On Christmas Eve, I giddily wait for my husband, Hunter Gibson, to come home while nursing my eight-month pregnancy.

Unexpectedly, Hunter bursts through the front door with his childhood friend, Winter Jones, in his arms.

I attempt to help him out, only to get shoved to the floor instead. My belly bumps into a corner of the coffee table, causing pain to shoot up my nerves. Cold sweat soon beads on my forehead, and yet Hunter doesn't even spare me another glance.

"Get out of my way! Someone drugged Winnie's drink at the bar! If I don't purge the poison out of her, she'll die!"

As I shield my belly, I dig out my phone. "I'll call an ambulance for her—"

But Hunter snatches my phone away before hurling it at the floor, breaking it into splinters. Then, he grabs me by the neck angrily.

"Are you trying to ruin Winnie's reputation? If word gets out, how is she going to live with her head hung high?"

In order to prevent me from "ruining his plan", Hunter decides to trap me on the balcony while disregarding my pleas and the fact that I'm only wearing thin pajamas.

"You should take some time to cool off! Once you've finally learned your lesson, you're only permitted entry!"

I can only slam my palms onto the glass door desperately with tears running down my face. There, I'm forced to watch as Hunter and Winter go at it like desperate rabbits on the carpet in the living room, with the Christmas songs serving as their ambiance.

A heavy snowfall has occurred that night.

At the crack of dawn the next morning, Hunter finally remembers that I exist. He calls my number, yet my phone was turned off.

Furious, Hunter yells, "Where the hell did you go? Winnie's stomach is in discomfort! Get your ass back here right now and cook her some soup!"

What he doesn't know is that I'm right outside the balcony door. The thing is, dead people are incapable of answering phone calls, not to mention Hunter has already broken my phone, to begin with.

Hunter Gibson clenched his phone, gloomy. Staring at the balcony beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, he let out a cold laugh.

"How much longer are you going to keep this act up, Stella? Wasn't a whole night of playing the victim enough for you?"

He strode toward the balcony door. The moment his hand closed around the handle, my soul, floating in midair, seemed to tremble ever-so-slightly.

All he had to do was push the door open. Then he would see me curled up in the corner, frozen solid like an ice sculpture.

But he didn't. Instead, his gaze slipped through the gap in the half-drawn curtains and landed on the escape rope hanging from the railing.

I had tied it there last night when I was trying to save myself, but my hands and feet had been so numb from the cold that I hadn't had the strength to climb it.

Hunter's eyes followed the rope downward until he spotted the footprints the delivery driver had left below. A mocking smile spread across his face.

"Well done, Stella. How impressive of you to climb down from the second floor on a rope while pregnant. You probably faked that stomach pain yesterday, too."

I was shaking with rage. I rushed at him and swung a slap across his face, but my hand passed right through him.

Just then, Bella, our golden retriever who had been lying against the balcony door, whined mournfully. She scratched frantically at the glass, her claws screeching against the surface.

She could smell me. She knew I was outside.

The noise grated on Hunter's nerves. Irritated, he raised his foot and kicked Bella hard in the stomach. "Stop barking, you stupid dog!"

The kick sent Bella tumbling across the floor. Even so, she whimpered and struggled to crawl back toward the balcony.

"Don't you hurt her, Hunter!" I screamed hysterically, throwing myself toward Bella as if I could shield her. "How can you do this to her?"

A memory slammed into me. Three years ago, after my miscarriage, I fell into a deep depression and a series of sleepless nights. All I could think about was ending my life.

One day, Hunter came home carrying a fluffy golden retriever puppy and placed it in my arms. Kneeling beside my bed, he gently wiped away my tears.

"Stella, this is Bella. From now on, you two will protect each other, okay? When I'm not home, she'll guard you for me. If anyone gives you trouble, she can bite them for you."

Back then, love and sympathetic concern had filled Hunter's eyes. Now, he had kicked my "guardian" away without a second thought, disgusted to the core.

Ignoring Bella, he turned and headed for the kitchen to get some honey water. His hand searched the usual spot and came up empty. Discomfort crossed his face.

At that moment, Winter Jones walked out of the guest room wearing my silk nightgown. The hickeys from last night were still fresh on her neck. "Hunter, what's wrong?"

Hunter wrapped an arm around her waist and snorted. "Nothing. Just me and some bad habits."

She glanced toward the kitchen and immediately put on her sweet, innocent act. "Since Stella isn't here, I'll get you some water. Speaking of her, she's pretty impressive, isn't she? That's a high floor to climb down from.

"And I was worried she'd freeze outside last night. Looks like I was worrying for nothing, after all."

Floating in the air, I stared at Winter's fake, smiling face. Oh, Winter…

For the past three months, she had been slowly picking apart my marriage. All it took was one tearful "Hunter, you're all I have left", a frown, or a complaint about being in pain, and Hunter would decide that I was the petulant one.

"Winnie sees me as family. How can your mind be so twisted? You're acting like a shrew, Stella."

I had heard those words so many times over the past three months that they were practically burned into my ears.

From then on, he saw me as nothing more than a crazy woman willing to do anything for attention, even when I was eight months pregnant with his child.

Hunter took the glass of water from Winter and drained it in one gulp. Then, he pulled out his phone and called the property management.

"Change the access code to my front door and delete the old fingerprint access, too," he ordered, glancing toward the balcony with vindictive satisfaction.

"Since she's decided to leave, I won't let her back in so easily. Throwing a childish tantrum, huh? Fine. Let's see who can hold out until the end."

I watched Hunter smiling affectionately at Winter, his arm around her.

How I wished I had left, Hunter. Alas, no dead woman could walk away as her heart desired.

Determined to force me out of hiding and humiliate me, Hunter made a point of taking Winter to his company the next day in full view of everyone.

He drove the Porsche that he had originally gifted me and walked hand in hand with her into the executive elevator.

At lunchtime, they dined at his favorite private restaurant. Winter eagerly placed a piece of meat near his mouth. "Here, Hunter. Have more."

Hunter took a bite and immediately frowned. The greasy food made his stomach churn.

Almost by instinct, he picked up his phone and opened the pinned chat labeled "Wifey". His finger hovered over the message box as he considered asking me to bring him his medicine.

In the past, no matter where he was entertaining clients, I would rush over with medicine if his stomach acted up. I would even bring him warm soup made specially for his sensitive stomach.

He used to hold me close and say, "Stella, what would I do without you?"

Now, his hand froze. He suddenly remembered I had "run away from home". With a sharp smack, he slammed his phone onto the table and barked, "I'm not eating anymore!"

Winter jumped at the sudden outburst. An idea popped into her head, and she deliberately excused herself to send an email from her laptop.

A few minutes later, she exclaimed, "Oh, my goodness! Hunter, look! Isn't this Stella?"

On the screen was a modified photo taken at an airport. The pregnant woman in the picture looked strikingly like me, and the man embracing her was one of my college seniors.

Hunter only needed one glance before snapping, "Well, isn't that amazing?"

He stared at the screen, his eyes bloodshot. "No wonder she insisted on picking a fight with me yesterday. It turned out she already had someone else lined up!"

I floated across from him, screaming at the top of my lungs, "Can you get any dumber than this, Hunter? That photo is so badly edited, the lighting doesn't even seem natural! And I was wearing pajamas yesterday!

"The woman in the picture is wearing a trench coat! Just look carefully, Hunter!"

Unfortunately, jealousy and blind rage had clouded Hunter's judgment. In his mind, that senior from college had always been a thorn in his side.

No matter how many times I explained that we were nothing more than friends, he stubbornly believed I was unfaithful. I had told him repeatedly that there was nothing between us, yet he never let it go.

Once, that jealousy had been proof that he loved me. Now, it had become the very blade that cut me down.

"Call Finance. Freeze all of Stella's accounts. And the money for her mother's dialysis—recover every cent of it."

Hunter's assistant hesitated on the other end of the line. "But Mr. Gibson, Mrs. Newman needs that money to save her life—"

"I told you to recover it!" Hunter roared into the phone. "She thinks she can run off with another man while still spending my money? Tell her sick mother to go to hell!"

I lunged at him like a vengeful spirit. "Leave my mother out of this! If you want revenge, take it out on me!"

I tried to snatch his phone from his hand, tried to shove him away, but my hands passed through everything time and again. I couldn't touch or stop anything.

Despair swallowed me whole. All I could do was watch as Hunter ended the call with a look of grim satisfaction. "This is what happens when you betray me, Stella."

Then, he posted a statement online. "Talk about trusting and marrying the wrong person."

Friends who knew nothing about the truth immediately flooded the comments. Some cursed me, while others comforted him. Beside him, Winter's lips curled into a smug smile.

Hunter called over his assistant and pointed toward the security guards at the entrance. "Tell them that if Stella comes back begging for forgiveness, throw her out, by force if necessary. I don't care what she has to say."

I floated behind him, watching helplessly as he cut off Mom's only chance of survival over a poorly edited photo and reduced me to nothing.

By the time work was over, Hunter was drunk out of his mind.

Winter helped him back home. The moment they stepped through the door, Bella charged toward him.

Both of her front paws were already bloody from scratching at the glass all day. She bit into Hunter's pant leg and desperately tried to drag him toward the balcony.

She barked desperately, begging for help on behalf of the owner who could no longer speak for herself.

Looking at Bella's bloodied paws, I felt my heart shatter. "Bella, please stop begging him… There's no point when he's a monster!"

Hunter stumbled as Bella tugged at him. The irritation and hostility inside him exploded. "Get off me! You miss that bitch, don't you?"

He kicked her so hard that she was sent flying. She slammed into the wall and let out a painful whimper. Even then, she struggled to get back onto her feet.

My soul trembled. I threw myself around her, trying to shield her, all while shrieking at Hunter, "Stop hitting her! Please, just stay away from her!"

Hunter stared at her as if he were looking at me, the woman whom he believed had betrayed him. Pointing at the innocent dog, he spat out, "Ungrateful mutt. You're just like your owner!"

He didn't want to look at the balcony or the so-called escape rope I had used to get away with. Instead, he stumbled into the nursery.

Hunter and I had spent six months trying for a baby, yet we had already prepared that room with our own hands. Blue wallpaper covered the walls, illuminated by a white cloud-shaped lamp, and toys were scattered everywhere.

He casually picked up a stuffed tiger sitting by the crib.

I remembered telling him that if we had a son, I wanted him to grow up strong like a mighty tiger. Back then, he had wrapped his arms around me and kissed my forehead.

"Thank you for everything, honey. Boy or girl, I don't care. I'll love them either way."

I could still feel the warmth of that moment.

Scarily, now, when Hunter looked at the stuffed tiger, all he was reminded of was that fake airport photo.

Winter leaned against the doorway. At some point, a piece of paper had appeared in her hand. "Hunter, look what I found in the trash."

She walked over and handed it to him. It was an appointment form for an abortion. The date on it was from a month ago. Of course, it was fake.

"Do you think Stella wanted to get rid of the baby and run away with someone else all along? Maybe… Maybe the child was never yours in the first place."

There it was, the last straw. With that, the last fragile piece of Hunter's sanity shattered.

He let out a crazed roar and overturned the crib in one violent motion. Then he grabbed a pair of scissors and charged toward the unopened boxes of baby clothes. He cut them apart, ripping them to shreds.

"Stop! Those are their clothes!" I screamed helplessly. "Hunter, have you lost your mind?"

I watched as he cut apart the tiny socks I had specifically chosen for our baby, the little hat I had spent weeks knitting with love.

I dropped to my knees, sobbing so hard I could barely breathe, foolishly trying to shield everything with my insubstantial body. He just couldn't see me.

"Didn't want the baby, huh? Wanted to abort it, huh? Fine! I'll get rid of all of it!"

Hunter picked up the stuffed tiger, then drove the scissors into it with all his strength. The fabric tore open, and cotton stuffing burst into the air like snow.

A moment later, the tiger's head was severed and rolled across the floor.

After venting his rage, Hunter began to feel stuffy. He strode toward the balcony, trying to get some air. He reached for the balcony door handle, a second away from finally seeing me.

Seeing what he was doing, Bella rushed over excitedly, thinking he was finally going to open it. However, her bloodied paws stained his dress pants.

"Gosh, you're filthy!"

Hunter jerked his hand back in revulsion and kicked Bella hard again. In that instant, he completely forgot about accessing the balcony. Instead, he went into the kitchen, looking for a stick to beat Bella with.

The balcony door remained shut. On the handle, only the lingering warmth of his fingerprints remained.

…

On Christmas Eve, Hunter threw a lavish party at home. To humiliate me, he projected the fake airport-slash-elopement photo onto the giant screen in the living room and set it to play on a loop.

The guests whispered among themselves.

"I still can't believe it. What Stella did was shitty."

"After everything Mr. Gibson did for her, how could she cheat on him?"

Donning my red evening gown, Winter drifted through the crowd like the lady of the house. It was then that the front door was thrown open.

Mom and Dad stumbled inside. Their hair seemed grayer than ever.

"Hunter, where the heck is Stella? Where did our daughter go? We couldn't reach her. The hospital hasn't heard anything. What did you do to her?" Mom questioned Hunter, her eyes swollen from crying.

Hunter looked at them coldly and took a sip of champagne. "What's the matter? She didn't tell you that she took off with another man?"

"What?"

Dad was trembling with fury. "Stella's about to give birth! Why would she do something like that? Hand her over right now!"

He lunged forward, reaching for Hunter's collar, but Hunter immediately shoved him away. "Get off me! I don't want your dirty hands on my clothes!"

Mom and Dad were old and frail. The shove sent both of them crashing onto the floor. A sickening thud sounded as Mom's head struck the hardwood. A large swelling immediately rose on her forehead.

"Mom! Dad!" I screamed and threw myself toward them, but my spirit passed through their bodies. Kneeling, I roared in hysterical rage, "I'm going to kill you, Hunter!"

At that moment, Bella, who had been locked in the storage room, somehow managed to break free from her restraints. She burst into the living room. Instead of going after Hunter, she sprinted straight for the balcony.

Again and again, she hurled her body against the heavy glass door. She wanted to get me out. That was the only way she knew how to save me.

Blood smeared across the glass. Winter frowned in disgust and kicked her. "Go away, you crazy dog!"

Bella suddenly whipped around and sank her teeth into Winter's calf. The latter screamed, "Shit, my leg! Hunter, help me out!"

Driven by fury, Hunter immediately grabbed a crystal ornament from the coffee table and swung it down onto Bella's spine.

"No!" I screamed desperately.

A pitiful whimper escaped Bella as she collapsed onto the floor. Her back legs no longer moved, but her eyes remained fixed on the balcony.

Hunter tossed aside the ornament and grabbed Bella by the hind legs. Then, he began dragging her toward the balcony, leaving behind a long trail of blood across the floor.

"Since you're so desperate to be with that bitch, I'll do you a favor," he said viciously, dragging the dying Bella behind him. "Today, I'll let everyone see how that bitch climbed down the rope and escaped!"

He stopped before the curtains, a cruel smile twisting his face. "Make sure you're seeing this, everyone!"

He yanked the heavy blackout curtains apart. With a simple pull of the balcony door, a long-frozen body toppled forward into the living room and landed on the floor.