Part 1The Grave of His Making

After a car accident, my husband, Ethan, suffered temporary amnesia. He insisted I was the one driving the car that hit him, accusing me of attempted murder for his inheritance.

Both our families knew the truth: the real culprit was his adopted sister, Chloe.

Yet, they all silently permitted Ethan’s insane revenge. They pulled strings to have me extradited and locked up in a notorious overseas prison.

While I was tortured and living in hell, he liquidated my company—the one I built from scratch—just to pay off the legal fees to clear his beloved childhood sweetheart's name.

In the end, Chloe walked free, while I died in a foreign land without a proper burial.

When the embassy notified him to identify my body, he sneered:

"Is she done yet? Does she think fabricating a silicone corpse will fool me?"

"That murderous witch... even if her body washed up in a sewer, I wouldn't spare it a glance!"

Later, when he discovered I was truly dead, he went mad with joy.

He held my bleached bones, laughing until he cried.

* * *

My body was repatriated to the States.

My husband, Ethan Vance, was notified to identify the remains.

Walking into the morgue, the stench of death hit him. He hesitated.

His handsome face twisted in disgust as he cursed, "Does she think dying to 'atone' will make me forgive a murderer? Keep dreaming!"

In the end, he had to be dragged in by Chloe, his adopted sister.

My spirit floated behind them. I watched Ethan playfully bite Chloe’s neck, then lick the spot tenderly as if afraid he’d hurt her, chuckling low in his throat.

My heart felt like it was being crushed.

Ethan was flirting with his mistress in front of my corpse.

The embassy official couldn't stand it and cleared his throat.

Ethan let go of Chloe, spat on the floor in disgust, and finally lifted the white sheet covering me.

Just one look.

My breath would have stopped if I were alive.

There was no other way to put it—my death had been ugly.

"Emily, you think you're so smart, don't you? Creating a rotting silicone doll to fool everyone?"

"You must be hiding somewhere right now, laughing at the Vance family's shame and at me, the victim you almost killed. You make me sick!"

"You might fool everyone else, but you can't fool me, Ethan Vance!"

"I wish you were actually dead! Dead and buried so deep your soul couldn't even crawl back to American soil!"

No! I'm not lying to you!

I tried to rush toward Ethan, to scream the truth.

But my transparent body passed right through him.

He turned and hugged Chloe, kissing her neck.

"It's better if she fakes her death. Now we can finally be together openly."

Chloe was carried in by Ethan and carried out by him.

All the way to the administration desk, he touched her face and neck, kissing her repeatedly as if claiming compensation for his 'suffering.'

At the desk, they collected the forensic report and DNA test results.

A thick stack of data.

If he had flipped even two pages, he would have known the body wasn't a fake.

But Ethan swept the file into a trash bag without looking.

Chloe snuggled into his chest, sighing wistfully.

"Three years ago, I was almost dragged to prison because of Emily. If you hadn't worked so hard for me, my reputation would have been ruined. I owe you so much."

Ethan shook his head. "No, it wasn't that hard. Just spent a little money... sold a few companies. Emily's companies. It was no loss to the Vance estate."

The company I poured my blood, sweat, and tears into for three years... gone overnight?

Sold by my husband to save another woman.

The dead shouldn't feel pain.

But why did it hurt so much? Even breathing felt like swallowing glass.

Whatever. I built that company to pay for his medical bills anyway. I guess it served its purpose...

Ethan gritted his teeth. "It's what Emily owed me. Selling her companies was letting her off easy!"

Chloe looked back toward the morgue.

"One last look? Once you sign the release form, Emily's body will be cremated. Are you sure you don't want to see her?"

"Even if she made a huge mistake, she was your wife. She was good to you once."

"We're both women. I can understand her."

Ethan spat again, his face full of loathing.

"Chloe, you are too kind. How can you speak for someone who hurt us both?"

"She tried to kill me to inherit my money! She staged that car accident!"

"You were the one who saved me, risking jail time for reckless driving!"

"Her name doesn't even deserve to be spoken!"

The heavy metal doors of the morgue began to close.

The official reminded him to sign the papers.

Ethan raised the pen, then suddenly stopped. His face darkened, and he turned to leave.

"I don't want any connection to that woman!"

"Fake death or real death, the line for 'Husband'..."

"Will not have Ethan Vance's name on it!"

The official, confused, chased after him.

"Mr. Vance, you are legally married. Mrs. Vance has passed away; it is the husband's duty to claim the remains."

Ethan paused.

He sneered. "I don't have such an embarrassing wife! Let her rot there. Let the rats eat her. Suits me fine!"

He slammed the door of his Maserati, revved the engine, and sped off.

On the way, Chloe's phone rang frantically.

He answered it, then shook his head.

"Don't mention her. That woman just makes me nauseous!"

"Every time I think about that dark road, how she ignored my begging and tried to run me over... I want to kill her myself!"

My spirit trembled uncontrollably.

Seeing the intense hatred in Ethan's eyes, hearing him rewrite history...

It was bitter.

Ethan was my husband, but he was convinced I was a murderer.

But I wasn't!

Shortly after our wedding, we were in Europe.

Carjackers attacked us. Ethan was dragged onto the road. The gang laughed, planning to run over his hands, then his legs.

When I found him, he was delirious, his hands mangled.

The doctor said his hands were shattered. Even if they healed, he would never do fine motor work again.

I was devastated. I wished I could trade my life for his hands!

When Ethan woke up, he went berserk, screaming that I should die to atone for my sins.

He had replaced the carjackers with me in his memory.

I closed my eyes.

As he wished, I was sent to a hellhole prison in a third-world country by him and his family.

It was filled with the worst criminals.

Murderers were at the bottom of the food chain.

For three years, I suffered inhumane torture.

The night before my release, I was finally set free.

By death.

I died in excruciating pain.

My body didn't even look human anymore.

...

Chloe chased him all the way to the villa.

When Ethan got out of the car, she threw herself into his arms, kissing him deeply.

"It's okay. It's all over..."

They held each other in the pouring rain.

I remembered my last moments. I had used my one phone call to dial him.

"Please... please pick up! I'm dying. This is my last chance, the very last time..."

If he had just picked up.

Even if he cursed me. Even if he called me disgusting trash.

I might have found the will to survive.

But no one answered.

I died in despair.

I died the day before I was supposed to be free.

I became a wandering ghost.

Lost overseas, unable to return home...