Chapter 1

Everyone in the city’s most powerful circles knew Julian Sterling was obsessed with my skin, pristine as moonlight.

He even splurged a fortune to build a suspended crystal palace, just so he could sketch the most exquisite artworks on my body as dusk bled into night.

He called me his greatest living masterpiece.

But masterpieces, once touched by the mundane, become flawed.

So, in the inferno that consumed his entire art gallery, he chose to salvage the cold canvases, leaving me to burn in the flames.

As I lay dying on the frigid operating table, I heard his voice crystal clear, addressing the surgeon—

“Be careful. Don’t ruin this skin.”

“Seraphina is waiting to wear it.”

They all believed I had turned to ash in that fire.

But I came back.

From the scorched earth, I rose again, a broken body reborn, and I came back for revenge.

At the Sterling Corp’s charity gala, I saw my skin.

It was on another woman.

I wore an artistic veil, watching my ex-husband, Julian Sterling, with his new arm candy, Seraphina Hayes, as they stole the spotlight.

Under the flashing lights, the skin on Seraphina’s back was flawless and luminous, so beautiful it was impossible to look away.

It shimmered like pure moonlight, earning it the media’s nickname, “Moonlight Skin.”

But it was mine.

My gloved fingertips curled into a tight fist. The agonizing pain of being flayed alive three years ago felt like it was tearing through my nerves all over again.

Julian basked in the admiring glances.

He wrapped an arm around Seraphina, speaking in that familiar, overly sincere, utterly fake tone of his:

“Many of you know my deceased wife, Stella Nova, once possessed the most perfect skin in the world.”

I almost laughed out loud.

Deceased wife?

His gaze burned with feverish admiration as he caressed Seraphina’s back.

“Now, medicine has allowed her to be reborn, in a different way.”

The entire hall erupted in applause.

They praised love, they praised technology, they praised a man’s devotion to his deceased wife.

No one seemed to think it was utterly horrifying that a madman had flayed his wife and sewn her skin onto his mistress.

The hatred churned in my gut.

Just then, the host called out my new name.

“Next, please welcome the rising entrepreneur, Ms. Blair Thorne, for her address!”

It was my turn. I smoothed down my black gown and walked onto the stage.

Each step of my heels was precise, firm, like I was treading on my enemies’ hearts.

I took the microphone. My voice, hoarse from the fire, carried a strange, piercing quality through the speakers.

“Hello everyone, I’m Blair Thorne.”

My gaze swept over everyone, locking directly onto Seraphina.

She seemed to squirm under my stare.

“I’ve just returned to the country. I heard Mr. Sterling had acquired a truly exquisite treasure, and seeing it today, it certainly lives up to its reputation.”

I paused, then smiled, changing my tone.

“It’s just that I have a peculiar little hobby when it comes to collecting.”

“I always believe that an object truly becomes art only when it’s placed in the right setting. If it’s placed in the wrong one…”

I paused again, then spoke each word clearly, distinctly:

“Then it’s just… trash… draped in human skin.”

I watched with satisfaction as Seraphina’s face instantly drained of color.

Only then did I turn my attention to Julian Sterling.

His composure had shattered, and he was staring at me, utterly transfixed.

I offered him a sweet smile.

“Mr. Sterling, wouldn’t you agree?”

The entire room fell silent.

I glided off the stage, stepping over everyone’s stunned expressions.

As I passed him, I leaned in, blowing a whisper into his ear, a sound only he could hear.

“That gossamer silk is high-end.”

“And frankly, not just any cheap imitation deserves to be wrapped in it.”

I felt his body stiffen, his breath catching in his throat.

With an even softer, more venomous voice, I delivered my blessing.

“Julian Sterling, your new collection piece…”

“Looks like it’s rotting already.”

…

The gala, naturally, ended in disarray.

I, the madwoman who dared to publicly humiliate Julian Sterling, became the city’s hottest gossip.

And Julian? He wasted no time trying to reclaim his dignity.