like I was a beast. He then tapped his cigarette, causing the ashes to fall on my shoulders.

It wasn't supposed to hurt, but my heart felt like it had twisted itself into painful knots.

A few moments later, the abductors lifted a chainsaw and slowly stalked toward me.

I knew that I didn't have much time left. Truth be told, I had known that death awaited me for some time.

Perhaps noticing how young I was, one of the abductors sighed and said, "You brought this on yourself. You're the one who got yourself into this mess because you insisted on protecting Victoria Hewitt. Don't blame us for what happens next. If you want someone to blame, you can blame your own stupidity."

My eyes were completely calm as I listened to the sounds of the chainsaw. In fact, I felt a certain sense of relief.

Although I was staring death in the eyes at that moment, I couldn't help but feel how ridiculous the entire situation was.

Ironically, Victoria was probably happily getting married while I was tortured to death. On top of that, even after I was gone, she would never know that I had died for her sake.

Excruciating pain lanced through me when the chainsaw sank into my skin.

I didn't know how long it took before I finally breathed my last breath.

The basement was a gruesome sight.

After sawing off my femur, the abductors skillfully cleaned up the aftermath as if they had done something similar hundreds of times.

When I opened my eyes, I realized that I was watching the scene before me from where I was floating in the air.

My corpse was utterly mangled.

The abductors muttered under their breaths as they dismembered me, grumbling about how I deserved such a tragic fate because I had been willing to throw my life away for Victoria.

A bitter smile stretched across my lips as I watched them.

They were right.

Everything that I did had been for Victoria's sake.