Chapter 1

In the fifth year of our marriage, for his new lover, he had my dog beaten to death in front of New York's elite.

That dog was the last thing my terminally ill father left me.

Holding Lucky's cold body in the pouring rain, I signed the divorce papers with a bloody thumbprint. Everyone thought I would die that night.

But five years later, I returned as the Pierce Group's guest of honor.

He knelt in a pool of blood, begging me to sign his clemency petition. Right in front of him, I used a pair of pliers to rip off five of his fingernails.

"This one is for Lucky."

Julian Vance, I am giving you the death sentence myself.

Scarlett's POV

In the fifth year of our marriage, to please his new mistress, Chloe, Julian Vance had my only companion, my dog Lucky, beaten to death in front of everyone.

The grand ballroom was brilliantly lit. Julian had his arm wrapped tightly around Chloe's waist, laughing and chatting with the guests.

I sat in a dark corner.

Lucky, my poor dog, was tied tightly to the leg of a table nearby. His ears were pressed back in sheer anxiety.

"Oh my god!" Chloe shrieked suddenly. She "accidentally" tipped her entire glass of red wine onto Lucky's paws.

Startled, Lucky struggled violently. In an instant, he knocked over the giant champagne tower behind him.

The deafening crash of shattering glass brought the entire ballroom to a sudden silence.

Julian walked over, his face dark. He didn't even look at the mess on the floor. Instead, he ripped the rope off the table leg and swiftly tied it around Lucky's muzzle and limbs.

"No! Julian!"

Panic seized my chest. I threw myself forward, desperately grabbing the hem of his trousers. "Lucky was just scared! He didn't mean to!"

Julian looked down at me, his eyes as cold as ice. He kicked me away.

"A filthy mutt doesn't belong at a Vance family gala."

Chloe's eyes turned red right on cue. She shrunk into his chest, acting incredibly fragile. "Julian, I'm so scared. The way he looked at me... it felt like he wanted to bite me to death."

"Don't worry. I'm here."

Julian gently patted Chloe's back. He turned around, tossing the end of the rope to the butler. His voice carried no warmth whatsoever. "Take it to the backyard. Beat it to death."

"Julian!" I screamed, a piercing, desperate sound. But all I got in return was the cold, decisive view of his back as he walked away, cradling his mistress.

I crawled and scrambled toward the backyard.

The moment I pushed open the heavy wooden doors, the butler was already raising a heavy iron shovel high into the air.

Lucky was tied up tightly, making low, helpless whimpers.

Thud!

The heavy shovel came down hard.

Lucky didn't even have the chance to let out a final cry. His body twitched violently a few times, and then, he went completely still.

His eyes were still open. His tongue hung weakly out of the corner of his mouth. He didn't seem to understand what had just happened.

I froze on the spot, as if nailed to the doorframe.

I fell to my knees in the mud, pulling Lucky's stiffening body into my arms.

My tears fell silently into his mud-stained fur.

"Lucky, I'm so sorry... Let's go home."

My arms were shaking. My entire body was shaking. But I didn't make a sound. I dug my nails deep into my palms until my knuckles turned white.

By the time I stumbled back into the ballroom, looking like a ghost, the music and laughter had already resumed.

Chloe was holding a glass of champagne, smiling and bragging to the people around her. "Julian handled that dog just now. Gosh, it scared me to death."

"Is that so?"

My cold voice suddenly echoed from behind her.

Before Chloe could even turn around, I grabbed a steak knife from the buffet table. Using every ounce of my strength, I plunged it hard into Chloe's abdomen.

"This is for Lucky."

My voice was as whispery and terrifying as a ghost.

"Ah!" Chloe let out a blood-curdling scream.

She looked down at the blood rapidly spreading across her designer dress, then collapsed onto the floor.

"Chloe!"

Julian's eyes practically split with rage. He rushed over, violently kicking me away, and shielded Chloe in his arms, trembling.

He turned to glare at me, his eyes burning with pure hatred. "You're insane! How dare you hurt her!"

I fell to the floor, blood leaking from the corner of my mouth. But I suddenly laughed. I laughed until my eyes turned red. "You are the ones who are insane, Julian."

Julian took a deep breath and announced to the entire crowd. "I am divorcing Scarlett! From this day on, she has absolutely nothing to do with me or the Vance family!"

With that, he scooped up the unconscious Chloe and ran out, tossing one last icy command to the security guards. "Throw this madwoman out."

The security guards surged forward. They grabbed me roughly and threw me out of the gates, right into the pouring rain of the dark night.

Not far from the steps, Lucky's cold body had been carelessly tossed aside. The butler hadn't even bothered to bury him.

I crawled over and held Lucky tightly in my arms, letting the freezing rain soak me to the bone.

I looked up. Through the heavy curtain of rain, I stared coldly at the bright, luxurious lights of the Vance estate.

It turned out that our five-year marriage was nothing but a laughable joke, a one-sided delusion.

"Lucky, let's go home."

Hatred and resentment flooded my chest. When I opened my eyes again, they were dead and cold.