In my past life, my husband rushed back in time to save me.

But Wynne, devastated by his abrupt departure, drowned her sorrows in alcohol and passed out outside a bar. She fell into the hands of a group of vile men who assaulted her through the night.

The next morning, she woke in a cheap motel and, overwhelmed with despair, leapt from its rooftop.

When I learned the news, I dragged my fragile, traumatized body to pay my respects at her grave. However, Michael pressed my head down and forced me to kneel until my forehead was bloodied and raw.

Then, he threw me into a kennel with vicious dogs and locked me inside.

I knelt on the cold ground, sobbing and begging for mercy, but he stood there, a cruel smile curling his lips as he watched the dogs tear into me.

"Janice Leaf, you killed Wynne! You deserve to pay with your life for hers! Do you really think Zack would have harmed you? Was it necessary to panic and insist I rush back home?

"You couldn’t stand seeing me care for Wynne, could you? You’re nothing but a venomous woman who doesn’t deserve to live!"

The dogs’ teeth sank into my flesh, tearing it apart. I watched in horror as chunks of my body were devoured. My skin was stripped away, exposing pulsating blood vessels and muscles. Yellowed fat glistened, exposed to the open air.

The pain was unbearable, my body trembling violently as I struggled helplessly.

"I didn’t mean for her to die! It was those vile men who hurt her! I saw the knife in Zack’s hand! He really wanted to kill me! You promised to protect me for a lifetime!"

My pleas only seemed to fuel his sadistic delight. He poured meat broth over my body, taunting the frenzied dogs.

"Janice, you brought this on yourself. Go to the afterlife and apologize to Wynne in person!"

The scent of the broth drove the dogs into a frenzy. They lunged at me with renewed ferocity, and I felt my life slipping away, consumed by excruciating pain.

Eight years of love and a wedding vow to stay together through life and death. Yet Michael pushed me into the depths of despair only three years after our marriage, all because of Wynne’s death.

I was the one who chose Wynne as the scholarship recipient, never imagining that my act of kindness would lead to my own demise, leaving me with no place to be buried.

From the moment he couldn’t stop praising Wynne for her beauty and brilliance, I should have realized their relationship wasn’t as innocent as it seemed. But I was too blind, and in the end, I not only killed myself but my child as well.

A sharp glint cut through the darkness, stinging my eyes.

Seeing me suddenly go quiet, Mary thought I’d given up and loosened her grip on me.

Seizing the moment, I tore the necklace from around my neck and slashed it across her face.

She flinched in pain, releasing her hold on my arm.

Michael’s study had a panic alarm and pressing it would summon help immediately.

Mary twisted the doorknob hard, but it didn’t budge.

She muttered under her breath, “I don’t have the key to the study. Mr. Rivers never lets me clean in here!”

A low male voice growled outside the door. “Move. Can’t even handle a pregnant woman? I’ll take care of this.”

They were in this together!

Mary wanted me dead so Wynne could take my place, and Zack was determined to kill me to exact revenge on Michael.

With both of them waiting outside like predators, I pounded the panic alarm with all my strength.

The piercing sound of the alarm shattered the silence of the night.

I could hear the neighbors waking up, their angry voices cutting through the chaos.

“What’s going on? Can’t we get some sleep around here?”

“Whose house is that? It’s freaking loud!”

Michael had sealed the windows in his study to keep it secure, leaving me no choice but to scream for help.

“There’s an intruder in my house! Help me! Please call the police!”

But the houses in this villa neighborhood were spaced far apart, and my cries were drowned out by the blaring alarm.

Suddenly, the study door was kicked open, and Zack strode in with a sinister grin.

Before I could scream again, he clamped his hand over my mouth. At that moment, the doorbell rang from downstairs.

The security guards had arrived. Hope sparked in my eyes.

“Mr. Rivers, are you home? Some neighbors reported your alarm going off. Is everything okay?”

From downstairs, Mary’s hearty, reassuring voice responded, “Sorry for the trouble. Mr. Rivers isn’t home tonight. Mrs. River wasn’t feeling well and accidentally triggered the alarm during a little tantrum.”

But the security guards weren’t so easily convinced. One of them replied firmly, “Can we speak with Mrs. Rivers directly? Just to make sure everything’s alright.”

I struggled with all my strength, desperately hoping the security guards would sense something was wrong.

“I’m their housekeeper,” Mary said, her voice steady and sincere. “Mrs. River is pregnant and just fell asleep after I calmed her down. Please don’t disturb her any further. I’ll personally apologize to the neighbors first thing in the morning.”

With her trustworthy demeanor and disarming words, Mary managed to fool the guards, who left shortly after.

As soon as the door clicked shut, she stormed back into the study, grabbed my hair, and slapped me hard across the face several times.

Blood dripped from the corner of my mouth as she leaned in close, her voice dripping with venom.

“You tart, still hoping someone will come to save you? Do you think those guards could get you out of here? Pathetic! I’ve hated your dainty, delicate act for so long. Only Wynne deserves to be Mrs. Rivers!”

I stared at her in disbelief, which only made her laugh cruelly.

“What’s with that shocked look? You’ll be killed by your enemy. Who’s going to trace any of this back to me? You might think the house has surveillance, but too bad, I cut the wires to the cameras long ago. Your status and your husband—everything will belong to Wynne!”

I shook my head frantically, hoping to spark even a shred of pity in her.

However, Zack sneered coldly. “Why waste your breath on her? She’ll be dead soon enough. Michael ruined me. He bankrupted my company and destroyed my life. My wife and child left me because of him. Now, it’s his turn to feel that pain!”

Suddenly, Mary’s phone rang.

She frowned as she glanced at the caller ID before answering.

“Sir, what can I do for you at this late hour?”

Michael’s cold voice came through the line. “What’s going on with Janice? The security guards just contacted me. Why did she trigger the alarm in the middle of the night? Wynne is waiting for me to dance with her, and now Janice is not answering her phone. Tell Janice to get over here!”

Mary’s face twitched with suppressed anger as she glared at me. Still, she replied meekly, “Sir, Mrs. River has already gone to bed…”

Michael let out a derisive laugh. “She caused trouble and then went to sleep? Or is she just afraid I’ll hold her accountable? Wake her up. I have something to tell her.”

Zack smirked, dragging the edge of his knife across my cheek. “Let her take the call. Let’s see if Michael will actually come back to save her!”

Mary reluctantly shoved the phone against my ear.

While Zack was distracted, rummaging through the study, I seized the phone and shoved Mary out of the way with all my strength.

The balcony was just beside the study, and I quickly locked the sliding glass doors behind me. This time, I didn’t cry or beg Michael to come save me.

With trembling hands, I swiftly typed out a message to the police before hesitantly answering Michael’s call.

“Michael, send the security guards over. The baby and I are in danger.”

I wasn’t trying to disrupt his night with Wynne; I just hoped he’d take this opportunity to have the guards intervene.

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line before he let out a bitter laugh, as though I’d just told a ridiculous joke.

"Janice, has your jealousy of Wynne really gotten this out of hand? I spend one Valentine’s Day with her, and you pull these childish stunts?

“Wynne isn’t like you. She’s had a hard life since she was a child. Can’t you stop being so petty and mean? Stop making a scene. If you were really in danger, why didn’t you call the police?”

A sharp pain ripped through my abdomen, and I gasped for air, barely able to speak. “I already called the police, but it’ll take time for them to get here!”

Through the glass doors, I saw Zack raising a claw hammer, aiming it at the glass.

“Michael, I’m not asking you to leave Wynne and rush back. Just send the security guards over!”

The shattering sound of breaking glass cut through the night as Zack burst onto the balcony and dragged me back inside.

The shattered glass tore into my skin, leaving me bloodied and raw.

Zack snatched the phone from my hand and sneered darkly. “Michael Rivers, long time no see. Your wife is in my hands now. If you ever want to see her alive again, you’d better get here fast.”

On the other end, Michael’s voice was cold and laced with sarcasm. “Janice, you’re really committed to this act, aren’t you? How much did you pay this guy to help you pull this off? You think I’m stupid enough to fall for this? If you actually die, don’t worry—I’ll make sure to collect your corpse.”

Pain coursed through my body, and my teeth chattered uncontrollably as a warm fluid trickled down between my legs. Summoning the last of my strength, I cried out, tears streaming down my face. “Michael, I’m going into labor! Please, send someone to save me and the baby!”

Zack shoved the phone at Mary and signaled her to start recording.

“Well, Mrs. Rivers,” he said with a chilling grin. “Since your husband doesn’t believe you, let me deliver your baby myself.”

His words froze me in terror, but the excruciating pain as he pressed down on my abdomen robbed me of any ability to resist.

With a swift, brutal motion, the knife came down. Blood sprayed across my vision as he cut into me, tearing open my stomach.

I watched helplessly as he pulled the baby from my womb, small and fragile, not yet able to open its eyes.

Zack tossed the newborn to the floor and stomped on it mercilessly until it was nothing but a blood-soaked heap.

Mary recorded the entire scene and sent the video to Michael, feigning panic. “Sir, it’s real! The intruder forced me to record everything. He’s just cut the baby out of her!”

Michael drew a sharp breath but then let out a mocking laugh. “You really think I’d believe this? Nice touch with the housekeeper, Janice. How much did you bribe her to play along?

“So much blood, and you’re still not dead? And where’d you get that realistic baby prop? Quite convincing…”

Tears streamed down my face as his ridicule echoed in my ears.

“Police! Don’t move!”

Just as despair swallowed me whole, the police burst in.

One officer glanced at the still-connected call in Mary’s hand and sighed. “Mr. Rivers, there was a break-in at your home. Your wife has been gravely injured and has been taken to the hospital. Please come as soon as possible.”