I died on the day I was supposed to marry Ryan Wolfe.

When I didn’t show up on time, he angrily married his childhood sweetheart, Lorelei Floyd, instead, and publicly announced, “Alexis Harding cheated before our wedding and called it off herself!”

The rumors crushed my mother, and she died from a heart attack right then and there.

But Ryan seemed to have forgotten that he, in a fit of rage to defend Lorelei, slashed my arm and locked me in a basement for ten whole days.

I begged him and pleaded for mercy, but all I got was his cold reply. “You’ll stay here for a while, so you can fully understand the pain you caused Lorelei. And maybe, just maybe, it’ll rid you of your wicked thoughts.”

When he found my corpse, ravaged by maggots, he lost his mind.

"Where is Alexis Harding? Is she playing the missing trick again?"

As my consciousness slowly returned, Ryan Wolfe's furious voice was the first thing I heard.

"Mr. Wolfe, we've looked everywhere. There's no sign of her. Do you think something might've happened to Ms. Harding?" his assistant spoke hesitantly, standing nearby.

Ryan's response was to slam his glass onto the table, shattering it against the floor.

"What could possibly happen to her? She's doing this on purpose to humiliate me! All because I gave her a lesson for Lorelei's sake!" His chest heaved with rage, his expression twisted in fury.

At that moment, a soft voice crept into the room from the doorway.

"Ryan, I think I just saw Alexis! And... I took a picture!"

Lorelei Floyd, acting as if she had discovered something precious, held out her phone for Ryan to see.

In the photo, it was unmistakably me, standing with my childhood friend, Scott Caldwell.

Ryan's eyes locked on the image, and he gritted his teeth. "How dare she betray me! She even skipped our wedding to mess around with some other guy? She's really something!"

As I looked at the pure hatred on his face, my heart had already gone numb. He was always like this. He believed every word Lorelei said but never trusted me. I knew he wished I were dead right now, but the truth was, he'd already gotten his wish.

In the cold, suffocating basement, I was tied to a pillar. My claustrophobia made me tremble uncontrollably as I begged for mercy.

"Ryan, please! I'm sorry! I shouldn't have hurt Lorelei! I was wrong!"

But he only stared at me with cold, mocking eyes.

"Alexis, you nearly killed Lorelei, and now you're pretending to be the victim?"

Fear choked me, and I could barely string a sentence together. "No... I-I didn't..."

He seemed bored of my stammering; he wrapped duct tape tightly around my mouth, silencing me. Then, as I looked at him with desperate eyes, he took a knife and slashed my arm three times.

"You broke Lorelei's arm, so I'm cutting you three times. It won't kill you, but it's the price you'll pay for your cruelty!"

Those were the last words he spoke to me before he slammed the basement door shut. I had always known Ryan was cold, but I never imagined he could be so heartless.

The sharp pain in my arm was immediate. I could feel the blood slowly oozing from the wounds, dripping to the floor. But Ryan didn't know one crucial thing—since birth, I'd suffered from a blood-clotting disorder.

Those three cuts were more than enough to kill me.

The basement was pitch black, with no sliver of light, and the endless darkness swallowed me whole. It felt as though a thousand sharp blades were cutting through my heart with every breath I took, and the pain became unbearable.

"Mmm... mmm..."

The sound of my muffled cries echoed in the cold, empty room.

I didn't know how much time had passed before I finally closed my eyes, welcoming the release from this torment.

"Ryan, what do we do now? There are so many guests outside!"

Lorelei blinked her large, innocent eyes, looking every bit the pure angel she pretended to be.

"It's all my fault! I'm sure Alexis didn't show up because she's mad at me! I'm so sorry, Ryan!"

As her eyes began to well up with tears, Ryan immediately softened, his anger fading away.

He gently pulled her into his arms, running his fingers through her long, dark hair. "It's not your fault. It's her fault for not showing up to the wedding and running off with some other man! She's the one to blame!"

Lorelei snuggled into him, sobbing as if she had suffered the greatest injustice.

"Hey, don't cry. I know you're upset about me, but a woman as wicked as Lorelei doesn't deserve to be my wife!"

He used nearly every insulting word in the book to describe me, while Lorelei would always be the pure, virtuous one in his eyes. But only I knew the darkness lurking beneath her sweet facade.

The day I tried on wedding dresses, Lorelei had begged Ryan to let her join me. I hadn't thought much of it at the time.

Yet, every time I chose a dress, she would fight me for it.

After the fifth time she grabbed at a gown, I finally snapped. "Lorelei, what do you want from me?"

She smirked while locking her gaze onto mine, her eyes filled with malice.

We stared at each other for what felt like an eternity until she finally released her grip. "Alexis, do you really think I'd let you marry Ryan just like that?"

Before I could grasp the meaning behind her words, she smashed a huge full-length mirror over her own body.

"Ah!"

The glass shattered into a million pieces, and Lorelei shrieked, clutching her arm.

The sales assistant rushed over, only to stumble back in shock at the sight of Lorelei's glaring blood.

"Blood! There's so much blood!"

I instinctively reached out to help Lorelei, but she cried out dramatically, "Alexis, I told you you could have the dress I chose! Why did you push me?"

In the next instant, I was knocked to the ground by a sudden force.

Dizziness washed over me.

When I regained my senses, I found myself staring into Ryan's cold eyes.

"Ryan, it hurts! Help me!"

"Don't worry; I'll get you to the hospital! You'll be okay!"

He held her tightly, panic etched across his face. He even stepped on my hand in his haste. I yelped in pain, but he didn't even glance in my direction.

At that moment, I understood the stark difference between love and indifference.

I had to admit that I had been fooling myself all along.

She had a miscarriage and a broken arm, and now Ryan felt justified in slicing my arm and locking me away in a pitch-black basement to torture me.

He didn't care about the truth; he only cared that I had harmed Lorelei, and he needed to avenge her.

In his eyes, I was nothing.

"But... what about the wedding? I don't want them to see you make a fool of yourself!"

Lorelei looked at Ryan with tear-filled eyes, her voice choked with emotion.

"Mr. Wolfe, maybe I should—"

Ryan's assistant started to speak up, but his phone rang urgently, cutting him off.

"Any updates? What?!"

The assistant's face went pale as he ended the call, hesitantly starting to speak.

"Mr. Wolfe, Ms. Harding has been found. But..."

"But what? Stop dragging this on and just spit it out! Is Alexis really dead?"

Ryan urged impatiently, his eyes cold.

Finally, the assistant stammered out the truth.

"M-Ms. Harding... she's dead. Our men found her body!"

At the words, a flicker of doubt crossed Ryan's face but quickly vanished.

He scoffed, unconcerned. "She could've picked a better excuse! Lorelei saw her out gallivanting with that other guy. Now you tell me she's dead? Do you think I'm an idiot?"

"No! Mr. Wolfe, Ms. Harding is really dead!"

His assistant insisted desperately, but no one paid him any mind.

Ryan had already taken Lorelei's hand, leading her into the event hall.

Beneath the swirling lights, Lorelei clung to Ryan, appearing like the perfect couple everyone envied.

No one seemed to notice that I wasn't the bride, nor did they care about my absence. It was as if all the guests had agreed that Lorelei was the woman Ryan intended to marry.

But soon, my mother sensed something was wrong.

With the murmurs of the crowd around her, she rushed forward, her voice ringing out in accusation. "Where's Alexis? Why are you with this woman?"

All eyes turned to her, focusing intently on the confrontation.

Lorelei feigned concern, grabbing my mother's hand. "Mrs. Harding, Alexis didn't show up. You can't blame Ryan for that!"

My mother, however, didn't buy her flimsy excuse. She immediately pulled her hand away, fury lighting up her eyes. "You've tried to sabotage Alexis more than once! You must have done something to keep her from coming! What did you do with my daughter?"

My mother's urgent questions ignited whispers among the guests.

"Oh! So this isn't Mr. Wolfe's fiancée? What is she doing here?"

"Is she trying to ruin their relationship? Is she a mistress?"

-

As I listened to their words, I noticed Lorelei's eyes glistening with unshed tears. She tugged at Ryan's hand, a hint of vulnerability in her voice. "Ryan, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to make you the center of all this!"

Her act seemed to work on Ryan, who smiled at her, offering what looked like a comforting gesture.

But then, his gaze turned cold as he glanced at my mother. "Your daughter has done something so disgusting, and you still dare to talk about her?"

My mother stood frozen, taken aback by his fierce glare.

Ryan, still holding Lorelei's hand, bypassed her and approached the podium.

With everyone watching, he took the microphone and announced in an icy tone, "The original bride, Alexis Harding, cheated before our wedding. She knew she couldn't show her face here, so she called off the wedding! Now, I will marry Ms. Lorelei Floyd!"

At those words, the guests turned on me, their opinions swiftly shifting.

"Oh, my gosh! I didn't realize Alexis was so promiscuous! Ugh! That's just disgusting!"

My mother remained my only defender, her voice rising above the crowd. "No! Alexis would never do such a thing! She's always loved Ryan! It's Ryan who betrayed her!"

Her desperate cries fell on deaf ears, met with even more vicious insults.

Suddenly, she clutched her chest, collapsing to the ground.

Watching her fall, my heart felt like it had frozen in place. I rushed toward her, wanting to lift her, but my hands passed through her.

"Mom! Mom, wake up! It's me, Alexis! Someone help her! Please, somebody, help!"

Desperation overwhelmed me as I knelt by her side, crying out for assistance.

But no one came forward.

I turned to Ryan, only to see his back retreating, holding Lorelei as they walked away.

I felt powerless as I lay over my mother's still body, watching her heart stop beating. The pain in my chest was unbearable. I felt as if I had been struck with a heavy blow as I gasped for breath.

"Mom, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have ignored your warnings. I shouldn't have insisted on marrying him. I've caused this! Please, wake up! Just open your eyes and look at me, okay?"

But she wouldn't respond anymore.

Trembling, I reached out to touch her pale cheek, but my hand trembled in the air, unable to connect.

Everyone around us acted as if she didn't exist, laughing, drinking, and enjoying their meal as if nothing had happened.

How could people be so heartless?

Finally, a hotel staff member arrived with a team to take her body away. I wanted to follow her, but I felt anchored to the spot.

Was this some divine punishment for throwing away my life for a man unworthy of my love? Even in death, I seemed trapped in Ryan's world.

Wasn't it enough for me to suffer? Why did my mother have to be punished too?

As despair threatened to engulf me, Ryan returned to our new home with Lorelei.

I had decorated every corner of this place for our wedding, a testament to my hard work. Now, it felt like each detail mocked my naïve dreams.

Lorelei stood on her tiptoes, shyly kissing Ryan, who gently caressed her face. Their chemistry sparked between them, and they prepared to head upstairs.

But before they could leave, Ryan's assistant suddenly showed up.

"Mr. Wolfe, you might want to take a look at Ms. Harding's body and decide how to handle it!"

Ryan paused for a moment, then replied with irritation, "This again? But I want to see if she's really dead or just faking it!"

Reluctant, he followed his assistant toward the basement.

When the heavy door swung open, a wave of rancid odor hit him like a wall.