The next day, I woke up in the hospital, aching all over.

The Wells family's private doctor was speaking, "Mrs. Wells, you're awake. The nanny found you in the kennel this morning and brought you here. You've got a high fever, so make sure to rest up today."

I tried to sit up, my voice raspy and weak.

"Where's Mr. Wells?" I asked.

"Ms. Brooks has a game today, and Mr. Wells escorted her," came the reply.

"Did he mention me at all?"

The family doctor just shook his head, no.

Last night, as the typhoon howled outside, even the dog found shelter in a cozy, warm house.

Me? I was practically living in a kennel to keep from freezing.

A lump formed in my throat.

I grabbed my phone from the nightstand and called Tracy Wells. "Tracy, I'm sorry, but I can't be with Thomas anymore."

It was shortly after I had graduated from college that Tracy showed up out of the blue.

She wanted to introduce me to someone.

The second I laid eyes on Thomas, my heart skipped a beat. I knew him instantly—the boy who had braved a raging fire to save me.

Tracy explained that Thomas had been in a car accident and it had left him with mental scars. He did not trust anyone.

She said she was his sister, that she had been nothing but kind and loving to him, but he still treated her like an enemy.

She wanted me to marry him, to be by his side and help him heal.

Just as she had predicted, the debt of gratitude I owed him for saving my life made me love him with all my heart.

The thought of marrying him filled me with warmth in a world that had turned bleak.

When Thomas first saw me, his face lit up with a curious smile at my blushing cheeks.

He even said he wanted to marry me.

Before our big day, he could not have been sweeter.

His gentle gaze made me fall for him over and over.

However, on the first night after our wedding, the dream I had been living in came crashing down.

Thomas's gaze was menacing as he gripped my neck, pinning me down on the bed.

"Rebecca! You haven't even apologized for bumping into me, and now you have the nerve to marry into my life!" he snarled. "You wish I were dead? Just wait and see how I'll 'take care' of you from now on."

I gasped for air, my struggles futile. I wanted to scream that it was not me who had crashed into him, but it would not matter.

Thomas never believed a word I said. He was convinced I was the one responsible for his car accident, and that belief turned our marriage into a living hell.

Five years of love, five miscarriages, and endless heartache from the women he paraded before me. I was exhausted, drained of the will to fight any longer.

Tracy had been keeping an eye on me for five years, witnessing the scars that marred my body and soul. Then, she finally saw the truth. "Rebecca, I know all the terrible things Thomas has done to you. He's not worth it.

"If you want to leave, I'll help you. It's my fault you're in this mess... you should never have had to endure this," she said through tears. Her words made me cry silently.

After the call, I wasted no time in booking a flight abroad for the following week. It felt like years of tension melted away in that moment.

However, then, Thomas's call interrupted my brief respite. "Rebecca, get to Chloe's dance party immediately. I'm texting you the address. There's something I need you to do."

I quickly got dressed and hailed a cab. I figured I might as well play along one last time before I left.

At the venue, Chloe was in the makeup room, her skilled hands crafting a flawless look.

She was a ballet dancer, her makeup as perfect as her pirouettes, a sharp contrast to my worn-out, pale reflection in the mirror.

She pursed her lips, tugging at Thomas's shoulder. "Thomas, Rebecca's still limping. Isn't it a bit much to make her come all this way?"

"Don't worry about her," he said with a dismissive wave. "She's as tough as they come—she once carried a sack of sand as heavy as a full-grown person."

After high school, to scrape together my college tuition, I actually hauled sandbags for a month.

"Wow, Rebecca must be pretty strong."

Thomas caressed Chloe's hair with a tenderness that did not reach his eyes as he turned to me. "Chloe hurt her ankle in her last performance. Today, you're taking her place."

Slipping into the ballet dress I had not worn in ages, the white fabric hugged my body, a ghost of the past. I remembered how I had learned that Thomas liked girls who danced ballet. I practiced until I fell over and over, all to master the dance that might catch his eye.

I even dressed to his tastes, all for that chance to make him fall for me the moment we met.

Chloe stood in front of the mirror, wiping away the layers of stage makeup to reveal her everyday look. She turned to Thomas with a bright smile. "How do I look?"

"You're always beautiful," he said warmly. "Makeup just makes you look like someone else."

Her smile froze for a split second before she regained her composure, slipping back into her usual soft-spoken grace.

I felt a pang in my chest listening to them, a sharp ache that would not ease. I glanced down at the shoes before me. As I slipped my foot in, a sudden, stabbing pain shot through me—there was a needle in the shoe!

Blood welled up, and Chloe, ever the silent shadow, slipped a silver-gray mask over my face, her breath chill against my ear. "This is my gift to you, Rebecca."

Pushed onto the stage, I danced through the pain, each step a battle to keep standing.

The moment I stepped off the stage, my legs gave out and I crumpled to the floor.

Thomas walked up to me, his eyes icy and emotionless.

I was panting, desperately trying to grab onto his pant leg.

"Thomas, it hurts... There's a needle in my shoe, please help me."

Thomas looked at me with revulsion and kicked my hand away.

"Rebecca, you were just bouncing around on stage, and now you're talking about a needle? What's this act? You think a little blood in your shoe is going to trick me? For all I know, that could be any animal's blood."

Chloe swooped in like she was the good guy, helping me up with a fake look of concern. "Rebecca, are you alright? You were amazing up there, but trying to snag Thomas's attention like this? Not cool. Thomas wants people who keep it real."

As she spoke, her razor-sharp nails dug into my arm, sending waves of pain through me.

I tried to shove her off, but she suddenly seized my hand and pretended I had knocked her violently to the ground.

"Rebecca! I'm so sorry! I know you can't stand me! I'll stay out of your way from now on."

I glared at Chloe, my anger boiling over as I thought of all the women Thomas had paraded around. "Get lost, you homewrecker! You're nothing but a husband-stealer!"

Thomas's hand struck my face, and I touched the blood trickling from the corner of my mouth as I hit the ground.

"You insult her? You're not even in her league."

I lay there, watching Thomas lift Chloe in his arms and walk away.

His back turned to me, and Chloe's smug look burned into my memory.

My heart, already numb with pain, throbbed with a fresh wave of hurt.

In the end, all I could do was hail a cab and head home alone.

I made it back to the villa way past midnight and found Thomas there, waiting for me like some kind of grim statue. He was casually holding a cigarette, his back against the door.

"Come here," he said, his voice icy.

I hesitated, but I moved closer.

"Hold out your hand."

Before I knew it, he flicked the ash into my palm and then snuffed out the cigarette right there on my skin. His other hand clamped down on mine as I tried to pull away. Pain shot through me, and I could not hold back the tears.

Thomas's lips twisted into a mean smirk.

"Some guy came up to me after the show. He's a big deal in the company, kept asking about a girl with a silver-gray mask.

"You're going to take it easy for a couple of days, and then, in three days, you're heading to room 1818 at the Diamond Heights Hotel," he said, each word making me feel sicker.

"Thomas, please... don't make me go to someone else, okay?"

"Smart up, or you're going to regret it."

"Thomas, don't you love me, even a little?"

He actually laughed at that, like it was the funniest thing he had heard all day.

"If you love me, you'll do as I say. You always do what I ask, right?"

After he left, I was trembling. I grabbed my phone and called Tracy in a panic.

When Tracy got to the villa and saw Chloe, she was livid. She did not waste a second before kicking Chloe out.

Thomas was pacing around, all worked up.

"You think getting rid of one will stop me? I can find plenty more. I'm never out of options when it comes to women," he snapped.

"Thomas, remember that Rebecca is your wife! Just think about how many other women you've chased after all these years, and she's put up with it the whole time!

"If I hadn't shown up today, you'd probably be sending her off to some other guy's bed. Thomas, you're acting like a complete monster..."

"What I do with her is none of your business!"

With those final words, Thomas stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

He shot me a scornful look as he passed by. "Looks like you're good at calling for backup."

Tracy came in, her eyes brimming with tears, and wrapped me in a tight embrace. "Don't worry, I'll drive you to the airport today."

Tracy had tried to reach Thomas after he had stormed out, but he was nowhere to be found.

Then, out of the blue, my phone buzzed with a string of texts.

They were from Chloe.

[Rebecca, Thomas only really cares about me. He'd ditch his own sister to be with me. Do yourself a favor and just sign those divorce papers already.]

She had even sent photos of Thomas sleeping next to her.

I looked at them, my heart hardening, and then I yanked out my SIM card and tossed it.

At the airport, Tracy gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"I won't let Thomas know where you've headed once you're gone, Rebecca."

I managed a wry smile. "You don't have to. He's never cared about where I am anyway."

Tracy looked at me, her face a mix of sadness and something unsaid, but she stayed quiet.

"Life's going to be strange in a new country, so take this card. Think of it as a small way for the Wells family to make things right. And hey, if you ever need anything, just call me."

I clutched the bank card Tracy handed me, took one last look around, and then I walked away without looking back.