Chapter 1

On our tenth wedding anniversary, the air in our mansion felt heavy, thick with the scent of lilies and unspoken words. For ten years, I, Gabrielle Johns, had been the devoted wife of Pastor Caleb Hughes. The Christian world called us a "match made in heaven." His charisma and my "Voice of an Angel" built a megachurch empire.

For ten years, our bed remained cold. Caleb called it a "sacred vow of purity," a sacrifice to maintain his spiritual power. I believed him. I was a fool.

I put on the silk nightgown he' d bought me, my heart pounding with a nervous hope. Tonight, I thought, after a decade of waiting, we would finally be husband and wife in every sense. I walked toward his private study to find him, the soft fabric whispering against my skin.

But as I reached the heavy oak door, I heard voices from within. One was Caleb' s, low and urgent. The other was a woman's, sharp with demand. Maria Chavez. His high school sweetheart.

"Caleb, I can't wait any longer," Maria' s voice cut through the wood. "This baby needs the blessing. You promised me."

My hand froze on the doorknob. Baby?

"The plan is in motion, my love," Caleb soothed her. "The technology is ready. It's experimental, but the doctors are confident. We just need the right moment."

My blood ran cold. What technology?

Maria's voice rose, filled with a venom that chilled me to the bone. "I want her voice, Caleb. Not just a recording. I want its essence. I want to sing my baby to sleep with that divine power. You need to get her that voice."

"We will," Caleb's voice was firm, stripped of all the piety he showed the world. "We'll stage a small accident. A medical procedure to fix some minor damage. They'll transfer the unique resonant qualities from her vocal cords to yours. Gabrielle will be a memory, and you, my love, will be the new voice of this ministry."

The world tilted. The lilies in the hallway suddenly smelled like funeral flowers. My ten-year marriage, my faith, my entire life-it was all a lie. A carefully constructed cage built to hold me until they could steal the one thing God ever gave me.

My breath hitched, a sob catching in my throat. I stumbled back, my hand flying to my mouth to stifle the sound. The silk nightgown felt like a shroud. The man I loved, the man I had dedicated my life to, was plotting to destroy me for the sake of his mistress and their unborn child.