Chapter 1 (ALICE’s POV)

It was already past six by the time I stepped out of the hospital. The nurses had bandaged my feet again; the swelling was down, and the pain was a little more manageable.

They’d slipped a comfortable pair of flip-flops on me, and a driver was waiting outside. I got in and left.

Missed calls from Mum lit up my phone, along with voice notes lecturing me to act like a proper wife and “have a son.” I half expected her to have trailed me here, to the hospital, but no.

She avoided this place, just like everyone else avoided Elliot, my little brother, like he was some kind of plague.

Same with Tad. My husband.

He’d only shown his face twice at Elliot’s bedside, played the perfect brother-in-law for a minute, then vanished.

I’d gotten a text from him earlier saying he was “out of town for business” and wouldn’t be back for the next three days.

But what I didn’t expect was another notification from that same unknown number, the same one that had been texting me for days now. A single image.

Tad stepped out of his car and walked into what looked unmistakably like a hotel lobby. The angle was clean. Every detail was captured like the sender wanted to make sure I couldn’t deny it.

I stared at the screen, my thumb hovering over it. I didn't feel the sharp sting of surprise anymore, it had died two days ago. It was one thing to know he was lying, it was another to have the proof staring back at me in high definition while I sat in the back of a car with bandaged feet.

“He told you he’s out of town? Lol. Get smart, Alice. Would you sit and watch while all of this happened?” — Unknown.

My heartbeat spiked instantly with a suffocating inhale.

Whoever this was… they had gone through my entire chat history. They had read everything, just like I feared.

They were watching us, watching my husband, with precision.

But why? Why hack my phone? Why drag me into the middle of it? I was pretty sure ‘acquire stalker’ wasn’t on my vision board this year.

I was about to dial the number when another message appeared almost instantly.

“Brooksfield Crown Hotel. 48 Willowcrest Drive, West End District, Brooksfield. 20th floor. Room 907. Go there and see for yourself.” — Unknown

Curiosity gnawed at me, piercing like the throbbing in my feet. I told my driver the address without hesitation. An hour later, we arrived.

“Give me the keys. Take a cab home,” I said the moment we stopped.

He did as told, hiding his judgment as best he could, but his eyes screamed Why was she at a hotel?

I limped straight inside, the hospital antiseptic still coating my skin as I crossed the plush lobby, nails tapping against the elevator button for the 20th floor. I didn’t care about my current physical state.

My nosiness had already taken over. I waited, every nerve on high alert.

The elevator chimed. The doors slid open. I hobbled down the empty hallway, the silence of the floor echoed by the pulsing of my own anxiety.

What was I even doing here? Who cared if Tad was cheating on me? Wait… maybe it did matter.

Maybe if I had concrete proof, I could finally stand up to my father, break the deal, and find a way out of this marriage.

I reached the door 907 and knocked. Once. Twice. Silence stretched for a heartbeat that felt like an eternity before the door creaked open. Olive-green eyes met mine.

My jaw dropped. A low, incredulous scoff escaped me as I took in the figure in the doorway: a white robe, green eyes that mirrored my own, and brunette hair.

Faye Ashbourne. My older sister. Just perfect!

“A..l..ice?” Shock twisted her face, her voice trembling as her green eyes locked on me.

I searched for a trace of a joke in her expression, but there was only guilt.

I glanced past her. Tad came into view, shirtless, only his boxers clinging. For the first time, I saw him unguarded, shocked, even helpless.

“What are you doing here?” he demanded. The audacity in his voice snapped the last strand of my patience.

I didn’t wait to hear more. My feet carried me down the hallway before my mind could catch up, Tad’s voice calling my name behind me.

I reached the elevator, my fingers slamming the button for the ground floor, heart hammering, emotions crashing like waves I couldn’t control.

“Alice! Get back here! Let’s talk this out!” Tad’s voice boomed as he stepped out of his room, hurriedly pulling on his trousers.

I didn’t care, watching as the doors slid shut.

I reached my car in record time, threw the door open, started the engine, and tore out of the parking lot.

Hands gripping the wheel, I immediately dialed Dad, putting it on speaker.

The highway blurred beneath me, adrenaline mixing with a wicked sense of relief.

Finally, I had leverage. Proof. Not just to leave this marriage, but to crush Tad in the one place he cared about most: his reputation.

“Hello?”

“Dad! I’m on my way to the house!” I yelled over the roar of the engine, my voice almost manic. “I have something to tell you about Tad. About my marriage!”

“Alice, your mother told me that...”

“Ignore whatever she said! It’s time our deal ends, Dad. I have proof and…”

A deafening crash ripped through the car. A massive truck slammed straight into my right side.

For a heartbeat, there was only the blinding glare of headlights and the screech of tires.

Glass exploded, metal screamed. My body was hurled forward as the world spun violently out of control.

My scream tore out of me, swallowed by crumpling steel and rushing wind as the car rolled once, twice before slamming down with a sickening, bone‑deep thud.

In the quiet that followed the shattered glass, there was chaos, blood streaking my face, my body, my hands. Everything burned with a scorching heat.

My eyes fluttered open, struggling to make sense of anything. My vision swam, dark at the edges,the world felt like it crashed sideways.

“Someone… help me,” I muttered, my voice barely there.

I should have known this would happen. I should have gotten a feeling. Ever since I couldn't keep my curiosity in check, or since I had started receiving those messages two days ago.

I should have known my decision would end up in this terrible state.