"Since Kelly's behaving now, you can undo one lock. Do it loudly too, so she knows that as long as she behaves, I'll spare her life."

He thought he was being generous with me, but to me, it was all meaningless.

No matter how many locks he unlocked, it still wouldn't bring me or my child back to life.

Luna sashayed her hips as her hand traced across Cody's chest.

"Cody, don't let things turn ugly because of me. You'll still marry her eventually and spend the rest of your life with her," she said as tears suddenly fell from her eyes.

"Unlike poor old me. Your brother's dead because of her, and I can only spend the rest of my life alone."

"Don't worry, Luna. I won't forsake you or the child, regardless of who I marry.

"Both of you are precious to me. No one is allowed to touch you, not even Kelly. If she does, then she'll have to pay a hefty price. She owes you that much!"

Luna looked at him with gratitude dripping from her eyes, and Cody probably believed himself to be some selfless hero.

How ironic.

Cody would probably never know that the plane ticket I had given his brother, Devon Rummish, had been purchased by Luna herself.

I was merely the middleman, and yet I had to shoulder all the blame, accusations, and punishment for Devon's death.

In the end, it even cost me and my child's lives.

I clearly remember Luna telling me that she had personally chosen that flight for Devon, and that I had to pass the tickets along to him.

Even clearer than that memory were the words Luna had said before she got into the elevator.

…

"Kelly, I left my necklace in the bedroom. Can you help me grab it?" Luna said to me affectionately.

I naively ran back to the bedroom, only to discover that the necklace was actually one that Cody had given me as a symbol of his commitment.

Why was it with her? How could Cody give that necklace to another woman?

Suddenly, I heard a commotion outside, so I ran out and found a stoney-faced Cody.

Before I could ask anything, a firm slap landed across my cheeks, and the taste of iron immediately filled my mouth.

"You venomous woman! How could you set Luna up and have her take a faulty elevator?"

"Don't blame her. I know that she's been worried I'll steal you away now that I'm pregnant. I can empathize. Don't be angry, Cody. I'm not worth it."

"An 'out-of-order' notice was displayed here ages ago, so technically, no one should have been using it. Should we check the surveillance cameras instead?" the elevator technician asked.

"It's a fact that she set Luna up! Why is there even a need to check the surveillance? Lock her up in the closet, and she's not allowed any food or water! I want her to pay for this a thousand times over!"

…

The memory of that fateful day flashed across my eyes until Trent's scream suddenly dragged me back to my senses.

Trent came running out, his eyes wide with horror.

"Mrs. Rummish… No, I mean Kelly… Kelly's dead! It's horrible! She died so horribly!"

Luna looked startled when she heard this, and she quickly spun to look at Cody.

Cody, however, merely sneered and asked, "How much money did she pay you to lie to me?"

"I'm not lying! Go and take a look if you don't believe me, sir! The corpse is already decomposing!"

"Get out!" Cody roared, his expression vicious.

"Don't think I don't know she's playing some foolish trick! She just wants to lure me over and then beg me to let her go! She can keep dreaming!"

Luna's nervous expression eased when she saw Cody's reaction. She then leaned her head on his shoulder and comforted him.

"It has been a while now. Kelly's afraid of the dark, so she must be terrified. Why don't you let her off the hook? I'm sure she's realized her mistake by now."

"Ha! She just bribed my secretary to lie to me, so she clearly hasn't realized her mistake yet! She's just provoking me!

"Of course, I know she's afraid of the dark, otherwise, I wouldn't have chained the closet so tightly that not even a bit of light can seep through. I want her to know that just as I can give her the world, I can also take it all back!"

Tears streamed down my face as I watched from the side. I was even finding it difficult to breathe.

If I were still alive, I would probably feel an excruciating pain in my heart.

I indeed had made a mistake.

I made the mistake of believing in his promises too easily. I made the mistake of giving him my whole heart. I made the mistake of forgiving him again and again, and in the end, I lost my child.

This was the man that I had loved for seven whole years.

…

Cody came from a wealthy family and was an excellent student.

I, on the other hand, had studied relentlessly just so I could get out of my small village and further my studies in a big city.

He fell in love with me at first sight and began to pursue me doggedly.

I knew that the difference between us was too great, so I'd always refused him.

The other female students at my university all felt disdain for me. They would constantly harass me just because Cody liked me.

"Why's she pretending to be all innocent and reserved? I bet she's secretly thrilled!"

"She's keeping that wealthy guy on the hook. How manipulative of her. We could never learn her scheming ways!"

When I walked past them with my books in hand, they tripped me and then poured water all over me. I was instantly drenched.

Right then, I felt a warmth on my shoulders. I turned around, and my eyes met Cody's loving gaze.

His bodyguards gave those female students a beating. The surrounding students gasped when they saw this and then immediately fell silent.

He put his arm around me, then declared to all those there who looked down on me, "Kelly is my woman. If anyone dares bully her, I'll make them pay a thousand times over! Those who don't believe me can try me!"

Then, he gathered my shivering form into his arms and consoled me gently.

"Don't worry, I'm here. Don't be scared."

From then on, he would always wait for me at the campus gates before and after class.

When his parents opposed our marriage, he firmly stood by my side, we fought back against them together.

In that moment, it felt as if he would protect me even if the sky fell.

Cody was my whole world.

But he was right, too. He could give me the world, but he could also take it back and give it to another woman.

After Luna had gotten out of the elevator, he had pushed me aside and dashed right over to her. He only had eyes for her.

"She's pregnant with my child! If you dare bully her, I'll make you pay a thousand times over!"

He had then reassured Luna and said, "Don't worry, I'm here."

His tenderness that had once belonged to me was now a knife that pierced through me. My body was now littered with all the scars and wounds caused by him.

…

Even though Trent had been yelled at, he still gathered his courage to speak up.

"There's a death in this house. You can't just ignore it, sir! Also, the other housekeepers saw it too. There's no reason for me to make up such an easily seen-through lie to trick you…"

Cody was getting frustrated. He tugged on his tie and took a large gulp of water.

"Wait for me here! I'll go see what trick that woman is trying to pull!"

Luna grasped Cody's hand tightly and said longingly, "The baby just kicked. You have to come back, okay? The baby and I will be waiting for you."

Cody planted a kiss on Luna's forehead and gave his sincere assurance.

Watching them so madly in love, I couldn't help but laugh at myself mockingly.

Was it a blessing or a punishment to have my soul trapped here?

Cody quickly walked over to the bedroom. The stench grew stronger, and he instinctively covered his nose, feeling a little nauseated.

A few of the housekeepers who had gone in all came back out screaming. Some of them had even gotten weak in the knees.

Cody pushed the door open, and the foul stench hit him immediately, causing him to vomit.

"You vile woman! How dare you pull such a trick on me!" he yelled as he kicked the closet door open.

Cody assumed that the smell was my revenge against him.

"You've achieved your goal. I'm here now! Hurry up and say whatever you want to say. You'd better be planning on apologizing to me, or I swear I won't let you out!

"I'm talking to you! Are you deaf?"

No sounds came from inside, and Cody's patience ran out. He glanced into the closet, preparing to yell at me some more, but what he saw made his pupils constrict.

An arm that had swollen to a grotesque size flopped out from the closet, and there were even maggots writhing across the decayed flesh. It was a horrifying sight.

Cody stumbled backward in disbelief.

He shook his head as he mumbled in a trembling voice, "No… No, that's impossible…"