Sebastian didn't give me a chance to finish speaking. He pressed his hand over my mouth. A dangerous chill flashed in his eyes.

He asked, "Aren't you asking a few too many questions tonight?"

Then, just as quickly, his expression softened again. "Tomorrow's our wedding day. You should go home and get some rest."

A chill of dread ran up my spine. I nodded quickly and left.

When I returned to the Lowe residence, Vivian, Lorraine, and Mia hadn't slept a wink. The moment I stepped inside, they swarmed me.

"How did it go? Do you know who his lover is?"

I stayed quiet, then shook my head.

Defeat and despair washed over the three of them.

Lorraine even burst into tears. "I don't want to die. Maybe we should just make a run for it."

Vivian snapped, "He has enough influence to find us no matter how far we go."

Mia gritted her teeth. "There are only four hours until sunrise. If we run, we'll live for a few more days, at least. It's better than dying tomorrow."

But I cut her off, firm and steady. "We're not running. The wedding has to happen. And I'll be the one who's going."

Mia stared at me like I had lost my mind. "I might hate you, but did you forget how you died last time? It was brutal."

Vivian frowned. "If you keep thinking with your heart instead of your head, I might start wondering if I've spoiled you too much."

The enormous solitaire diamond ring worth an unfathomable fortune was still sitting on the table.

If Mia put it on, Sebastian would claw her face and throw her into a basement, leaving her to die from her injuries.

If Lorraine wore it, Sebastian would send her tumbling down the stairs, leaving her body shattered and wracked with pain before death.

If Vivian put it on, Sebastian would drown her in a bathtub, leaving her bloated and unrecognizable before dumping her back at the Lowe residence.

And if I wore the ring, I'd face the cruelest death of all.

To punish the presumptuous mistress who thought she could replace his beloved, Sebastian stabbed me 20 times—each wound excruciating, none fatal—slowly draining the life from me.

The slow, creeping death, with every heartbeat fading, was pure terror.

Even the three women who had despised me all my life felt a pang of pity when they saw my battered body.

That perfectly cut, dazzling diamond gleamed like a guillotine waiting for whichever one of us touched it.

I stepped forward and slid the ring onto my finger without a second thought. "I know how dangerous this is. But this is the only way for all of us to survive."

Lorraine stared at me, stunned. "What do you know?"

I knew that telling them the truth would make tomorrow's plan more likely to succeed. But if the truth were really what I had pieced together, it would be too horrifying.

I couldn't drag them into this.

As such, I shook my head and said, "I can't tell you just yet."

Mia's expression darkened. "Then tell us what you need us to do."

I looked down. "I need you to attend the wedding tomorrow like nothing's wrong. Act completely normal."

Vivian's eyebrows knitted. "After the ceremony, he's going to kill you with a knife, and we're supposed to act like nothing's happening?"

All three of them now looked at me with genuine concern, completely on my side.

I thought of everything they had done to me before—petty quarrels, minor schemes, and stolen money.

Nothing had ever truly endangered my life.

But the man I had trusted and loved so deeply had mercilessly tortured me to death on our wedding night.

I breathed in slowly and finally made up my mind to tell them the truth. I said, "When I went to see Sebastian earlier, he suddenly grabbed my hand and kissed the back of it.

"That single moment hit me, and I finally realized who his true love is. She's indeed one of us. And she's someone none of us would ever expect. She's…"