Chapter 2

Victoria had already made a name for herself in the world of sculpting by the time we graduated from university. She had won many awards, but her blunt words offended many big shots in the business, and she was nearly blacklisted from the industry.

I begged many people for help so that Victoria could continue doing what she loved, going so far as to grovel at their feet.

Victoria was finally allowed to rejoin the sculpting industry thanks to my tireless efforts. However, she didn't change her ways. She offended another big shot, Jake Moreno, and nearly died.

She was terrified of death.

That day, her eyes glistened with tears as she lay on the hospital bed and asked me, "Am I going to die, Ashton?"

Her voice had been shaking, reminiscent of a lost child.

I pulled Victoria into my arms and whispered, "You won't. I won't let you die, Victoria."

We embraced each other for a long time.

I made up my mind when Victoria wound her arms around me. I made a vow to protect her no matter what happened.

For the sake of her future, I began collecting evidence of Jake's unscrupulous dealings and handed them over to the police. As a result, he was ousted from the sculpting industry.

Jake became furious with me for what I had done, leading him to take revenge on me for many years.

I had no choice but to live in hiding for the past few years, which was why death was a form of release for me.

It was just a shame that Victoria would never know about all the things that I had done for her sake, even after my death.

The abductors received a call from Jake after they dismembered my corpse.

"Deliver Ashton's femur to Victoria," Jake said, his voice echoing from the receiver. "Victoria's fond of making bone carvings, yes? Tell her that the femur came from an animal."

The blood in my veins turned to ice upon hearing his words.

Jake's actions were premeditated. He intentionally killed me and planned to trick Victoria into making a bone carving out of my femur so he could take revenge on us.

My chest tightened as I watched the abductors remove my femur from the rest of my corpse.

I wondered how Victoria was doing and assumed that she was enjoying her wedding night.

I suddenly floated away from the dim and damp basement and toward the heart of the city.

Victoria had purchased a house in that area. She had just wrapped up the wedding ceremony and was sitting on the couch. She looked a little tired.

Her husband, Joseph Danford, sat next to her, looking at her tenderly.

I had always known that Joseph was Victoria's first love. However, since he spent all of his time abroad, I assumed that they wouldn't get involved with each other.

I never would have guessed that he would return to the country and contact her of his own volition to express his interest in rekindling their relationship.

The two of them got married shortly after that.

I became a part of Victoria's past while Joseph became her future.

Seeing how exhausted Victoria looked, Joseph thoughtfully poured a glass of water for her.

However, Victoria simply waved her hand and said, "It's fine. I'm not thirsty."

Joseph's gaze became a little heated when he placed the glass down. "It's our wedding night, Vicky," he said.

He then lowered his head and kissed her.

Victoria hesitated for a moment before she accepted his kiss.

When Joseph's fingers brushed against the zipper on Victoria's back, I closed my eyes.

The bloody scene of the basement floated to the forefront of my thoughts.

The abductors were probably still getting rid of my mangled corpse. Meanwhile, Victoria was sharing an intimate moment with another man in her new home.

In the end, she had worn the wedding dress that I had personally designed to marry another man.

…

I quietly floated in the air for the rest of the night.

The next morning, someone knocked on the door just as dawn began to break on the horizon.

"Good morning. You have a delivery."

My eyes widened when I looked at the man who was knocking on the door.

He was one of the abductors who had dismembered me last night!