Anthony's voice was low and icy. "I had people look into it. There's no record of Willow leaving the country."

"She should know you well enough to know how to avoid you." As soon as she said it, Maisie pretended she'd misspoken and hurriedly clapped a hand over her mouth.

Still, her words made Anthony's expression darken further. He narrowed his eyes slightly and turned to leave, but she hurriedly threw her arms around him to stop him.

"Tony, stop bothering about her," she said weakly. "She's just an orphan. Your family saved her, took her in, and you've always protected her.

"You even married her and gave her a life where she never has to worry about anything. She should be grateful, yet she just keeps dodging and making excuses now that you need her to give just a little bit back.

"She's too selfish, Tony. She's unworthy of you. You deserve someone more considerate, someone who truly loves you and can share your burden…"

Her tone grew increasingly suggestive, her gaze drifting as she boldly leaned in, clearly about to cross a line.

The sight made my stomach turn. I wanted to look away, but the next second, Anthony suddenly pushed her away.

Maisie froze. I was also stunned.

"I'm sorry. I signed an agreement with Willow," Anthony said flatly.

It took me a moment to realize what he was talking about. Honestly, I'd almost forgotten what he was even talking about.

When Maisie had first returned to the country, she'd wanted to test Anthony's limits. So, she'd faked medical records and claimed she had leukemia, saying that she needed a bone marrow transplant.

I was six months pregnant when Anthony had me forcibly dragged to the hospital. He made me terminate the pregnancy; our first child was killed before we even got to meet them. Because of that, I finally understood that retaliation was useless. So, I started trying to die.

I starved myself, slit my wrists, and tried every way I could think of to end my life. None of them worked because Anthony wouldn't let me die. He wanted to keep me alive to be Maisie's lifeline.

After my repeated suicide attempts, he finally started treating me more gently, wanting to calm me down and keep me alive. He even did the unthinkable and compromised, sitting down with me to set ground rules. Our final rule was that he would never be with Maisie, and I was forbidden from committing suicide.

I knew this so-called agreement would never hold him, but I had to admit that his brief tenderness at the time had messed with my head. And after torturing myself to the edge of death over and over, I was exhausted. I wanted to live, just a little.

Sure enough, it didn't take long for Anthony to break the rules. He continued locking me up, tormenting me, and forcing me to give blood. He violated every rule but the last. I had a feeling he would soon cross that one, too.

So, hearing him now bring up our agreement felt like a cruel joke.

Hearing that, Maisie was so frantic that she was almost driven to tears. "Tony…"

Before she could get any further, Anthony's phone rang. He answered the call.

"Mr. Flint, we've located Willow…"

Anthony didn't seem to hear the hesitation in the caller's voice. He let out a cold, mirthless laugh. "So she finally decided to show herself."

Maybe I was imagining it, but he sounded almost relieved when he said that. His tone made it clear there was no room for argument when he ordered, "Bring her here."

There was a pause on the other end of the line. Then, the reply came. "Mr. Flint, Willow was in a car accident five days ago. She died at the scene. Her body is in the morgue, basement level one, of the hospital you're in right now."