My husband's first love was scalded by boiling water. To punish me, he forced me into a customized steamer half my height, turned the heat to its highest setting, and sealed me inside.

"I'll make you feel the pain Jessica suffered a thousand times over!"

Trapped in the suffocating space, my breath came in ragged gasps. Heat seared my skin, and my body felt as though it would melt. I sobbed, begging him for mercy. "Please! I'm going to die!"

But he didn't look back. Holding his beloved in his arms, he walked away. He even locked the door after he left the room.

"Don't worry, you won't die. This is the only way you'll understand Jessica's pain."

Despair swallowed me whole. I screamed, my voice raw, but the boiling water beneath me splashed up, scalding my skin, stealing even the strength to cry.

He left the country with Jessica that same night. A week passed before he finally remembered my existence.

"That wretched woman must have learned her lesson by now. Let her out."

What he didn't know was that the water had long since boiled away, the heat had faded, and inside the steamer, my corpse lay rotting—swarmed with maggots.

"Mommy... I want Mommy!"

As soon as Tristan Miller stepped through the door, his son lunged at him, crying uncontrollably.

Jessica Granger flinched, retreating a step as if startled.

Tristan's expression darkened. He turned to the butler, voice laced with irritation. "Where is that wretched Crystal? She can't even control a child? The stupid kid scared Jessica! If she's that useless of a mom, there's no use for her sticking around!"

The butler's face paled. "Sir… Madam is still in the customized steamer."

For a brief moment, a flicker of something crossed Tristan's eyes—perhaps realization, perhaps hesitation. But just as quickly, it vanished. His voice was steady when he spoke again. "She made Jessica suffer. This punishment is exactly what she deserves."

His gaze shifted to Tommy, who was still wailing, his tiny body shaking. A shadow passed over Tristan's face. "It seems she hasn't learned her lesson, and neither has her son. Lock him in the storage room without food for three days."

The butler's hands trembled. He shielded Tommy behind him, his voice pleading. "Sir, he's just a child! Three days without food or water—he'll die!"

Tristan scoffed. "His mother survived seven days, yet he can't last three? Lock him up now. And if you dare try anything, you can leave too."

Tommy had stopped crying. He stood there, mouth open, but no sound came out. His face was streaked with tears, yet his fear ran so deep that even sobbing felt dangerous.

When the butler didn't move, Tristan's patience snapped. But just as he was about to lash out, the butler hesitated, then spoke in a halting voice. "Sir, the room Madam was locked in… it's been smelling foul these past few days. Sometimes, I see maggots crawling out from under the door. Maybe you should check—"

"Maggots?" Tristan's expression twisted in disgust. He sneered. "That's just her own filth. She probably didn't even spare her own waste to survive. What's a few maggots compared to that?"

His gaze turned sharp. "I see you've forgotten your place. Lock Tommy up now. I don't want him anywhere near Jessica."

My ghost watched helplessly as my son was shoved into the cramped, lightless storage room. Under Tristan's watchful glare, he didn't even dare to cry. He pressed his small hands over his mouth, his tiny shoulders trembling with silent sobs.

I reached for him, desperate to hold him. But no matter how I stretched out my arms, I touched nothing.

Because I was already dead.

Inside the steamer, the water had long since evaporated, leaving behind only the scorched black marks at the bottom. My body, limbs twisted in agony, lay motionless on the rack. My skin, cooked through by the relentless steam, had turned pale and waxy.

At the final moment before death, the unbearable heat, the suffocating agony—all of it vanished. My soul had slipped free from that searing prison.

Days passed. My corpse had begun to rot, its decaying flesh writhing with pale, glistening maggots. Even in this state, I still remembered it all—the suffocation, the helplessness, the slow unraveling of my life. Even in death, I could not escape it.

I drifted toward Tristan, but he could not see me. Instead, his hand rested gently on Jessica's head.

"Jessica, you're not too shaken, are you?"

She shook her head, smiling softly, and slipped her hand into his arm. The scar on her wrist was faint but unmistakable. "I'm fine, Tristan."

She leaned into him, her voice filled with quiet regret. "It's my fault. If only I had given you a child… Our child would have been so obedient, so well-behaved."

Tristan's gaze fell on the scar. His eyes darkened. He traced his fingers over her wrist, his touch careful, as if handling something delicate. "That wretched Crystal. She's the reason you suffered."

He pulled Jessica into his embrace, his voice laced with conviction. "Don't worry. Once that bastard finishes his punishment, I'll throw him out. Someone as rude as him doesn't deserve to be my son."

I was shocked and frozen. I couldn't believe how utterly heartless Tristan truly was.

For Jessica, he had let me, his wife of many years, die in that steamer, while he happily took Jessica on a trip abroad. And now, for her sake, he was going to drive his own flesh and blood out of the house?

Jessica's eyes erupted with immense joy. She had always feared that Tommy would inherit Tristan's wealth. Hence, she had always seen Tommy as a thorn in her side. Now, Tristan's actions played perfectly into her hands.

With a touch of emotion, she embraced Tristan, her voice trembling. "Tristan, I will give you the smartest and most beautiful child!"

Tristan snorted. "Of course. You're the best. Crystal is nothing compared to you. I still can't believe she would eat her own filth just to survive—what good genes can she have?"

His tone was filled with disdain. "Let her stay there for a few more days. Let her learn her lesson. In a few days, I'll release her and divorce her."

I wanted to laugh sarcastically, but my throat felt as if it were blocked by cement, and no sound escaped.

Tristan was right; I really did want to live.

I had struggled wildly in the steamer, trying to push the lid open, hoping for a chance to escape. But no matter how hard I had tried, the lid remained unmoved. I had curled up, minimizing the parts of my body exposed to the steam and boiling water, hoping for a little more time, hoping to survive a little longer.

But when the last sliver of light in my eyes finally dimmed, I never received the news that Tristan had released me, and not a single person had opened the door and come near the steamer.

After death, I drifted out of the steamer and stared at the three strong locks on the lid. Only then did I realize that my hope for survival had been extinguished the moment they locked me in.

Tristan called for the butler. "Let that bastard out. He needs to apologize to Jessica! I can't wait to kick him out. He's such a nuisance!"

The butler took the keys silently. He avoided looking at Tristan, and walked towards the storage room.

Tristan was furious at the butler's attitude. He was about to shout when Jessica gently stopped him. Her voice was soft and soothing. "Tristan, the butler is getting old. He's no longer fit for this job. Let's replace him with someone younger, someone more competent."

Tristan calmed down at her words. He pulled Jessica into his arms, his voice filled with relief. "Jessica, you're the only one who understands me! I'm so glad. After all this time, you're still by my side."

Yes, after all this time, Tristan still couldn't forget her.

…

When Jessica had left him and resolutely chosen to go abroad, Tristan had been devastated, sinking into a deep depression. It was I who stayed by him, comforting him, gradually squeezing my way into his life, helping him pull himself out of the shadow of heartbreak.

I had supported him in founding a company. While others in our industry went bankrupt, our company weathered the storm and prospered. At our happiest, when we couldn't live without each other, we got married, and I quickly became pregnant.

But before I could share the news of my pregnancy with Tristan, I received word that Jessica had returned to the country.

That very day, Tristan stayed late at work, claiming it was for a business meeting.

As I looked at the empty living room, my heart grew colder with each passing second. The industry was in a lull. What business could possibly keep him out all night?

Sure enough, in the early hours, Tristan posted on his social media: a picture of a woman's delicate collarbone, adorned with a diamond necklace shaped like a knot, with the caption: [No matter when, I'll always be here.]

While I was waiting patiently at our home, where was he?

Since then, he began to deliberately avoid spending time alone with me, often using the excuse of working late. He even used his connections to place Jessica, who had just returned with no roots or experience, into the company.

I had a huge argument with him. I could tolerate his lingering feelings for his youth, his regrets over Jessica, but I could not accept him bringing her into our shared company.

In the face of my hysterics, he slapped me hard. I fell to the ground.

"Crystal, can you stop being so paranoid?" he shouted. "Jessica is perfectly capable. She had nowhere to go when she returned. What's wrong with me arranging a job for her? Stop projecting your dirty thoughts onto me! Just focus on doing your job!"

He left without a second glance, not seeing the blood soaking through my clothes. I endured the excruciating pain, holding onto consciousness as I dialed for an ambulance. Then, I passed out.

When I opened my eyes again, the sharp smell of disinfectant filled the room. Tristan was kneeling by my bed, holding my hand and crying.

"Crystal, I'm sorry. You were pregnant and I didn't know. I was out of my mind. Please forgive me… I swear, there's nothing between me and Jessica. Once she's settled, I'll cut ties with her."

I turned my head, looking at Tommy, weak from the premature birth but peacefully sleeping, and I decided to give Tristan another chance.

I didn't want my son to grow up without a father.

But in the end, Tristan broke his promise. He couldn't resist Jessica, always indulging her whims. And one thing led to another, until they were in bed together.

…

Jessica was deeply touched. She was about to tiptoe and kiss Tristan on the cheek when the butler hurried in, flustered.

"Sir, Young Master Tommy… he hanged himself!"

For ten months, I had carried Tommy inside me, enduring the crushing weight of pregnancy, the relentless nausea, the sleepless nights. I fought through it all to bring him into this world. And now, my poor son lay lifeless before me.

My little Tommy who once curled up in my arms, breathing softly in sleep, who laughed as he threw himself into my embrace, calling me "Mama"—his face was now a shade of blue. A deep red mark wrapped around his fragile neck.

I searched the air around me, desperate for a trace of his soul, a lingering whisper, a fleeting presence. But there was nothing. Just emptiness.

Jessica let out a sharp cry and buried herself in Tristan's arms, trembling as if she had just heard something unspeakable. "Tristan, do you think… do you think Tommy resents us? Will his ghost come back to haunt us?"

Tristan's face darkened. He hadn't expected this—not from a boy who had always kept his distance. A son who had never dared to cross him.

"Send out a statement," he ordered the butler. "The Miller family's adopted son passed away due to a sudden illness. Resuscitation efforts failed."

But then, as if reconsidering, he hesitated. "No, wait. There's no need. Just have someone wrap him up in a sack and bury him somewhere. It's as if he never existed."

I turned to him sharply, unable to believe what I had just heard.

It was one thing for him to deny Tommy's existence in life, but now, even in death, he refused him the dignity of a proper resting place?

The butler, too, was stunned. He stared at Tristan for a long moment, as if seeing a stranger before him.

"What are you waiting for? Get it done!" Tristan snapped, impatience flaring into fury. "Or you're fired!"

The butler inhaled deeply, as if summoning the strength to make a decision he had long been putting off. Then, with slow, deliberate movements, he removed the key ring from his waist and set it gently on the floor.

"Sir," he said, voice steady but worn. "I watched you grow up. I watched Tommy grow up, too.

"Back when you had nothing, it was Madam who stood by your side, helping you inch your way up, step by step. But ever since Jessica reappeared, everything changed. Now, you have her locked inside a scorching steamer, and refuse to even give your son a proper burial. I can no longer serve you."

The butler cast one last look at Tristan before turning away. His once-proud posture was gone, his back bent as if the years had suddenly caught up with him all at once.

"You—" Tristan opened his mouth to speak, but Jessica grabbed his arm in a panic. "Tristan, we need to get rid of Tommy's body quickly. I heard that the spirits of dead children are the most vengeful! We have to make sure he's taken care of properly!"

Vengeful? If only Tommy's soul could return, filled with rage. At least then, I would be able to see him one last time. Hold him one last time.

Tristan called his most trusted men, had them wrap Tommy's body in a sack, and tossed him into an unmarked graveyard where no one would think to look. When the task was done, a heavy silence clung to him like a second skin.

Jessica, still trembling, clung to his arm. "Tristan, it's been days… Crystal won't really die in there, will she? Maybe we should let her out, get a divorce, and finally be at peace. It'll finally be just the two of us. Isn't that better?"

At the mention of my name, even she wasn't spared his irritation. "Relax," he muttered, his voice laced with disdain. "She's too much of a coward to die so easily."

But you miscalculated, Tristan. I didn't just die. I rotted. My soul drifted around you, watching, waiting.

Jessica opened her mouth as if to say more, but one look at his face made her shrink back in silence.

"Crystal belongs to me," Tristan growled. "Even if she wanted to die, I get the final say."

How absurd.

He allowed himself his little love affairs, his whispered romances. But me? I was to remain his, even couldn't decide my own death.

Yet, from the very beginning, the one who strayed was him.

That night, Jessica curled up asleep beside him, brows furrowed. Tristan waited until her breathing evened out, then carefully slid out of bed, moving like a thief in the night.

I watched as he approached the door to my "prison", a silver cross necklace hanging from his neck. How ironic.

Back then, when his mind was unraveling, when reality blurred at the edges, I had made a trip to the church, praying for his peace of mind. The pastor had given me this very necklace, assuring me it would protect him.

He had laughed at me then. Called me superstitious. Said the necklace was ugly and refused to wear it.

But now, after killing his own son, after locking his wife away to die, he was suddenly clutching the necklace like a lifeline.

How laughable.

I watched as he took slow, shuddering breaths, his hand hovering over the doorknob. His legs trembled. He was hesitating.

Then—

"Agh!"

He staggered back, eyes wide with horror.

A fat, white maggot had wriggled onto his hand, its bloated body squirming over his skin.

"Crystal! What kind of sick trick are you playing?"

Something in him snapped. He flung the maggot to the ground and stomped on it viciously, grinding it into nothingness beneath his heel.

"Come out," he barked, shoving the door open. "Crystal, stop this nonsense and come out now!"

The door creaked wide, and a thick wave of decay rolled out.