Four years ago, Chandler and I were accidentally locked in the company warehouse overnight.

I'd always suffered from claustrophobia, and back then, I was so terrified I could barely breathe. It was Chandler who held me tightly, comforted me, and promised he'd find a way to get us out.

But now, it seemed he'd forgotten entirely about my claustrophobia.

I was locked in a dark, damp basement. My phone was taken away, cutting me off from the outside world entirely.

Time lost its meaning as I drifted in and out of sleep in the darkness and spent every waking moment crying in a breakdown.

I couldn't understand how Chandler had turned into a man like that. He used to love me so much, but the moment Heather appeared, it was as though he'd been bewitched to shower all his love and trust on her instead. Or perhaps, the scale deep within his chest had always been tilted in her favor.

Was it just because her parents were gone, and she had no one else to rely on?

I couldn't make sense of it. Eventually, cold and exhausted, I curled up and fell into a deep slumber.

Slowly, I sank into a long dream, where I was nestled safely beside Grandma, with Alfie listening intently by our side as she gently told us fairy tales.

But in the next moment, both Grandma and Alfie began drifting away from me, their calm voices shifting into heartbroken sobs. I tried to run to them, but a looming figure blocked my path.

It was Chandler, who frowned and berated me for disobeying his words, before Heather's mocking voice followed. "Look closely. This is what happens when you try to take what's mine!"

When I jolted awake, I found myself drenched in cold sweat.

Just then, the basement door swung open before Chandler rushed in and gathered my soaked body into his arms. "I'm so sorry, Danielle. I was too impulsive, and I never should've lost my temper or locked you in here."

He held me as though afraid of losing something precious and carefully carried me out of the basement.

I stayed silent the whole time, too emotionally and physically drained for days to respond. All I felt was weariness.

Back in the light, I realized Chandler hadn't kept me imprisoned for the whole week just as he'd instructed. He'd released me on the third day.

Grandma's belongings and the torn picture album had been carefully gathered and placed on the desk in my room. But it made no difference because the damage was done, no matter if the harm was great or small. I'd stopped believing in him from the moment he chose Heather.

Chandler laid me on the bed and gently pressed a kiss to my forehead. "I'm sorry, my love. I won't ever do that again."

He handed me two theater tickets and added, "To make it up to you, I booked us tickets to the musical tomorrow night."

I stared blankly at the tickets. It was the same theater where he'd proposed to me seven years ago.

At the same time, I picked up my phone, unused for three days, and saw multiple notifications from Heather. They were intimate pictures of a man and a woman, along with raw video clips. All of them were taken during the two days I was locked in the basement.

It was as if she were using me as her personal sex diary with Chandler.

Beside me, Chandler still had his arms around me, oblivious to what was happening on my phone. I looked at him and suddenly asked, "Why don't you take Heather instead?"

He flinched before looking at me with a mix of surprise and guilt. "What are you talking about, my love? This is our date; what does she have to do with it?

"Are you still upset? Don't worry. Heather and I are just friends, and she'll be leaving soon."

I closed my eyes, unwilling to look at the steady, practiced calm on his lying face.

"Alright." I softly agreed as a grand, final farewell to this relationship. Next week, I'd leave this all behind.

On the day of the performance, Chandler held my hand tightly the whole time.

It wasn't until the musical began that I realized it was the same musical we'd watched seven years ago. The familiar storyline and songs pulled me back to the night he proposed, when I'd thought I was simply there to watch a show.

At the finale, the theater suddenly went dark before a single spotlight illuminated him standing there in a suit, holding a bouquet of roses.

Amid the actors' soaring voices and a shower of rose petals, I tearfully said yes.

Seven years had passed since that night, and the man beside me was no longer the same person I used to know. Once again, tears started streaming down my face.

Chandler noticed I was crying and gently wiped my tears with a tissue. "Why are you getting emotional over a musical? You're still as sentimental as ever, my love."

I didn't respond.

Just then, a familiar figure appeared beside us. It was Heather, dressed in a striking red dress, as she casually slid into the seat next to Chandler.

"What are you doing here?" Chandler frowned. Though his voice sounded sharp, his eyes remained fixed on her.

"I just wanted to apologize," she said softly, putting on a pitiful act. "I shouldn't have flirted with that doctor at the hospital. Let's not stay mad at each other, and forgive me, alright?"

I could feel the tension around Chandler ease visibly. That was when it struck me—his fight with Heather was the reason he'd let me out of the basement early and brought me here. Everything was just an act to make her jealous.

I almost laughed out loud, feeling utterly absurd. What did they take me for? A tool for their games?

The theater lights dimmed as the musical reached a climactic scene. In the darkness, I gripped the armrests tightly, listening to the hushed whispers and rustling sounds of fabric coming from the two beside me.

They probably thought the musical's volume was loud enough to drown it out, but I heard everything.

Suddenly, a sharp, metallic snap echoed through the theater. Someone screamed, "Watch out above!"

I looked up toward the ceiling. In the deep shadows, I could make out a massive crystal chandelier swaying precariously. And before I could react, it came crashing down on us.

The sound of shattering glass filled the theater. An excruciating pain shot through my body as something like a giant boulder heavily pinned me down.

Just before darkness swallowed my consciousness, I saw Chandler throw himself over Heather and shield her with his body.

When I woke up, I found myself lying in a hospital ward. Chandler, whose eyes were bloodshot, was sitting by my side.

"Oh, you're finally awake! Thank heavens!"

He looked as though he hadn't slept for days, with dark circles under his eyes and a thick bandage still wrapped around his head. Clutching my hand desperately, he covered it with kisses as if on the verge of tears.

"I thought I was going to lose you, my love. It's such a relief that you're fine... If anything had happened to you, I wouldn't be able to live with myself…"

Listening to the tremor in his voice, I instinctively pulled my hand back. "I'm tired. I just want to rest."

Assuming I was still upset with him, he planted a doting kiss on my forehead and said, "Rest well, my love. I promise to make it up to you once you've recovered."

As he was leaving, he paused at the door. "Oh, and our wedding anniversary is next Saturday. I booked the largest opera house in the city to celebrate and promise to make it an unforgettable night for you."

Instead of responding, I turned my back to him and listened to the door click shut.

I slept for a long time after that. A nurse came in to check on me throughout and said I was lucky not to have suffered any injuries to my organs or bones.

Outside the door, a few nurses were gossiping.

"That couple in the room next door is just so sweet. Mr. Leighton hardly ever leaves his wife's side."

"Right? I even saw him feeding her meals and water himself."

"That's wonderful. I wish my husband were that attentive."

I knew they were talking about Chandler and Heather. Though I'd been married to Chandler for seven years, I was just a mistress without an official status all this time. And even when our lives were in danger, his first instinct was to protect Heather, not me.

I lay quietly in bed, letting their words sink in.

Just then, my phone rang. It was from Mom, who sounded panicked and anxious. "Why haven't you answered your phone for so long? I thought something happened to you!"

Listening to her voice, the tears I'd been holding back finally streamed down my face. My voice cracked as I whispered, "I'm fine, Mom. I was just busy."

She fussed over me for a while before finally relaxing after making sure I was truly fine.

"The Atwoods' son is returning to Osnea next Saturday. Since you've made up your mind, I'll have him pick you up."

Next Saturday was the day of my fabricated wedding anniversary with Chandler.

The news brought me an unexpected sense of relief and made me smile through tears. "Sure, I'll be ready by then."