Chapter 2

The moment Liam kicked my grave marker, the memory of my death rushed back. It never really leaves. It just waits.

It was a warm autumn evening. The leaves were turning red and gold. Liam was supposed to be on a business trip in Boston.

I was on the second-floor balcony, looking at the lake. My phone rang. It was him. I smiled, happy for the surprise call.

"Hey," I said.

But it wasn't his voice that answered. It was Chloe' s. Giggling.

Then I heard Liam. His voice was thick with affection, a tone he hadn' t used with me in years.

"I miss you, babe. I' ll be home tomorrow."

Home. He meant our city apartment. Not here. Not with me.

Then I heard a floorboard creak behind me.

It was Chloe. She was supposed to be in California for a "wellness retreat."

"He calls me babe now," she said, her smile like a razor. "He' s tired of you, Elena. You' re boring. You' re a sad little folk singer who gave up. I' m exciting."

I was speechless. My heart was pounding.

"He loves me," I finally managed to say.

Chloe laughed. "He loves my ambition. He loves my body. He loves that I' m not you."

She stepped closer. I backed away, my hand gripping the balcony railing.

"He wants a divorce," she said. "But he' s too weak to ask for it. He needs a reason. A good one."

Her eyes were cold, empty.

"You leaving him, disappearing... that' s a good reason."

Then she pushed me.

It was a hard, sudden shove. I lost my balance. For a second, there was just air. Then the ground came up fast.

The pain was blinding. I felt my leg snap. My head hit something hard. But I was alive. I was conscious. I tried to scream, but only a gasp came out.

I saw Chloe looking down from the balcony. She wasn' t panicking. She was on her phone.

A few minutes later, a truck with no lights pulled up. Two rough-looking men got out. They were local thugs I' d seen in town.

"She' s alive," Chloe called down to them. "Fix it. And make it look like she ran away from a bad situation."

She threw a thick envelope of cash down to them.

They dragged me into the woods behind the house. I tried to fight, but I was broken. They did things to me. Horrible things. They wanted to break my spirit before they broke my body.

When they were done, they dragged me to a shallow hole they had dug.

I was still breathing. I was looking up at the stars through the trees. I thought of Leo. My sweet boy.

They threw the first shovel of dirt on my face.

It filled my mouth, my nose. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't scream.

The weight of the earth pressed down. It was heavy. And so, so cold.

That is why I am still here. My son. I can' t leave him. Not while she is still near him. My rage and my love are the chains that bind me to this place.