Dying for His Lover

It was pure coincidence—or perhaps some twisted stroke of fate—that I happened to be passing by when Kevin Ford was ambushed by his enemies. He would have died right there if I hadn't saved him.

After that day, he claimed he had fallen hopelessly in love with me.

He said it in the quietest hours of the night, when our limbs were tangled beneath the sheets, "I can't live without you."

Within three months, he proposed.

The entire Raellere City's elite was scandalized. They said I must have bewitched him, brewed some kind of love potion.

But one day, I stood just outside the door—silent, unseen—while the truth unraveled on the other side.

"I have too many enemies," he said. "I can't let Audrey become their target. Cate is obedient. If one day she dies in Audrey's place, well, that would be a blessing for her."

In that moment, the light in my eyes—once bright with love, hope, and foolish dreams—was extinguished completely.

Earlier today, Kevin Ford had stood beside me in front of the media, declaring to the world we were engaged. Forever and ever. Just the two of us.

But now, mere hours later, I found him tucked quietly into a corner of the club's private lounge, arms gently cradling another woman. So delicately. So reverently. As if she were the most precious thing in the world.

Her name was Audrey Eastwood. She was Kevin's childhood sweetheart, the one he had protected since they were kids.

Someone nearby chuckled. "Kevin, don't tell me you're actually serious about Cate? You're engaged already! What's going to happen to our dear Audrey?"

The words hit me like a slap, and I froze at the entrance.

I wanted to know the answer too. Was Kevin, the golden boy of Raellere City's elite, really capable of falling for someone like me—someone who had pulled him back from the brink of death?

Me, with my vocational school diploma and a waitressing job?

I hesitated, then stepped back, melting into the shadows outside the door. From where I stood, I could just make out Kevin's hands—his left index finger rubbing gently against his right thumb, as if deep in thought. Then, so naturally, he reached up to brush a strand of Audrey's hair behind her ear, and he smiled.

"I have too many enemies," he said. "I can't let Audrey become their target. Cate is obedient. If one day she dies in Audrey's place, well, that would be a blessing for her."

Audrey smiled, lips pressed into a perfect little curve.

I was still frozen in place. Numb. Like my body had been drained of heat, like my oversized mascot costume was suddenly letting the cold seep in.

Just one year ago, I had stumbled upon a dying Kevin in the alley behind the restaurant where I worked. I hadn't wanted to get involved—I knew trouble when I saw it—but he had gasped, flipped over, and clutched my ankle with blood-streaked fingers.

"Help me," he