Ethan's posture was submissive. His voice trembled with desperate longing as he said, "Clara, marry me. I swear on my life. I'll never hurt or fail you. If I could, I'd give you my very breath."

His words dragged me back to the past when he was 17.

"Clara, I'll protect you with my life. Just promise you'll stay with me forever, okay?" he had said to me.

He'd kept that promise. He'd charged into a blazing inferno against all reasons and carried my unconscious body to safety.

I couldn't tell which of his words were sincere. But with two days left before my planned escape, I forced a brittle smile. "Yes."

Ethan's face lit like a child handed the stars. He crushed me against his chest, fingers digging into my back as if I might dissolve.

"We'll get the license now," he breathed, grabbing my hands.

I stiffened and fabricated a lie. "But I have something to do today. Let's get it another time."

His smile dimmed but didn't die.

Later that evening, before he could warm my milk, I took the initiative and prepared a glass for him, laced with extra ingredients.

Unsuspecting, he drank it with a sweet smile.

Even when he was unconscious, his arms vised around me in sleep and his legs tangled with mine like possessive vines.

Deep into the night, his regular breathing filled the air beside me. I crept downstairs, my heart thumping in my chest.

My flashlight beam shook as it landed on the cage.

Gold bars gleamed under the harsh lights. Inside it was Ethan's hidden, treasured woman.

The girl was peacefully sleeping, her face almost identical to mine, still holding onto traces of tears.

She woke up at the sound of me approaching and shot me a defiant look.

"Oh," she drawled. "You must be the woman Ethan keeps outside. How did you enjoy that toasty warmth?"

Her words struck me like a thunderclap, further confirming the thoughts I had.

"My name is Chiara Green," she chirped. "It's been seven years since I've seen sunlight. Ethan says UV rays harm porcelain skin."

She lifted a skeletal leg, and bile rose in my throat. Her once delicate calves were grotesquely twisted, the bones deformed as if broken by some violent force and left untreated.

But Chiara seemed unbothered, even smiling with bashfulness.

"A few days ago, he let me out," she giggled, burying her face in the white blanket. "But when I flirted with another man for an ice cream, he got jealous and broke my leg. Isn't he so possessive?"

My gaze caught on the bedsheet—crusty splotches blooming like fungal rot. Having long since shed any naivety, I instantly recognized what it was.

I retched, my fingers scrabbling at the cage bars.

"What are you doing?" Chiara shrieked suddenly, cradling the padlock like a lover's face. "Don't you dare ruin the home Ethan built for me!"

I flinched, and she murmured, "This is a golden lock, made with all of Ethan's love. What will happen if you break it? He'll be so angry."

My brows knitted together. "Don't you want to get out?"

She tilted her head. "Why should I? You're the shield against his enemies. If I went out and got hurt, his heart would break."

The truth detonated in my chest.

Ethan and I were both orphans. We had been clinging to each other for survival.

We fought stray dogs for scraps of food and slept under bridges with nothing but burlap sacks to keep us warm.

As we grew older, he sent me to school while he worked in a dingy restaurant.

When bullies cornered me, Ethan stepped in, fists swinging even as his pinky snapped under their blows. He stood there, blood dripping down his face, until they ran off.

When I got my first period in high school, he bought pads for me, sprinting away from the girls' bathroom as someone screamed, "Pervert."

In college, he worked double shifts, but no matter how exhausted he was, he'd wait for me after night classes just to hear about my day.

From 5 to 21, we were inseparable. I never imagined he'd been hiding someone else in his heart all along. Worst still, his love for her was so possessive and twisted.

I thought our bond could withstand time and hardships. I was wrong. Chiara was the only softness in his heart.

A hand reached out, wiping the tears from my face.

"Ethan hates seeing me cry," Chiara murmured. "You look so much like me. It must hurt him to see you like this. Come meet my girl. She's coming home from school tomorrow. She's so sweet and well-behaved. She is Ethan's second favorite."

My spine, once steel, finally buckled. I collapsed to my knees, replaying every promise Ethan had ever made to me.

"Childbirth is too painful. I just need you by my side," he had said.

On my 18th birthday, Ethan gave me two gifts: himself and a vasectomy certificate.

He'd sacrificed the possibility of children to make me feel secure. Yet, behind my back, he'd built a family with someone else.

I didn't dare think about how long Ethan had known Chiara and how many years they'd shared.

Feeling like a clown, I fled the basement.

In the gilded cage, Chiara's innocent smile faded into something darker.

'Just one more day, and I'll be free,' I thought.

When Ethan woke up, I was ready for the day.

I looped my arm through his and leaned into his side. "Since you've proposed, shouldn't we plan our honeymoon?"

He wrapped his arms around me, lacing our fingers together. "Where do you want to go? How about a helicopter ride? Straight to the top."

He pulled a set of keys from his pocket like a magician. I played along, feigning excitement as he whisked me to a revolving restaurant.

As the helicopter circled the city, I kept an eye on the time, counting down the minutes until the operations team finished erasing my existence.

By sunset, we were drunk on the thrill of the day. Ethan's gaze burned into me, possessive and unhinged. My skin crawled as I coaxed him into the shower, my hands brushing against his pocket.

My blood turned to ice. I knew exactly what the cold, circular metal was.

Panic surged through me. I quickly decided to activate the backup plan.

I took out a spray bottle and sprayed the liquid into his face before he had a chance to cuff me.

He crumpled to the floor, his eyes blazing with fury and desperation.

"Don't go, Clara," he murmured.

But I didn't care anymore. 'Ethan, I stayed by your side through the hardest times. If Chiara is your choice, I'll step aside. Goodbye, forever.'