Chapter 1

My husband's true love goes missing. He traps me in a cave to make me repent for my sins.

"Olivia would never have gone missing if not for you! You'd better stay in there and repent for your sins!"

No matter how I scream and try to escape, I'm ignored. Ultimately, I die due to cobra venom.

Unexpectedly, my husband loses his mind when he sees my body and the twisted look on my face.

Chapter 1

"Well? She's been locked inside for days now. Has she admitted her mistake yet?" Colin Shaw's face was twisted in disgust as he glanced toward the cave and questioned the bodyguard.

"No, sir. Mrs. Shaw hasn't begged for mercy once," the bodyguard replied firmly.

He was right—I had not begged for mercy, but I did call for help.

"Mr. Shaw! Mrs. Shaw hasn't eaten or drunk anything in days. Could she have passed out? Maybe we should let her out?" Kyle Wilbur, our driver, suggested.

Having watched Colin and me through our courtship and marriage, he always seemed to pity me.

Colin's face darkened, his voice cold as ice. "Shut up! So what if she's gone a few days without food and water?

"Olivia has been missing for so long, with no idea how long she's gone without either. Norah deserves to suffer just like Olivia did!"

He added, "And Kyle, don't think your long years with the Shaw family give you immunity. Anyone who dares plead for that woman will be fired on the spot!"

Kyle turned pale and quickly backed off, leaving just Colin and the bodyguard. From within the cave, I could see Colin's hand tenderly caressing a ribbon tied around his wrist.

His voice softened as he murmured to it, "Olivia, I wonder how hungry or scared you must have been all this time. I miss you so much.

"I've already locked up Norah Martinez. I'll make sure she pays for everything. Oh, Olivia..."

He was pouring his heart out to that ribbon as if it embodied his lost love, but all I could feel was a crushing pain. He was so gentle when he spoke about her, yet here I was, cold, hungry, and forgotten in this hellhole.

I suddenly realized something horrifying—I was already dead. Olivia Martinez's final note had explained that she did not want to hurt me anymore by staying in his life.

Yet, Colin blamed me for her disappearance and locked me in this cave as if I had driven her away. My entire body ached as waves of cold and hunger tormented me.

I screamed for help, but no one came. With that, I was left in the dark with nothing but my fears and the sting of a cobra’s venom burning through my veins.

The pain twisted me into agony as I struggled to breathe. Death's suffocating grip closed tighter and tighter, and I found myself unable to escape the terror consuming me.

"Olivia, I'll make sure Norah is punished for what she did to you. I swear it... Olivia..." Colin's words echoed cruelly in my ears.

I thought bitterly, 'Punish me? Really? The punishment had already been carried out—you were the one who sentenced me!'

Tears streamed down my face as the heartbreaking truth settled in. I was dead—Colin had killed me with his own hands.

I wondered what I had done to deserve this. After all, all I did was reject Olivia.

Chapter 2

Just a few weeks ago, Olivia suffered a sudden and severe case of kidney failure. She needed a transplant, but despite the Martinez family's desperate efforts, they could not find a suitable donor.

That was when Olivia set her sights on me. She said tearfully, "Colin, I might not have much time left. You have to promise me... Live a happy life with my cousin, Norah.

"All I want is for you to be happy, even if I'm the person you spend the rest of your life with."

Colin immediately replied, "No. I'll have Norah give you her kidney!"

I refused him outright. There was no way I would sacrifice my kidney for that woman. She had tormented me since childhood, and now she wanted to steal my husband too.

When Olivia heard my refusal, she sobbed softly, "No! I don't want Norah's kidney! I won't accept it!"

Yet, right after saying that, she'd secretly texted Colin: "Colin, I've decided to spend my remaining time well. Joey and I are going to the nature reserve. I've been wanting to go there for a long time."

The nature reserve was filled with wild animals and countless dangers. I would not have cared if she had gone alone, but there was no reason for her to take my child, Joey Shaw, with her.

Colin used every contact he had, mobilizing people to search for Olivia. Search teams scoured the area for days and nights. Meanwhile, I was just as desperate, worrying myself sick while tirelessly looking for them.

Finally, near the edge of the nature reserve, they found only Olivia and a blood-stained, tattered piece of clothing.

Chapter 3

Olivia sobbed uncontrollably, her face streaked with tears. "I'm sorry, Colin! I didn't mean to! I never thought there would be wolves here... Joey died protecting me…"

Colin gently pulled her into his arms, comforting her as if nothing else mattered. "Baby, don't cry. Of course, I know it wasn't your fault."

I could not believe it. Colin did not care—he did not even bat an eye at the fact that Olivia had caused our child's death. Rage boiled inside me, and before I could stop myself, I stormed forward, yanked Olivia out of his arms, and slapped her hard across the face.

"You shameless woman! If you have a death wish, why did you take my child with you? You should've been the one dead!"

Colin instantly retaliated, striking me with such force that I fell to the ground. He gathered Olivia into his arms again, his voice full of fury.

He growled, "You're insane! Olivia already told you it was an accident, and you're still throwing a tantrum?"

"A tantrum?" I shot back, trembling with anger and grief. "Colin, look at her—she killed our child! Our child is dead because of her!"

Tears streamed down my face, mixing with the blood dripping from my split lip. I was shaking, both from the pain in my heart and the sting of betrayal.

"Shut up!" Colin snapped coldly. "You're going to scare Olivia! And so what if that bastard child is dead? As long as Olivia is okay, that's all that matters."

His words hit me like a block of ice, freezing my soul in an instant. Colin had just called Joey a bastard child, as if he were nothing more than an inconvenience.

Despair and anger overwhelmed me, dragging me into a suffocating abyss. Suddenly, blood surged up from my throat, and I spat out a mouthful of blood before collapsing into unconsciousness.

...

When I woke up in the hospital, I overheard two nurses whispering outside my room.

"Did you see it? Mr. Shaw is taking such good care of Ms. Martinez. He's been making her soup every day."

"Soup? Seriously? Colin Shaw?" I thought bitterly. He never cooked or lifted a finger in the kitchen for me—not once in all these years.

"Yeah, I saw. And I heard he's trying to arrange for this patient's kidney to be donated to Ms. Martinez."

"No way! That poor woman's been unconscious for days, and Mr. Shaw wants to take her kidney? Unbelievable."

"Thank God it's illegal without her consent. If this were some shady hospital, who knows if she'd even be alive right now."

"Seriously... It's just pure evil."

"Shh! Don't say another word. Someone might hear us," the other nurse warned, and their conversation trailed off.

Chapter 4

I let out a cold laugh as I thought, "Colin, you're really something else, aren't you? Are you just waiting for me to die so you can hand over my kidney to your precious Olivia?"

It was hours before Colin finally showed up in my hospital room. He stood there, looking like he had every right to demand this, saying, "Oh, you're awake? Good. Get some rest, but not too much—Olivia needs your kidney as soon as you're ready."

I sneered, refusing to hold back my fury. "Absolutely not! There's no way I'm giving my kidney to that murderer! I'd rather die first. I never want to see her again!"

"Norah—" Colin started to lash out at me, but his words faltered when he noticed Olivia running away in tears. Without a second thought, he bolted after her.

"Disgusting! What a shameless pair!" I spat bitterly, hatred twisting in my gut.

I hated myself for not seeing Colin's true colors earlier. Because of that blind trust, my baby—my three-year-old child—was gone forever.

The crushing grief of losing Joey consumed me, and I sank into despair. Not long after, Olivia left a letter, claiming Joey's death was all her fault. She wrote that she could not bear to cause me more pain and was going to find Joey, asking Colin not to look for her.

Colin read the letter and snapped, shoving me into a cave deep within the wilderness of the nature reserve. He growled, "You evil woman! This is all your fault! If it weren't for you, Olivia would have never disappeared!

"There are wild animals everywhere—how do you expect her to survive? You can rot here and atone for your sins!"

I could not shake the memory of that day—the day Colin sealed me away in that cold, dark cave. I still could not comprehend how someone could become so heartless.

He did not care about his own wife or his child. Even in death, they meant nothing to him.

Now Colin looked like a wreck, his eyes bloodshot and sunken from days without sleep. He was clearly deeply, obsessively in love with Olivia, more than I had ever realized.

"Mr. Shaw, it's been five days!" Kyle's voice was filled with concern as he spoke to Colin. "Mrs. Shaw is barely holding on!"

Colin was unfazed. His bloodshot eyes glared at Kyle as he growled, "If she can't hold on, then Olivia definitely can't hold on! Has Norah confessed yet?"

Kyle lowered his head, saying nothing. Then, Colin ordered coldly, "Let her keep reflecting on her mistakes."

Suddenly, a loud, cheerful voice broke through the tense atmosphere. "Hey, Colin! Look who's here to bring you a surprise!"

It was Michael Clarke, Colin's childhood friend.

Colin sighed, looking defeated. "A surprise? There's no such thing right now, Michael."

Michael grinned, dramatically throwing his arms open. "Oh, come on! Of course, there is! You're gonna love this one!"

Chapter 5

"Look! Guess who this is!" Michael called out with excitement.

Colin lifted his head, his face showing confusion. But when his eyes landed on the small, delicate figure standing nearby, his expression froze in shock. His eyes widened, and with hurried, increasingly larger strides, he rushed forward and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"See? I wasn't exaggerating! Isn't this an amazing surprise?" Michael said proudly.

"Y-Yes... It really is… Olivia…" Colin whispered, clutching her as tears rolled down his face. I had never seen him this emotional before, and for a moment, I was stunned.

"I'll leave you two lovebirds to enjoy your reunion!" Michael said with a playful grin before leaving.

"Olivia, you're alive? I can't believe it! This is incredible!" Colin exclaimed, his voice trembling.

"I missed you so much, Colin," Olivia murmured softly, resting her head against his chest. "I was so scared... I was scared I'd never see you again."

In reality, Olivia had never ventured deep into the nature reserve. Someone had warned her about the wild animals, mentioning how awful it would be to die that way. Being vain and obsessed with her looks, Olivia naturally changed her mind and decided not to risk it.

Of course, she did not tell Colin the truth. Instead, she clung to him and whispered tearfully, "Colin, when I got there, all I could think about was you.

"The thought of never seeing you again terrified me. I regretted everything. I don't want to die—I just want to stay by your side, even if Norah hates me forever."

Colin was deeply moved by her emotional confession, his eyes brimming with affection. He held her even tighter, and the two stood there like star-crossed lovers, reunited at last.

Olivia was back, but what about Joey? My child was not coming back, and my entire world had crumbled to pieces.

Joey and I had been innocent, yet we were the ones who suffered. I could not help but wonder why Olivia got to live while Joey and I had to die.

Joey had not even had the chance to truly see the world. I silently screamed at the heavens, "Why? Why did you take everything from me?"

Colin led Olivia into a private room, and through the crack in the door, I saw them kissing and embracing as if no one else existed. Their passion grew, and Colin's hands moved to remove her clothing. His bloodshot eyes darkened with desire, but suddenly, he stopped.

He hesitated, his voice low and gentle. "Olivia, you've been through so much. You should rest."

I almost laughed bitterly at the absurdity of it. Even at that moment, he managed to stop himself. It was laughable.

Then, I heard him make a phone call. "Let Norah out of the cave. Olivia's back now."

So, he did remember I existed—barely. However, even that only seemed to happen after he had fulfilled his precious Olivia's every need.

There was a pause on the line before Colin asked, "How is she?"

Suddenly, the voice on the other end changed. It was Kyle, who had apparently rushed back to check on me.

"Mr. Shaw, please, I'm begging you! Let Mrs. Shaw go! She's already dead! Isn't that enough?"