Chapter 4

My soul followed them to the hospital.

It wasn't long before Adrian burst through the room.

He rushed straight to Lena's side, grabbing her hand and frantically examining the bite on her palm.

"The party just ended! How did this happen?" His voice trembled. "What did the doctor say?"

Lena's voice caught in her throat. "Adrian, how did you get here so fast... Please don't be angry with Elieen..."

Tears streamed down her face.

"She probably just wanted to surprise me. That spider—it couldn't have been her who put it there..."

"The pain's gone, I'm just so terrified."

The more she defended me, the darker Adrian's expression grew.

"I know how scared you are of spiders, but she still used one to terrorize you and let it bite you." His fists clenched white at the knuckles. "Where is she hiding now?"

"I'll make sure she answers for this."

I hovered there, watching the scene unfold.

My mind drifted back to our engagement day. Adrian had knelt on one knee, the ring box open in his hands.

"Eileen, I swear I'll love you forever. I'll protect you, always."

His eyes had seemed so genuine that day. I'd actually believed him.

Adrian stepped into the hospital corridor and dialed my number.

Of course, no one answered.

He left a voicemail.

"Listen, Eileen. I don't care what you're doing right now, but this time you've gone too far. Using Lena's worst fear against her?"

Fury laced every word.

"I was planning to bring you a gift tonight—to celebrate your award. But now? You don't deserve it."

He paused.

"You'd better pray Lena's okay. Because if she's not, consider our engagement over."

I listened to his message, too exhausted to feel anything anymore.

I should have known.

At business conferences, Adrian's eyes had always followed Lena as she worked the room with effortless grace.

During our dates, he'd been perpetually distracted by his phone.

"Work emergency," he'd say.

Later, I discovered he'd been texting Lena.

Every time I questioned his behavior, the response was always the same: "You're being unreasonable. Lena's your sister. What's wrong with me looking out for her?"

Now, I knew I was wrong.

At three in the morning, my parents and Marcus returned from the hospital.

"Adrian and Lena would make such a lovely couple. Did you see how attentive he was at the hospital?"

My soul went rigid.

Marcus nodded in agreement. "I think Lena likes him too. If they could marry, it would be perfect."

Dominic waved his hand dismissively.

"Adrian's background isn't worthy of our precious Lena. Better to keep him married to Eileen. He'll continue doting on Lena anyway. Everyone wins."

I heard those words and couldn't even muster the strength for a bitter laugh.

So this was what my marriage meant to them—a tool to bind Adrian to the family, to make sure he kept taking care of Lena.

They'd barely crossed the threshold when Isabella suddenly stopped, pressing her handkerchief to her nose.

"What is that smell?"

Dominic scowled irritably. "Did the pipes burst in the backyard again? Why is everything going wrong today?"

Marcus stood alert.

"I'll check the yard. Probably just a dead squirrel."

He headed toward the back, the stench of blood and decay growing stronger with each step.

"This smell isn't right." He frowned.

Following the odor, Marcus pushed open the storage room door.

The overwhelming reek of blood and decomposition flooded out.

Moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating dark brown stains across the floor.

My body lay in the center of the blood pool, skin deathly pale, eyes half-open.

Marcus's voice died in his throat.

"Ei... Eileen..."