Chapter One: Dying at Midnight

I picked up my phone and dialed my husband’s number, though "husband" was just the word we used on paper.

My best friend Kira had just informed me that Cole was spotted at a hotel with another woman. The dial tone vibrated in my ear, sending a wave of nausea straight to my stomach as I braced for what would come next.

“This user cannot be reached.”

Panic filled my entire body. Minutes felt like agonizing hours until the heavy front door of Haven finally opened and Cole walked through.

I rushed toward him, rage and terror burning behind my eyes. "Where have you been? I called your phone several times and you didn't pick up once."

Cole looked dead at me, his expression completely unfazed. “Let's talk about this later… I need to rest now.”

Without waiting for a response, he brushed past me and walked toward his room. I bit my lower lip, shoving a hand through my hair. Am I really overstepping this marriage? I thought, my heart beating frantically against my ribs. I shouldn't be doing this…

A marriage that had started off as a clean, straightforward contract now felt like an obsession. My only goal had been to elevate my social status, while Cole just wanted to escape his family's relentless drama. But sitting in the silence of this massive house, the lines were blurring.

Hours dragged by in suffocation. I sat in the quiet living room, watching a storm roll in over the glass walls of Haven, my eyes fixed on the illuminated clock. 7:09 PM.

Cole stepped out of his room, fully dressed in a sharp suit. He headed straight for the front door without offering me a single glance... dressed like a man who had somewhere very important to be, and someone very specific to see.

“Where are you going?” I demanded, watching his back stiffen as he halted in his tracks.

“I'm going to the office,” he said with a sigh, not bothering to turn around. “There's no need to wait up for me. Turn off the lights and go to sleep if I'm not back.”

He opened the door and walked out, clicking it shut behind him.

The sharp sound of the lock echoed through the empty foyer, cutting right through me. He walked out without looking at me even once.

I hurried to the veranda, watching his tail lights fade into the darkness until his car was out of sight. A sickening wave of doubt washed over me. I didn't believe a single word he had said. Everything in my gut told me he was headed straight to meet his secret woman.

My phone felt heavy in my hands as I ran back inside and dialed Kira’s number. It rang a few times before her smooth, collected voice broke through the line.

“Hey doll…” She always called me doll when we were on the phone.

“Kira…” I gasped out, my voice shaking uncontrollably. “He left again. He’s going to meet her, I know it.”

A beat of silence hung over the line before Kira spoke. “Relax, doll. Why don't you tail him?”

I wiped away a warm tear that slipped down my cheek. "Tail him? That's crazy. If he finds out..."

"He won't. Hope you haven't forgotten the steps I taught you for tracking his car's GPS?"

I looked at the door. This is exactly what a paranoid wife would do.

But I kept seeing his back as he walked out.

"I haven't forgotten," I said quietly.

“That's good. Pull up the tracking app on your phone, the signal should already be active.” 

“I’ve got it,” I replied in a faint whisper.

“Good. If you lose the vehicle's GPS, track his cell signal directly,” Kira added smoothly. “Keep me posted.”

The line went dead. 

I grabbed my heavy coat, shoving my phone right into my pocket as I ran out, knowing the storm outside was about to break. It might have been a contract marriage, but I refused to sit by and be humiliated.

I rushed down to my car, but before I could open the door, one of Cole's personal drivers stepped into my path.

“It's late, ma'am, and the weather is terrible,” he said, his tone polite but firm. “Please let me drive you. The boss will fire me if he finds out I let you drive alone in this.”

I didn't have the time or energy to argue. I climbed into the back seat and told him to follow the tracker on the screen.

We pulled out of Haven just as the sky opened up. Rain battered the roof like gunfire, blurring the windshield into a thick sheet of water. Up front, the driver pressed on the accelerator, maintaining speed despite the blinding downpour.

My stomach twisted as the tires squealed on the wet asphalt. “Slow down! You're going to get us killed!” he paid no attention.

Metal screamed against metal.

My body slammed hard against the leather seat as the heavy SUV lurched violently sideways, airborne for one sickening second after smashing through a metal guardrail.

We hit the river below with a deafening CRACK.

Darkness slammed into the windows. Cold, murky water immediately began forcing its way through the air vents, pooling around my feet and climbing up my legs. Panicked, I lunged for the door handle, but the locks were jammed shut.

Up front, the driver didn't panic. As he turned to reach under his seat, the dim dashboard light caught his profile... revealing a long, straight black scar running from the corner of his eye down his cheekbone, I was too busy to notice this then.

My heart hammered against my ribs. Panicking, I yanked at my seatbelt, pressing the release button over and over, but the buckle wouldn't budge. It was jammed tight.

"Hey! Help me! My belt is stuck!" I cried out, my voice cracking with pure terror.

He ignored me completely. In one swift motion, he pulled out a compact emergency oxygen mask and slipped it over his face.

I sat frozen, paralyzed by the sheer horror of what was happening. He looked back at me with an eerie, neutral calm, holding up a phone. A call was already active on the display.

Without saying a single word, he reached back and handed the phone to me. Then, he released his door seal and slammed his hand onto the master control panel, jamming the electrical lock on my side. He kicked open his door, letting the icy river flood the front cabin as he slipped out into the current, leaving me strapped to the seat, locked inside the sinking tomb.

I pulled the phone to my ear, my breath hitching in my chest.

“Doll…” Kira's voice echoed through the speaker.

“Kira? What's going on? What is this?!” I shrieked, water splashing against my waist as the vehicle sank deeper into the freezing river.

“Did you really think a contract could buy you his world, Quinn Vandal?” Kira’s voice dripped with sickening satisfaction. “You were always so easy to push. One hint about another woman, and you ran straight into the trap like a desperate, insecure wife.”

I choked on the rising water, my breath rattling against the glass. "Kira... please..."

“You never belonged in his world, Quinn. I’ll make sure your inheritance, your title, and everything that was supposed to be yours end up in the right hands... mine.” A low laugh echoed before her voice dropped to a cold, ruthless whisper. “Die quietly.”

The line went dead, and the screen flashed once before going completely pitch black.

Before I could even scream, a thick chemical gas burst from the rear vents, filling the enclosed cabin in seconds. I coughed violently, my throat burning as I beat my bruised fists against the reinforced glass.

The water reached my chest. My vision began to blur as my strength rapidly drained away.

My lungs burned for air. The dark water swallowed the windows completely. And as the world went black, the last terrifying truth took hold... I had handed my entire life over to my murderer.