Chapter 1 I Died on My Wedding Night

• I died on my wedding night.
• During our ceremony, my husband left me at the altar, making me the subject of ridicule for everyone in the city.
• When a dangerous man attacked me, I called my husband for help, but he told me to just die already so that my sister wouldn't be bothered by me any longer.
• Before I passed away, I saw the city illuminated by fireworks.
• These fireworks were supposed to celebrate our marriage but were instead his way of wooing another woman.
• I thought that by dying, I would remove the last obstacle, allowing him to openly pursue my sister.
• However, when he discovered that my bones had been fashioned into prayer beads he touched day and night, he lost his sanity.
• As my consciousness dimmed, I made one final call.
• On the other end, a chaotic noise preceded a man's cold voice. "Chloe, are you done making trouble? I've already given you a grand wedding. I'm just spending time with Anna. What more do you want?"
• Blood poured from me quickly as the attacker loomed over, observing my struggling and pitiful state.
• He was aware that I was about to die and could no longer pose any threat.
• But I clung to the faintest glimmer of hope, unwilling to surrender just yet.
• My white wedding dress, now drenched in the river, was muddied at the hem. Summoning my last bit of strength, I cried out, "Luke, save me!"
• Luke Bolton cut me off with annoyance, "Enough. Aren't you tired of this charade? I'm fed up with it."
• "I'm not lying. Someone is trying to kill me ... "
• He scoffed, "Chloe, you were pretending to be sick before. What's this performance now?
• "Are you so desperate for attention? Anna is your own sister, and you're Mrs. Bolton now. Will you only be satisfied if she's dead?"
• The biting cold was nothing compared to his scornful words. As the blood pooled beneath me, staining my wedding gown, I knew my end was near.
• With my final breath, I lay on my back, surrendering to my fate, my voice a faint whisper. "But Anna is safe and alive, while I ... am dying."
• "Just die already. That way, Anna wouldn't be bothered by you anymore."
• Before the call ended, a sweet voice chimed in, "Luke, the fireworks are about to begin."
• Luke's voice faded away, leaving only the howling wind in my ears. The blood-smeared phone slipped from my fingers and fell heavily into the water.
• The splash sent droplets into my eyes, which turned into burning tears streaming down my cheeks.
• Amidst the swirling snow, tiny lights began to appear in the dark sky, resembling a river of stars created by twinkling drones.
• The deafening bursts of fireworks filled the air, and my vision was overwhelmed by their dazzling display.
• The elaborate fireworks, which he had spent six months preparing to celebrate our wedding, had ultimately been a show to impress another woman.
• Someone sent me a photo of my husband, holding another woman closely amidst the radiant fireworks.
• His lips, usually so detached, curled into a subtle smile.
• In the midst of their joy, my eyes closed for the last time.
• They say that after death, one may experience reincarnation.
• If there was truly another life, I hoped I would never cross paths with Luke again.
• But fate had different plans. When I regained consciousness, I found myself under a brilliant, star-filled sky, watching a couple locked in an embrace.
• It was my husband, Luke, and my sister, Anna Sander.
• "Luke, Anna, you can't do this!"
• I tried to reach out to them, but my hands went straight through their bodies.
• Looking down, I saw my almost transparent form. No one around seemed to notice me.
• It hit me that I was dead and my spirit had somehow ended up near them.
• Watching them kiss so passionately, I felt the sharp sting of death.
• I had been his childhood sweetheart, and not long ago, Luke had promised me that his feelings for Anna were purely sibling-like and that he loved only me.
• Another firework streaked across the sky, and Luke suddenly jolted awake, pushing Anna away with a sudden force.
• "Anna, we can't do this."
• Anna's face was still flushed, and the firelight made her look even more captivating. She bit her lip and said, "Luke, I didn't mean for this to happen. I just ... couldn't control myself."
• Luke gently stroked her head. "It's alright, I'm not angry with you. I'll make a call."
• I watched as he pulled out his phone and dialed my number.
• A chill swept over me. After more than twenty years of devotion, it all meant nothing in the end.
• Even thinking of me came only after his romantic encounter with Anna, as if calling me was just an afterthought.
• Beep, beep, beep ...
• After three rings, my voice remained unheard.
• I was always on standby for Luke, ready to answer within three rings.
• But I was dead. How could a corpse answer a phone?
• Luke frowned deeply. "Anna, I'm going to check Chloe's last location."
• Oh, now he remembered me?
• Before I died, I had sent Luke my location by the river. If he came now, he might still find my body.
• Time was slipping away, and I dreaded what the scheming murderer might do to my remains.
• A small hand grasped his wrist, and Anna looked at him with pleading eyes. "Luke, please stay with me."
• Luke hesitated. "But Chloe ... "
• "Chloe is always dramatic. Remember when she pretended to be sick in the hospital? You dropped your billion-dollar deal to come back, only to find she was fine. Or when she said someone was stalking her, but nothing ever happened?
• "That's Chloe for you. She's always been spoiled, playing these tricks. She's the Sanders' heiress. Who would dare harm her?"
• His words eased Luke's doubts, and he rubbed his weary brow.
• "I wish Chloe could be as understanding as you."
• Anna smiled, and I felt a bitter pang of irony.
• He used to say, "Only people who have never experienced love need to be sensible. Chloe, you can be as carefree as you like."
• Luke didn't come to find me again. Instead, he took Anna to our room.
• I blocked the doorway, trying to prevent her from entering.
• Anna, like a determined insect, laughed as she passed through my ghostly form.
• It seemed that whether I was alive or dead, I couldn't stop her.
• Anna emerged from the bathroom in my nightgown—the surprise I had planned for our wedding night.
• Luke's eyes darkened as he took in her silhouette beneath the sheer fabric.
• I recognized this as a sign of his arousal from our time together.
• Watching the growing tension between them, I felt a mix of rage and sorrow.
• "Anna, that's Chloe's clothes," Luke reminded her.
• "I know," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Luke, I know you've long stopped loving Chloe. You love me, don't you?"
• "Anna, enough." Luke's voice turned cold.
• Tears streamed down Anna's face as she sobbed, looking like a pitiful woman who had been abandoned. "After tonight, you'll be my brother-in-law. I'm not asking for much, just one night. Luke, I want to be yours."
• "I'll agree to anything but this!" Luke pushed her away.
• Anna stamped her foot. "Fine, if you won't have me, I'll find someone else—maybe the delivery guy, the janitor, or even a beggar under the bridge!"
• "Stop this nonsense!"
• "If you don't want me and won't grant me this one wish, then I ... "
• Luke pulled her into his arms and silenced her with a kiss.
• I screamed in agony, but no one heard me.
• Luke, the man I had loved for over a decade, was now making love to my sister in our room.
• I watched as Luke unleashed all his repressed emotions that night.
• As dawn's light touched Anna's marked body, she nestled closer to Luke with a shy smile.
• Luke, now regaining his composure, looked regretful. "Anna, about last night ... "
• I sneered. What good were regrets now that everything was done?
• It was pointless!
• "Luke, don't worry. I won't tell Chloe. From now on, you're my brother-in-law. I'll study abroad and disappear from your world forever."
• Luke's brow furrowed. "Who told you to leave? You ... "
• Before he could finish, the phone rang. Luke answered it.
• A stern voice came from the other end. "Mr. Bolton, this morning, a designer wedding dress was recovered from Silver Shore. It has been identified as the one your wife, Chloe, wore yesterday. Please come to the police station to assist with the investigation."