Chapter 02

POV Amy.

Sara drove me home. My heart pounded against my ribcage as the car moved. Memories of the recent events still haunted my mind. Everything had happened so fast that I could still taste blood in my mouth from when I died hours earlier.

I couldn’t even consider marrying Warren—not only because he had deceived me for ten years but also because there was no love left inside me for him. The idea was abhorrent. I would rather die again than come near Warren West after everything I now knew about him.

My phone vibrated inside my purse. I stared at the number blinking on the screen, anger flaring in my chest. I felt awful about having to talk to Warren and thought about ignoring the call. My only option was to stay and make him pay, although I should have run far away.

I pushed the fear away and answered.

“I heard you had an accident,” his voice oozed fake concern. “Tell me where you are, and I’ll come get you.”

“No.” My voice came out loud and cold as my stomach twisted. “Sara’s driving me home. I don’t need your help.”

I clenched my fists as silence stretched on the other end of the line. My voice sounded icy, threaded with a simmering rage I couldn’t contain. I needed to calm down if I wanted to make Warren pay for what he’d done.

“All right, dear,” he sighed long before continuing his lies. “I’ll come by tomorrow to make sure you’re okay.”

His words rang like iron chains around me, dragging me back into the nightmare I’d lived for ten years. I wondered how I’d been so naïve. I believed everything he told me and forgave his contempt. Even when I discovered Warren slipped contraceptives into my food so I wouldn’t get pregnant, I still couldn’t bring myself to hate him. I forgave every atrocity in the name of that love, only to be stabbed straight through the heart.

When I hung up, Sara’s gaze weighed on me. I hadn’t even noticed the car had stopped in front of my house. Sara was small, hardly reaching my shoulder; her face was as smooth as porcelain, her presence fragile. She tilted her head toward me; her wide, uncertain eyes almost made me curl into the seat.

“You hit your head in the crash. I should take you to the hospital.”

Her words carried an ironic sting that irritated me deeply.

“I’m fine. It was only a small cut.”

“You know exactly what I mean, Amy.” Her sharp eyes stayed fixed on me. “You’ve acted strangely since the accident. How did you have the nerve to invite Simon to your wedding? What did you whisper in his ear?”

I couldn’t tell her the truth. Neither Sara nor anyone would believe I had been reborn after being murdered by my husband. I turned to look at her, my expression sliding into a false innocence.

“Simon doesn’t seem as bad as everyone says,” I said, my voice cutting the air like a blade. I watched the exact moment Sara’s face froze at my words. “I’m thinking of giving him a chance.”

Sara’s lips twisted into a scornful smile. She protested, “That man is a scoundrel—we both know it. You didn’t listen when I warned you about Warren. Please, this time, stay away from Simon.”

I nodded with a neutral expression. Sara didn’t know what I knew, so she wouldn’t understand my reasons. The best I could do was not prolong the subject and pretend I would follow her advice. Sara wouldn’t forgive me for hiding such a secret, but she wasn’t ready for the truth.

“I’m glad for tonight, despite the accident,” I said, blinking at her, genuinely sincere. “I’m lucky to have a friend like you by my side.”

I managed to erase the terrible expression of anger from her face and replace it with a smile. I almost cried when she hugged me, but I blinked the tears away and pushed the emotion down. Besides, I would rather not think about how much I suffered from losing her so early, because of Warren and Peter, her boyfriend.

I exhaled sharply as I got out of the car and said goodbye. Sara would take my car and handle the repairs, but I wasn't concerned about that. I went inside. My heart beat a little harder. The house felt terrifying now after everything that had happened. My eyes fell on the living room where Warren had ended my life. I tried to forget, but the memories kept haunting me. I peered inside, expecting something dark, but the place was surprisingly clean.

The only thing I found was Megan and Antony’s eyes on me.

My parents rushed to meet me, their faces full of worry.

“We heard on the news you had an accident,” my mother said, studying me as she ran her fingers over the cut on my forehead. “Warren kept calling—he was worried about you.” 

“Simon didn’t cause anything,” I said; I had never faced that kind of confrontation before. “It was an accident. No one’s blaming.”

“You know Warren hates Simon and might go to any lengths to hurt him,” my father said, his gaze dropping to the wound on my forehead. “He could even try to use you to strike back.”

I shook my head, rejecting everything my father said. I wouldn’t let him be fooled by Warren’s feigned kindness.

“You shouldn’t worry about Simon, Father. Warren plans to acquire our company. He intends to take all our fortune.”

“How can you be sure of that?” Antony asked, doubt slowly clouding his eyes.

“Just trust me—I know how to expose him.”

My lips trembled as I spoke the truth. There was a giant chance my parents wouldn’t believe me or stand by my decision. Silence dragged like a whip, striking my back. I couldn’t know what they thought or whether my words would sway them.

“I hope you know what you’re doing, Amy,” Antony said. He sensed something off in my words but wasn’t sure he could make me change my mind. “What will you do now?”

“Call off the wedding,” I replied, holding my head high even though my whole body trembled with fear, “and humiliate Warren, making him pay for his betrayal.”