She Died as His Wife, Returned as His Nightmare

I barely caught her last words before she disappeared into the hallway. My mind was spinning too violently to process them. All I heard was her laughter echoing against the walls, mocking, sharp, and cruel. It stuck to me like poison, seeping under my skin. Dinner came. I prepared the meal as she smugly signed for me to do, keeping my face neutral, my lips sealed. Nathan sat at the table, Melissa at his side, her laughter filling the room while his hand lingered too long on hers. I ate in silence, every bite heavy, every swallow burning. I didn’t taste the food. I only tasted betrayal. When night fell, I lay awake. Nathan’s side of the bed stayed cold he hadn’t bothered to return. My tears soaked the pillow, but I bit them back, forcing myself to breathe quietly. I couldn’t let them hear me break. Not anymore. The next morning, the house was quiet. Nathan had already left. Melissa, too. I moved like a ghost, cleaning, arranging, making sure everything looked perfect. But my hea

I didn’t go home that night. I couldn’t. I stayed in a hotel, numb, broken, replaying Nathan’s words until they carved wounds deeper than any slap. By morning, I knew. This marriage was dead. When I walked into the house, he was waiting, pacing, his eyes red with fury. The moment he saw me, his voice thundered through the room. “Where the hell have you been, bitch?” I froze. He almost lifted his hands to sign but remembered—I could hear. His words stabbed sharper than knives. I didn’t answer. I dropped the divorce papers on the table. My fingers shook, but my voice didn’t. “Sign.” He blinked, stunned, then smirked like I was some child throwing tantrums. He picked up the pen, twirling it lazily. “You think this scares me? You think you can walk away from me, Rachel? You’ll crawl back like you always do.” I didn't alter a word. His smirk faltered. He leaned closer, eyes burning. “You’re bluffing.” I didn’t move. He slammed the pen down on the paper, scratching

Melissa’s POV The chandeliers burned too bright, the champagne glasses sparkled, and all eyes turned when I walked in. That was the point. I had spent hours making sure every detail was perfect, my dress hugging me like sin, my diamonds catching every flicker of light. The whispers followed me like perfume.“She looks stunning…” “No wonder Nathan picked her…” “She doesn’t even look like she’s mourning.” I heard them all but, I didn’t care. Let them choke on their envy and die. I found Nathan standing tall, his suit sharp, his smile colder than ice. My heart fluttered. This was my night. I had waited too long, too many years playing the shadow, the mistress, the backup. Now I was the main woman. I slid my hand into his arm and whispered loud enough for the nearest ears to catch, “Today I will be engaged to you. I’m so happy you invited Mrs. Belira. Even she will see you chose me.” Nathan’s lips twitched in approval. Around us, the murmurs grew. “His wife just died a month ago…

Rachel’s POVThree days later, I sat in the boardroom, my fingers drumming against the polished oak table. The projector hummed faintly as charts flashed across the screen. My baby. My project. Months of sweat, sleepless nights, and relentless drive had brought us here.“Ladies and gentlemen,” I said, steady but with fire under my voice, “this project will change Dronecode forever. We aren’t just leading, we’re rewriting the rules.”Excited murmurs rippled around the table. My chest swelled with pride. This was it. My chance to prove to the world that I was more than Nathan’s shadow, more than a victim.Mr. Ramsey leaned forward, nodding eagerly, scribbling notes faster than anyone else. His glasses slid down his nose, but his eyes stayed sharp, too sharp.“We need a release date,” one of the directors said.I inhaled deeply, then spoke with finality. “Three weeks from today. That’s when the world will see what we’ve built.”Heads bobbed. Applause filled the room. The moment felt gold

Rachel pov I woke to the feel of warm hands around me and the dark weight of sleep lifting like fog. For a second I thought it was a dream Dave’s chest rising and falling under my cheek, the soft scrape of his beard when he sighed but then the memory came back like a struck bell: the party, the funeral, the boardroom, the launch date, the stolen file, and last night. I tried to push myself up, to stand like I had done a thousand times in the years before the bullet, but fingers tightened on my wrist and pulled me back down, hard enough to make me pause. “Stay,” Dave said into my hair, his voice a low promise. “Just a little longer.” He laughed, soft and ridiculous, as if he’d won some private bet. “Or… let’s do one more round,” he murmured, breath warm on my ear. He turned his head so we were face to face. “You keep pushing me away, and I keep coming back.” I glared at him even though I couldn’t open my eyes fully. “What are you doing?” I rasped. “You’re trying to cripple me,