Two for the Price of One

I died a gruesome death.

The flesh on both of my legs was entirely sliced off, leaving only strands of bloodied muscle clinging to bare bones. Even the seasoned homicide detectives couldn't hold back their tears.

"She was flayed alive. How much pain must she have endured?"

"There are so many wounds on her face… What kind of monster could be this cruel?"

"She was already dead, yet she still protected that little boy... Ha..."

Perhaps the agony I experienced before my death was too overwhelming, both my soul and Xander Jenne's couldn't move on to the afterlife. Instead, we drifted to my husband, Howard Jenne.

At that moment, he held first love Sue Larsson as he barged into the clinic. He clutched the doctor as though holding on to his last thread of hope.

"Doctor, please save her! Sue is a ballet dancer. What's going to happen to her if something's wrong with her legs?"

Desperation and madness intertwined in his eyes. There was a tenderness I had never seen before in his expression.

When the doctor finished applying medicine to Sue Larsson's injuries, Howard couldn't hold back his tears of joy. He immediately instructed his assistant, Leonardo Zuch, to get a premium hospital room for Sue to recuperate.

Leonardo hesitated for a moment, his face conflicted as he cautiously asked, "Sir, you've already paid the ransom to save Ms. Larsson, but Mrs. Jenne and Mr. Xander are still in the hands of the kidnappers… Shouldn't we—"

Leonardo was about to suggest calling the police when Howard impatiently cut him off.

Howard's face darkened, his expression full of disdain as he sneered, "This was all an act Marlena put on with Xander. I already gave her 20 million to get her out of trouble. What more does she want?

"Sue is in low spirits right now. Don't mention that lunatic in front of us again."

Hearing this, I rushed to cover Xander's ears, even though he was just a floating soul like me.

As I looked at his face, filled with sadness and a hint of confusion, my heart felt like it had plummeted from the sky.

The pain was unbearable.

Of course, Howard always thought I was a manipulator who loved orchestrating drama and that I had even led Xander astray. How could he possibly come to save us?

But what he didn't know was that we were already dead.

We died while he was massaging Sue's feet.

In my final moments, I had begged the kidnappers to let me make one last call to him.

"Howard, please save us… I'm begging you. We're really going to die…"

I thought I saw a glimmer of hope the moment the video call connected.

However, my husband of three years furrowed his brows and scolded me instead. "Marlena Anderson, stop putting on an act! Can't you see how frightened Sue is? It's because you hired actors and staged a kidnapping that Sue sprained her ankle. You even dragged Xander into your nonsense!

"Marlena, I never thought you could be so conniving!"

Trembling, I held the barely breathing Xander in my arms and tried to bring his bloodied, youthful face closer to the camera. I wanted to prove to Howard that I wasn't lying, that even for the sake of his younger brother, he should save us.

But Howard didn't even have the patience to hear me out. He coldly spat out one final remark, "I'll deal with you and this mess later."

And then, he hung up the call without a second glance at our battered and bruised bodies.

Before the call ended, I caught the sound of Sue's soft, affectedly delicate voice on the other end, playfully pacifying him.

Sue only had a sprained ankle, yet Howard stayed by her bedside and handled her with the utmost care for three sleepless days. It was as if she were the most fragile porcelain doll.

Just like now, he carefully blew on a spoonful of broth to cool it down before holding it to Sue's lips.

"Thank goodness your injury isn't serious. My heart nearly jumped out of my chest at the sight of your twisted ankle…"

Tears streamed down Sue's face as she forced a smile and cooed back at him. "Howard, I really thought I was going to die when Marlena and Xander brought me to that abandoned factory. If you hadn't saved me in time, I..."

We were only taken by the kidnappers because of her! How dare she twist the truth?

Sue bit her lip and gazed at Howard with grateful eyes. "Howard, you're my savior. From now on, my life belongs to you..."

Xander, watching this sickeningly warm scene unfold, had a flicker of sadness cross his eyes. In a soft voice, he asked, "Howard, does Sue mean more to you than me and Marlena combined?"

But Howard couldn't hear him. Instead, he gently ruffled Sue's hair and took an invitation from Leonardo, pressing it into Sue's hands.

"The lead spot with the Morsee Dance Troupe," he announced. "Consider it a gift to help you recover from the scare. You need to get better quickly so I can be at ease..."

The invitation to the Morsee Dance Troupe was embossed with golden patterns. The invitation was the dream of every ballet dancer, myself included.

Sue stroked the invitation, a fleeting glint passing through her eyes. "Howard, you treat me so well!" As she spoke, her body flinched slightly. "But… This spot originally belonged to Marlena. If she finds out, will she send Xander to punish me again?"