Chapter 1

On the day of my wedding gown fitting, a stranger burst into the VIP suite and stabbed me with a knife.

“You think you deserve a dress this expensive after stealing someone else’s man?”

She tore at the delicate fabric of my skirt. Then, with a twisted smile, she hurled a bottle of acid at me.

The blade was buried in my lower abdomen. The pain drove me to my knees.

She grabbed my hair and yanked my head up. “Gerald’s my husband! What are you? You’re nothing but a mistress who can’t even be seen with him in public!”

Blood dripped down my fingers. That was when it finally sank in.

The man I had been with for seven years had been keeping another woman by his side.

“What’re you staring at? Even if I kill you, with my husband’s influence, no one will dare touch me!”

Staring at her smug face, I pulled out my phone with hands slicked in blood and called my brother.

“Matt…” My voice was unnervingly calm. “Come pick me up at the bridal shop. And please inform the Hoover family that the engagement is off.”

Chapter 1

I hung up. My wedding dress, worth millions, was riddled with black holes where the fabric had been eaten away.

My exposed skin burned as concentrated acid seared into it.

A foul-smelling yellow slurry mixed with blood oozed out of the burnt flesh.

I glared at the woman in front of me. The fury in my eyes was a white-hot flame. It was a silent inferno that could consume her where she stood.

Yet, the crowd of onlookers, drawn by the drama, only erupted in derisive laughter.

“Hahaha! She actually stole Mrs. Hoover’s man! She’s done for!”

Sonya Hoover jabbed a finger at my face and cursed. “You shameless trash! Still putting on an act? You think calling someone here will make me let you go? Just drop the act already! The Skylar family? I’ve never heard of them! I’m calling the cops right now and having you arrested for stealing the wedding dress!”

I clutched at my ruined wounds as blood kept slipping through my fingers.

A wave of dizziness blurred the edges of my vision because of the rapid blood loss.

When I saw the group of thugs standing behind Sonya, I regretted leaving the house today without my bodyguards.

I looked at the faces around me with the hope that someone would help.

However, the people around me only watched coldly. They huddled together and whispered among themselves with mockery written plainly in their eyes.

No one dared to step forward to help me.

Fighting through the agony, I locked my cold gaze on Sonya. My bloodshot eyes were brimming with intent to kill.

“I don’t know who you think you are, but listen carefully, my surname’s Skylar. I’m from the Skylar family of South City. Now, get out of my sight before I decide to end you right here!”

My unflinching stare only enraged her further. Sonya drove her foot into my abdomen viciously.

“The Skylar family? You think that’ll scare me? Let me tell you, I’m Sonya Hoover, the wife of Gerald Hoover, CEO of the Hoover Group. Who do you think you are? The nerve of you to speak to me like that!”

The stab wound in my abdomen split open even further from her kick. Thick blood mixed with pus poured relentlessly from the gash.

However, at that moment, I barely felt the pain.

Sonya’s words kept echoing in my ears. Was she really Gerald’s wife?

Who was I to him then?

Watching the smug satisfaction on her face, a bitter smile appeared on my face. Everything finally clicked.

Gerald had cheated on me.

He was the man chosen by my family to be my future husband. He was the man I had loved for seven years. He had been keeping another woman behind my back!

This was not the time to spiral. Forcing the fury down, I said in a cold tone, “Sonya, is it? Take me to the hospital now! And tell Gerald to get there as well!”

Seeing the surprise in her eyes, I shot her a murderous glare.

“If anything happens to me today, you’ll be the first person to die. As for Gerald, he won’t get away with it either!”

As soon as I said that, Sonya burst out laughing. She grabbed my hair and yelled at me.

“Who the hell do you think you are? You’ve got some nerve ordering me to get you to the hospital!”

She slammed my head against the floor repeatedly as she said, “Even if I kill you today, the Hoover family has more money than sense. I can afford this small act!”

My head hurt. Blood soaked my vision and turned everything into a red blur.

Sonya twisted her razor-sharp heel into the gash in my stomach.

Pain and despair crashed over me like a tidal wave.

Just then, the screech of brakes cut through the chaos.

Through the haze, I saw a familiar Maybach pull up in front of the bridal shop. In that instant, the knot in my stomach finally loosened.

I looked at Sonya and let out a snort.

“I told you, I’m from the Skylar family of South City. My brother’s here. Are you ready to die?”

Chapter 2

“Carol!”

Seeing my state, a tempest of fury erupted in Matt’s gaze.

He rushed to my side and took off his suit jacket to cover my exposed body.

I was locked in his embrace. The anguish and care in his eyes were impossible to hide.

“Are you okay, Carol? It’s okay. I’m here!”

I felt the pinpricks behind my eyes as the tears I had been holding back finally fell.

Matt gently wiped the tears from my face. His face turned murderous as he looked at Sonya.

“You’re the one who hurt my sister! You’re dead!”

Sonya looked like she had heard the funniest joke ever. She threw her head back and laughed.

When her laughter finally subsided, she cast a dismissive glance at Matt. Her arrogance had no end in sight.

“Such arrogance! We’ll see if you’re still alive to talk in a minute! Men! Deal with him now! Show this fool who he’s really messing with!”

At her command, the bodyguards behind her lunged forward.

Matt’s men moved instantly. They formed a protective circle around us as they took down several of Sonya’s guards.

However, as more men emerged from behind Sonya, our family’s guards began to falter. They were overwhelmed by the sheer number.

I was concerned. “Matt, is this all the security you brought with you?”

Matt’s expression was grim, but he gave my hand a reassuring pat. “Don’t worry! Dad’s on his way with backup. Whoever hurt my sister is about to find out what that mistake costs.”

Watching her bodyguards fall one by one, a flicker of panic finally cracked Sonya’s arrogance.

She shot a venomous glare at us before fumbling for her phone.

“Just you wait! I’m calling my husband now! He’ll come here and finish you both!”

As soon as the call connected, she began to cry.

“Honey, there’s a guy named Matt here, and he’s trying to hurt me! He said I hurt his sister, and he’s going to make me pay! Help me!”

She put the phone on speaker on purpose.

As soon as she finished, the voice that crackled back was not one of soothing assurance but was laced with panic and frantic concern.

“Matt? Which Matt?! Where the hell are you?! Stay right there and wait for me!”

After seven years together, I could recognize Gerald’s voice clearly.

Even through the phone, I could hear the tremor hidden in every word he spoke.

I sneered and thought, ‘Great! Let him come.’

Sonya hung up with a triumphant sneer. Her shrill laughter was grating on the ears.

“Ha! My husband’s coming to finish you both! He said he doesn’t know any ‘Matt’! We’ll just pay to clean up this mess!”

She flicked her hand toward the guards beside her. “Do it! Whoever kills the two of them first gets a million.”

Hearing that, the guards’ eyes lit up instantly. Greed flashed across their faces.

One of them grabbed a fruit knife from the table and lunged straight at Matt and me.

“Carol, close your eyes!” Matt shouted.

He turned around to shield me with his body.

His warm hands covered my eyes.

Then, I heard a muffled groan. The air filled instantly with the stench of blood.

Dread surged within me. I clawed at the hand covering my eyes and cried frantically, “Matt, what’s wrong?”

When I finally managed to pry his hands away, I saw a vicious gash running across Matt’s forearm. Blood poured from the wound and splattered across the floor.

Before I could even react, someone kicked him on the side. The impact sent us both crashing to the floor.

He spat out a mouthful of blood.

“Matt!!!”

A scream tore from my throat in terror. My heart ached as if it might break.

I was unhurt, but Matt’s shirt was stained red.

Hatred and anger surged within me.

The next second, I lifted my tear-stained face and grabbed the heavy tailoring shears from the worktable. I lunged straight at Sonya, who was smiling smugly.

Thwack!

I drove the blade into her abdomen hard.

Chapter 3

“Ahhh!!!” Sonya screamed in agony.

My hand, still clenched around the shears, twisted deeper inside her.

“You trash! How dare you hurt me?!”

Grabbing the handle, she lashed out with her stiletto-clad leg and kicked me away as she roared.

Pain exploded through me as I crashed to the floor. The taste of blood instantly flooded my mouth.

Sonya looked unhinged. She said, “Kill her! Kill her now!”

As soon as she said that, the guards turned toward me as a single mass with murderous intent.

The next second, a wooden chair came crashing down toward me.

“Don’t touch my sister!” Matt shouted hoarsely through the chaos.

Through my blurred vision, I saw Matt stagger in front of me. The chair slammed down hard against his head.

“Matt!!!”

His body collapsed onto mine. He twitched a few times, then went limp.

I completely lost it. I scrambled to hold him, but the guards lunged and pinned me to the floor.

They pinned my limbs down. My face rubbed roughly against the floor. Blood and tears mixed together as I struggled and screamed.

Sonya’s lips curled into a vicious smile. The needle-sharp point of her stiletto came down on my fingers.

“Can’t take it anymore, can you?”

I was in so much pain that my body instinctively curled inward like a wounded insect. My face drained of color. Cold sweat broke out across my skin.

My vision began to blur. All I could hear was Sonya’s manic laughter ringing in my ears.

“Relax, it’s not over yet. I’ve got a special gift prepared for you two!”

The strike landed. Darkness swallowed me whole.

When consciousness returned, I was locked inside a refrigerated storage room sealed behind a glass enclosure with Matt.

Every inch of skin in contact with the floor burned with a sharp, stinging pain. I was shivering uncontrollably. Matt’s face had turned a frightening shade of blue. Frost clung to his lashes.

I rubbed my hands together desperately, then pressed them against his cheeks. Blood and tears spilled down my face.

“Matt, hold on! Please! Don’t fall asleep! Dad’ll come for us soon. Please just hold on!”

His breath grew fainter in my arms, and I felt helpless.

I looked up at Sonya outside the glass. My eyes burned with anger and hatred.

“Sonya, if anything happens to Matt, I swear I’ll kill you myself!”

Sonya could not help but laugh. Wrapped in a cashmere coat, she stepped into the freezer.

“You talk too much!”

She shoved a rag roughly into my mouth, then aimed a brutal kick straight into my chest.

“Seeing how you can’t control your temper, it’s time to cool you down!”

Sonya kicked over a bucket of water.

Icy water spilled across the floor and rushed beneath me. In the subzero cold of the freezer, the water froze almost instantly and glued me to the floor like a trapped animal.

The cold pierced straight through to my bones and sent waves of cold, burning pain deep into my body.

“Well? Do you like my special gift?”

She took a moment to admire my distress, let out a satisfied hum, then turned and walked out of the freezer.

Staring in despair at Matt’s lifeless form, a wave of crushing, all-consuming regret and rage washed over me. I wished I could run out and kill her right away.

At that time, my phone, which was still in my pocket, suddenly began to vibrate.

My eyes narrowed. It was Gerald!

Even moving slightly hurt a lot, but I used all my might and reached for my phone to answer it.

“Caroline, where are you?” Gerald sounded frantic on the other end.

“I’ll explain everything about Sonya later! Just let her go, or I’ll…”

Gerald paused for a second before he continued, “Or I’ll hate you for the rest of my life!”

The ice and frost on my skin were melting slightly from the faint warmth of my body. My heart was in a knot as if someone had grabbed it with both hands. Madness, hatred, and despair twisted across my face.

‘Hate me?’ I thought.

From the day we made our relationship official, everything Gerald built was because of my family’s help.

To earn our father’s approval, Matt had secretly supported him from behind the scenes for my sake. With his support, Gerald turned the Hoover Corp into a prominent industry in just three years.

To think this was how he was going to repay us! Not only did he use my money to cheat on me with another woman, but he was also threatening me when she was about to kill Matt and me!

‘That ungrateful scum!’ I thought.

Sonya was trying to kill us!

My mouth was stuffed with a rag, and all that rage dissolved into muffled sobs.

Then, Sonya returned.

Hearing Gerald’s voice through the speaker of my phone, Sonya froze. Shock and confusion flashed across her face as she snatched the phone from me.

“Hello? Honey, why are you calling her?!”

Gerald’s voice trembled as he asked, “Where is Caroline Skylar?”

“So, your mistress really is a Skylar, then,” Sonya said dismissively. “I’m just teaching her a little lesson. She needs to learn not to mess with me. I’m Mrs. Hoover, after all.”

There was a brief silence on the other end. Then, Gerald’s roar exploded through the speaker. “Sonya, what the hell did you do to Caroline? She’s the eldest daughter of the Skylar family! Are you trying to get me killed?”

Sonya flinched.

The phone slipped from her slack hands and hit the floor. Her eyes widened in disbelief.

After a few seconds, she turned around to look at me.

Chapter 4

Panic flickered in Sonya’s eyes. She yanked the rag from my mouth. Her voice rose sharply as she asked, “Are you really Caroline Skylar?”

Blood seeped from the corner of my lips. I snorted. “Do you finally believe me? If you do, hurry and have my brother sent too—”

My words were cut short by a slap on my face.

“Shut up! I’m the one and only Mrs. Hoover. I’m Gerald’s lawfully married wife! Who do you think you are? It doesn’t matter if you’re Caroline Skylar or not. It doesn’t change the fact that you’re his mistress!”

She raised the phone and shoved the screen in front of my face.

When I saw Gerald and Sonya’s marriage certificate on the phone, my mind went blank.

When I saw the registration date, a hysterical laugh burst out of me.

It finally hit me why Gerald had been saying he was too busy with work, starting five years ago.

It seemed he had married Sonya at that time.

I felt like a fool. I had even begged Matt to send some capable people to help Gerald since I was worried he would overexert himself.

I never imagined that the nights he claimed to be working late were not spent at the office at all. He had been with Sonya all that time!

Gerald and I had been together for seven years, and Sonia had been with him for five of them.

In the end, I really was the “mistress” as she claimed.

I laughed until tears streamed down my face. Then, my body jerked violently. I spat out a mouthful of dark, clotted blood.

“Gerald loves me! He has never yelled at me like that! You must have seduced him somehow!”

Sonya’s hands closed around my throat. Her face twisted with rage. “Say something! Answer me!”

I sank my teeth into her wrist with every ounce of strength I had left. The metallic tang of blood filled my mouth. That mouthful of blood made me gag.

I spat the blood onto the floor and looked at her with contempt.

Sonya did not even flinch. Madness burned in her eyes.

“Just die! Once you’re gone, Gerald will be completely mine!”

She stumbled out of the freezer.

When she returned, she was carrying a crate filled with some unknown liquid.

In a vicious motion, she hurled it over me.

When the pungent smell hit me, I realized what it was.

It was gasoline!

She was going to burn me alive!

Survival instinct took over. I grabbed Matt and tried to drag us toward the freezer door, but it was too late.

The lighter in her hand flew through the air and landed on me. In an instant, my clothes ignited.

Fire raged everywhere.

The air turned thick with the smell of scorched skin.

I rolled across the floor in agony, but the fire refused to die down.

Maybe my screams were too horrific because Matt, who had been unconscious, slowly opened his eyes.

“Carol!!!”

His eyes widened in fear. Desperation and rage surged through him as he tore free from the ropes binding his hands and feet.

Without a second thought, he staggered toward me.

Fighting through the searing heat, I shook my head violently and screamed, “No! Don’t! Don’t come close to me! Matt, if you come any closer, you’ll die too! Please stay back!”

Matt threw himself at the flames that engulfed me. He tried to console me. “I won’t let anything happen to you, Carol!”

The moment his hands hit the fire, his skin blackened and blistered. The fire burned away his skin on the surface and exposed the pink flesh underneath.

The pain and agony on his face broke my heart, but even the tears evaporated in the heat.

But Matt did not stop. He put on a brave face just to ease my concern.

“Don’t cry, Carol. It doesn’t hurt, I promise.”

I had never seen Matt so broken. If it were not for me, he never would have ended up like this!

Regret nearly swallowed me whole.

My heart pounded in fear and despair. My eyes burned with hatred as I glared at Sonya.

This was my fault! I was the one who had put Matt through this!

If I had not been blind enough to fall for that heartless Gerald, things would not have come to this!

I screamed at Sonya in fury, “Sonya, when my dad gets here, I’ll make you pay with your life!”

She let out a twisted, hysterical laugh.

Gasoline splashed across the glass enclosure as she casually flicked the lighter in her hand.

“Still talking big when you’re about to die? Fine! I’ll send you to hell together!”

Just as the flames were about to swallow Matt and me, two furious voices sounded from outside.

“Stop!!!” Gerald burst into the room with a pale face.

“Who dares to hurt my kids?” Samuel Skylar, my father, stormed in with a massive security detail behind him.

The moment he saw Matt and me, his eyes shone with apocalyptic fury.

Gerald dropped to his knees. Sonya was left dumbstruck.