Chapter 1

Vanya POv

I watched my husband kiss another woman while I lay dying in a hospital bed.

But let me go back to how I got here, because this story starts with me being the perfect housewife who thought love meant sacrificing everything for people who never loved me back.

"Bernard, honey, could you please help me carry these dishes to the dining room?" I called out sweetly from the kitchen, balancing three heavy plates in my arms while steam rose from the freshly cooked meal I'd spent two hours preparing.

The sound of my mother-in-law's chair scraping against the floor made my stomach drop. Mrs. Fredrick appeared in the doorway like a storm cloud, her gray hair pulled back so tight it stretched her wrinkled face into a permanent scowl.

"Excuse me?" she snapped, her voice sharp enough to cut glass. "Did you just ask my son to help you with housework?"

My hands trembled slightly as I set the plates down on the counter. "I just thought maybe he could—"

"You thought wrong," she interrupted, stepping closer until I could smell her bitter perfume. "You are nothing but a lazy, worthless housewife. The only job we gave you in this house is to serve this family, and you can't even do that without bothering your husband?"

Heat rushed to my cheeks, but I kept my voice calm. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Fredrick. I didn't mean to—"

"Is this how a good wife is supposed to behave? Disturbing her husband when he's watching his game?" She pointed a bony finger at my face. "No wonder Bernard looks so tired all the time. You're probably pestering him with your complaints every single day."

I glanced toward the living room where Bernard sat comfortably on his recliner, the volume of the TV loud enough that I knew he could hear every word his mother was saying. But he didn't move. He didn't defend me. He never did.

"You're right," I whispered, lowering my eyes. "I'll manage on my own."

Mrs. Fredrick huffed and marched back to the dining room, leaving me alone with the burning shame that had become my constant companion. I wiped my hands on my apron and carried the dishes one by one, my arms aching but my pride too wounded to complain.

After dinner, I stood in front of our bedroom mirror, smoothing down the blue dress I'd bought last month with money I'd saved from the grocery budget. The color brought out my eyes, and for a moment, I felt almost pretty.

"Bernard," I said softly when he walked into the room, "how do I look?"

He barely glanced at me before shaking his head in disgust. "You look like a skinny rat. Disgusting."

The words hit me like a physical blow, just like they did every time he said them. My reflection stared back at me with hollow eyes, and I wondered when I'd stopped recognizing the woman in the mirror. I used to have dreams once. I used to paint and laugh and believe I was worth something. But five years of marriage had taught me that my only value was in how well I could serve others.

I turned away from the mirror and began folding Bernard's clothes, my hands moving automatically while my mind drifted to darker places. This was my life. This was all I was good for. At twenty-eight years old, I had nothing to show for my existence except clean dishes and pressed shirts.

My name is Vanya Fredrick, and I used to be a housewife. But everything changed because I discovered a secret that shattered my world and gave me the power to rebuild it from the ashes.

It happened yesterday, and I need to tell you about it because you have to understand how completely I trusted the people who were destroying me from the inside.

Tracy had called that morning, her voice bright and cheerful as always. "Vanya! Want to come shopping with Bernard and me? There's this new jewelry store at the mall that I'm dying to check out."

I should have questioned why my best friend wanted my husband to join us for a girls' shopping trip, but I was so grateful for any excuse to leave the house that I didn't think twice about it.

We spent the afternoon wandering through stores, Tracy trying on expensive dresses while Bernard carried her bags and complimented her choices. I walked behind them like a shadow, watching them laugh at inside jokes I didn't understand and share looks that lasted a beat too long.

When we left the mall, the sun was setting and the parking lot was busy with evening shoppers rushing to their cars. We were halfway across the asphalt when I heard the roar of an engine and the screech of tires.

A red sports car was speeding straight toward us, the driver clearly distracted by his phone. Tracy and Bernard were walking ahead of me, completely unaware of the danger bearing down on them.

I didn't think. I just moved.

I threw myself forward, shoving both of them out of the path of the speeding car. The last thing I remembered was the sound of crushing metal and Tracy screaming my name.

When I woke up in the hospital, my head was pounding and my left arm was wrapped in bandages. The room was dimly lit, and machines beeped softly around my bed. I felt like I'd been hit by a truck, which wasn't far from the truth.

"Tracy?" I called out weakly, my throat dry and scratchy. "Bernard?"

I tried to sit up, panic flooding through me as I remembered the accident. "Are they okay? Please tell me they're okay. Where are my husband and best friend?"

A nurse appeared beside my bed, her face kind but tired. "They're fine, honey. You saved their lives. They're both right here in the waiting area. You've been unconscious for six hours, but the doctor says you're going to make a full recovery."

Relief washed over me so powerfully that tears sprang to my eyes. They were safe. That was all that mattered. I had done the right thing, even if it meant I was the one lying broken in a hospital bed.

"Can I see them?" I asked, trying to push myself up on my good arm.

The nurse gently pressed me back down. "In a few minutes. Let me just check your vitals first."

After she left, I turned my head toward the doorway, eager to see the two people I loved most in the world. I could hear their voices drifting in from the hallway, and my heart swelled with happiness knowing they were safe and sound.

But as their voices grew closer, I could make out what they were saying, and my blood turned to ice in my veins.

"God, she looked so pathetic throwing herself in front of that car," Tracy's voice was filled with cruel laughter. "Like some kind of desperate hero in a bad movie."

"I know, right?" Bernard's reply made my heart stop beating. "At least now we don't have to sneak around for a few days while she recovers. Maybe this accident will teach her to mind her own business."

I held my breath as they appeared in the doorway, and what I saw next destroyed everything I thought I knew about love, loyalty, and the people I would have died for.

Bernard pulled Tracy into his arms and kissed her deeply, passionately, right there in front of my hospital room door while I lay broken and bleeding just a few feet away.