rway of my home office, m

secret room at the end of the hall. A room my fiancée, C

as in

was no

he bed was motionless, his eyes closed. Tubes snaked from his n

Ryan

e man who had supposedl

for our anniversary. Her head was thrown back, a soft moan escaping her lips. Her han

etative state.

was having se

lara loved me. We were getting married in ten days. She was the perfect fiancée,

acci

ged at me with a broken bottle. My mother, rushing to help me, clutching her chest and collapsi

d from the roof of that same building. She said he was dead. For three years, I b

ead. He was her

n the world, my fiancée and my own

d come home early and heard them talking in hushed, urgent

ady for the 18th?

Liam's signature on the pre-nup. Once we're married, his assets are

" Sophia's voice w

e a prayer. "To revive the host, the target's emotional and financial investment m

backs out? Wha

tem will initiate the final protocol. Ryan will be... erased. For go

high-stakes business deal of Sophia's. A "host" an

under

. My money, my s

my b

had called it a formality, a morbid but responsible piece of paperwork for two people starting

. They were going to use my money, a

nd cried with me at our mother's funeral. Sophia, who ha

cstasy tearing from her throat. "Ryan... o

rom the office door, clapping a hand over my mouth to sti

een a lie. A carefully constructed cage built

was lying on the bedside table. I saw the s

s ho

placed by a cool, calculated focus. She quickly wiped herself

g, tender press. "I'll be back, my love

ret room click shut. Her fo

g was in

the culmination of

ginning of their nightmare. The

a surprise they