I woke up feeling like my chest had been torn apart.

Every heartbeat sent waves of pain through my skull. I tried to lift my hand but even that small movement felt like torture.

"She's waking up! Get the doctor!" a voice called out from somewhere above me.

I forced my eyes open, everything was a blur of white and shadow.

"Where am I?" My voice came out as a whisper.

"Northern Memorial Hospital," the nurse replied, adjusting something on the IV beside me. "You've been unconscious for nearly fourteen hours. Stab wound to the chest, missed your heart by centimeters. You're lucky to be alive."

I tried to swallow. "Who brought me in?”

The nurse nodded toward a corner of the room. "That young lady brought you in. She said she witnessed everything."

I turned my head slightly. A girl, probably in her early twenties with a messy ponytail and concerned eyes, offered a small wave.

"You saved me?" I whispered.

She nodded. "I was at Giovanni's celebrating my graduation. Saw everything. I used to be a lifeguard, so I knew to apply pressure until the ambulance arrived. Then I rode with you here."

"Thank you," I whispered.

"What about my husband? And Tara?" I asked, wincing as I tried to sit up.

The nurse's face darkened. She pulled out her phone and pressed play on a voicemail.

Derek's cold voice filled the room: "This is Derek Montclair. I received your call about Hazel. Do whatever you want with her. She deserves all of this for what she's done to me financially and emotionally. I have nothing more to do with her. Don't call this number again unless she's dead."

My fingers clutched the thin hospital blanket as I processed his words.

Just then, a notification pinged on the young girl’s phone. She frowned, glancing at the screen.

"What is it?" I asked, sensing her discomfort.

"You might not want to see this," she warned, but I snatched the phone from her hands anyway.

There on the screen was an Instagram post. Derek and Tara, tagged at the exact Maldives resort where Derek and I were supposed to have our honeymoon.

Tara was wearing the exact black lace lingerie he'd told me "didn't suit my body type." They were laughing, drinking champagne from the bottle. The caption read: "Finally where we belong. #AlwaysWasMeant2Be."

Another post showed them in our pack's sacred bonding cave—the place where Alpha with their Lunas traditionally consummate their marriages. Derek was holding Tara possessively, his lips against her neck.

"Son of a bitch," I whispered.

"You're about twenty, right?" I asked the girl who'd saved my life.

She nodded, confused.

"You recorded what happened at the restaurant, didn't you?"

Her eyes widened. "I—yes."

Without asking permission, I forwarded the video to myself.

"What are you doing?" the woman asked as I opened my social media account and uploaded the raw footage.

"Getting justice," I replied, watching as the likes and shares started multiplying by the second. The video went viral within minutes.

My phone rang—the police department. They confirmed they'd received multiple reports about the video and were opening an investigation.

An hour later, my phone rang again.

"Ms. Hazel?" the officer's voice sounded strained. "I regret to inform you that the case against Tara has been... dismissed."

"What?" I sat up despite the searing pain. "How is that possible? There's literal video evidence!"

“The footage has been flagged as manipulated. And we've received testimony that you were the aggressor."

The line went dead. I checked social media—the video had vanished from every platform as if it never existed.

That's when the door slammed open.

Derek stood there, his perfectly tailored suit contrasting with the wild rage in his eyes. Tara lurked behind him, her face twisted into a triumphant smile.

"You really thought you could destroy us with that edited video? You must be joking."

"Edited?" I laughed bitterly. "We both know what happened."

"What I know," he snarled, "is that you're going to post an apology video immediately. You'll explain that you doctored the footage because you're unstable and jealous of my relationship with Tara."

"Go to hell."

His eyes narrowed dangerously. "Perhaps you don't understand the situation. My influence extends to this hospital too. One word from me, and the doctor will administer drugs that will render you genuinely mentally unstable." He leaned closer. "All of this happened because of you. You pushed Tara. You provoked her."

"I won't do it," I said.

Derek grabbed my rescuer by the arm, yanking her from her chair. He pressed his forearm against her throat. "Post the apology or this Good Samaritan will need her own hospital bed."

The young girl's eyes widened in terror.

With shaking hands, I recorded the apology, tears streaming down my face. The moment I posted it, Derek released the girl who collapsed gasping on the floor. He checked my post and nodded with satisfaction.

"Pack your things once you get better," he ordered. "You're coming home with us."

"Us?"

"Tara will be living with us now," he said. "She needs protection from false accusations. And you need to be reminded of your place."

He leaned over, his lips brushing my ear as he whispered: "This is just the beginning of your punishment, Luna Hazel."

For five days, I stared at the hospital ceiling. Each breath reminded me of how I'd abandoned everything for him.

My position as heiress to the Northern Lake pack and my family's legacy. All sacrificed for what I'd foolishly believed was love.

Now I lay broken in a hospital bed while Derek paraded around with his stepsister.

My phone chimed with a notification. With trembling fingers, I unlocked the screen. A new video from Tara.

They were at our favorite beach, the one where Derek had first told me he loved me. Tara was wearing my swimsuit, laughing as Derek chased her into the waves.

A second video arrived moments later. Tara was twirling in my wedding dress—the one I'd preserved in a box, waiting for an anniversary Derek would acknowledge. He stood behind her, his hands trailing down her sides as he whispered something in her ear.

"Remember when you said this dress was bad luck?" Tara's voice rang out. "Turns out it just needed the right bride."

I closed my phone and took a deep breath. Just five more days. Five days until my divorce was finalized and my visa to leave the country was processed. Five days until freedom.

Three days later, they discharged me. True to their word, Derek and Tara came to pick me up.

In the car, Tara's high-pitched voice grated against my nerves as she leaned over the front seat to face me.

"Oh my God, Hazel! You missed so much because of your unfortunate incident," she emphasized the word 'incident' as if I'd merely stubbed my toe rather than been stabbed by her. "Derek took me to the Diamond Falls last weekend. You know, that place he always refused to take you?"

Derek's eyes met mine briefly in the rearview mirror, cold and warning.

"And that's not all," Tara continued, practically bouncing in her seat. "We drove your car—I mean, the Bugatti—all around the state. Derek even signed it over to me. Isn't that right, baby?"

Derek reached over to squeeze her thigh. "Nothing but the best for you."

Tara squealed with delight before reaching into the footwell. "Oh! I almost forgot. I got you something, Hazel."

She passed back a small paper bag. "Go ahead, open it."

When I opened it, my stomach churned. Inside was a single heel—one I recognized from the photos she'd sent me covered in dirt and clearly rescued from a dumpster. Below it lay my black lace lingerie, torn and stained.

Without a word, I threw the bag back at her. The heel hit her shoulder, and she let out an exaggerated yelp.

Tears immediately sprang to her eyes. "Derek! She hurt me! I was just trying to be nice!"

"Why did you hurt her?" Derek roared, slamming his hand against the steering wheel. "She's trying her best to welcome you back, and this is how you repay her?"

Tara placed a gentle hand on his arm. "Don't shout at her, Derek darling. I'm sure it's because of the hospital trauma. She's still trying to recover her... sanity."

She reached into her purse and pulled out an amber prescription bottle. "Here, Hazel. The doctor gave me these for you. They'll help with your pain and... mood swings."

When I refused to take it, Derek grabbed my jaw roughly, forcing my mouth open as Tara shoved two pills onto my tongue. Derek clamped his hand over my mouth until I swallowed.

My vision blurred almost instantly. The world tilted and swayed around me as I slumped against the seat. The last thing I heard was Tara's giggle as darkness claimed me.

When I woke, my head pounded mercilessly and something itched against my skin. I looked down to find my body covered in fur—cat fur. My stomach dropped as I remembered my beloved cat, Jinx, who I'd left behind when I fled to the hospital.

"No, no, no," I whispered, staggering to my feet.

Racing upstairs, I threw open the door to my bedroom and froze at the threshold.

Jinx, my beloved cat who'd been my only comfort during years of a loveless marriage lay motionless on the blood-soaked sheets. Beside her sat Tara, scissors in hand, carefully removing strips of fur from my pet's lifeless body.

"Oh, you're awake!" Tara smiled, holding up a patch of orange and white fur. "Hope you don't mind. I've always wanted a fur-lined coat, and your cat had the most beautiful coloring."

I snapped. I ran forward with my fist connecting with Tara's face before she could react.

She fell back and slid on Jinx's blood, her white dress now stained red as she crashed hard onto the floor.

Tara held her nose, blood streaming between her fingers and dripping onto her white dress.

"You filthy, pathetic bitch!" she screamed and her eyes was wild with rage. "How dare you touch me!"

I stood over her and shook with rage. "You killed my cat!"

"A dirty little nobody like you dared to lay a hand on me?" Tara scrambled backward. "I've never been touched like this, not even by my own stepbrother!"

"Get out of my house," I growled, tears streaming down my face.

"Oh, you'll pay for this," Tara hissed as she struggled to her feet. "You'll regret ever crossing me."

She stormed out, leaving bloody handprints on the doorframe. I turned back to Jinx's lifeless body, gently wrapping her in a clean blanket as I carried her outside to the garden.

I dug a small grave below the tree where she used to watch birds. With every shovelful of dirt, I felt more alone. Jinx had been my only true companion during those empty years with Derek. Now even she was gone.

When I finished, I went to shower off the dirt and blood. The water had barely turned warm when I smelled it, smoke.

I threw on clothes and raced downstairs, following the scent until I burst through the front door. My heart stopped.

My design studio, the small building where I'd created every piece of clothing I'd ever sold was engulfed in fire. Five years of work, fabric, and designs burning before my eyes. My car sat in front, also consumed by fire, its metal frame glowing orange.

Tara stood on the lawn, a red gas can dangling from her fingers. Her nose had stopped bleeding but was swollen to twice its normal size.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" she called over the roar of the flames. "Fire purifies everything it touches."

I lunged toward her but she danced back. "Your precious designs, your pathetic attempts at creating something beautiful—all gone. Just like your dreams of leaving us."

"You psychotic bitch," I growled, stepping toward her.

"Oh, I almost forgot to mention," she continued, her voice syrupy sweet. "Your divorce papers arrived this morning. Such a shame they were delivered to your car. All that paperwork... up in flames."

The realization hit me hard. Without those papers, I'd have to wait another year before filing again.

"You can't keep me here," I shouted over the roar of the fire.

"Can't I?" Tara challenged. She pointed toward the burning car. "If you're so desperate, why don't you check? Maybe something survived."

Without thinking, I ran toward the car, pulling at the door handle. To my surprise, it opened and I leaned in searching through the smoke filled interior.

Suddenly, the door slammed behind me. I felt hands push me further in and spun around to see Tara's triumphant face through the window as she locked me in.

"What are you doing?" I screamed, pulling at the handle. "Let me out!"

The smoke began filling the car and it burned my lungs. I'd been tricked. I pounded on the windows and gasped for breath.

"Bye-bye, Hazel. Enjoy your cremation." She blew me a kiss.

"Tara!" a voice shouted from a distance. Derek was coming.

Through the haze, I watched as Tara deliberately fell to the ground, grabbing a sharp stone and dragging it across her arm. Fresh blood welled up from the cut.

"Derek! Help!" she cried out. "She pushed me! She tried to kill me and then set everything on fire!"

I pounded harder on the windows, my strength fading as the smoke filled my lungs. "Derek! Please!"

When Derek reached us, he didn't even glance at me trapped in the burning car. Instead, he knelt beside Tara, cradling her head.

"Who did this to your perfect face?" he asked, wiping blood from her face.

"She went crazy," Tara sobbed. "She hit me, then pushed me down. When I tried to stop her, she threatened to burn everything."

I slammed my palms against the glass. "Derek! I'm in here!"

He finally turned, his eyes meeting mine through the smoke-stained window.

"How dare you," he snarled. "Because you don't like her, you're trying to destroy everything?"

"She locked me in here!" I choked out between coughs.

Derek turned his back to me, helping Tara to her feet. "Let's get that cut treated. We can't have your beautiful face spoiled."

"What about her?" Tara asked. "The smoke... I know she's awful, but—"

"Let her burn." Derek's voice was flat. "The fire might actually make her fuckable. God knows nothing else has worked."

"But Derek—"

"The only thing that matters is you," he interrupted, pressing his lips to her forehead. "Let's get these wounds treated. I can't have anything spoiling your perfect face."

As they walked away, my vision darkened around the edges. I clawed uselessly at the locked doors, my strength fading with each breath.

The last thing I saw was Derek cradling Tara in his arms as they disappeared into the house, leaving me to die.

And then, darkness claimed me completely.