Blurb：
Embark on an epic fantasy adventure with Elara, a young mage destined to confront the sinister Shadow King. In a world where ancient prophecies and dark magic collide, follow Elara’s journey as she uncovers hidden powers, forges alliances with legendary heroes like the warrior Kaelen and the rogue Lyra, and battles monstrous creatures. Perfect for fans of high-stakes fantasy, this novel weaves a tale of courage, betrayal, and redemption. Dive into a universe filled with enchanted forests, mystical artifacts, and unforgettable characters that will keep you turning pages late into the night. Keywords: Elara, Shadow King, Kaelen, Lyra, fantasy adventure, magic, prophecies, dark forces, epic battles.
Content：
I have just been discharged after leg surgery when Victor Clark, my wife’s former colleague who resents her for taking his position, drags me up to the roof and stabs me repeatedly.
My wife, Melissa Lane, is the captain of the rescue unit, yet she is busy mobilizing everyone to stop her depressed first love, Ethan Hayes, from setting his rental apartment on fire.
I don’t call her to save me.
In my previous life, I begged her for help. She abandoned Ethan and rushed to rescue me. In the end, I survived while Ethan died in the blaze.
Melissa never blamed me. She said that Ethan got what he deserved and even promised me a surprise for my birthday a week later.
But on my birthday, she drugged me, tied me to a hospital bed, and drove a knife into me again and again.
“You and Victor set me up that day, didn’t you? Those stab wounds aren’t even serious! You were never going to die! Since you like getting stabbed so much, I’ll make it real for you!”
When I open my eyes, I am back to the day Victor took me hostage. This time, I let Melissa go save her first love.
Chapter 1
Blood soaked through my white T-shirt after the fifth stab, and the knife pressed to my neck shook in the wrinkled fist of my wife’s former colleague, Victor Clark.
“Call Melissa,” he growled.
I hesitated, my face paling, and dialed her number with shaking fingers. “Melissa, Victor has taken me hostage. He stabbed me five times. We’re on the rooftop of our apartment building. Please, hurry and get me.”
Silence hummed on the line for a beat. When Melissa finally spoke, her voice was colder than I’d imagined.
“What are the odds? You just happen to get stabbed the same day Ethan breaks down and tries to end his life.
“Victor has taken you hostage? I kept our new address under wraps. How would he even know it? Next time you put on a show, try a lie that isn’t so paper-thin, will you?”
The coldness in her words made Victor’s hatred spike. He applied more force on the knife, and the blade scored a thin, stinging line across my throat.
Terror rattled me from head to toe, but I forced myself to sound calm. “I never tried to stop you from helping Ethan. If you don’t believe me, send your people up here to see for themselves—”
“That’s enough!” Melissa cut in, sounding impatient. “Drop the act. I don’t have time for your drama. I’m going to save Ethan.”
I heard her turn away and order the dispatcher, “Flag any calls about a rooftop stabbing as a false report. Don’t respond to it, no matter who calls!”
With that, the line went dead.
The loathing in Victor’s eyes deepened until it felt like the air itself had thinned.
I hadn’t expected Melissa to be this ruthless, and a suffocating hopelessness crashed over me.
Memories from my previous life surged up like a riptide. Victor had held me the same way and stabbed me five times.
I had called Melissa repeatedly until she relented and left Ethan Hayes to come to me. When Ethan found out about it, he snapped. He set his rental apartment on fire and died in the flames.
That night, when I sensed something was amiss and asked if she was angry, Melissa softened toward me for once.
“Honey, how could I be mad at you? Ethan deserved it. Don’t overthink it. Your birthday is in a week. I’ve got a big surprise for you.”
She fussed over me day and night after that. I let myself believe that she had finally seen my worth.
On my birthday, she slipped something into my drink and tied me to a hospital bed. With bloodshot eyes, she drove a knife into me again and again, screaming for me to go to hell and pay for Ethan’s death.
“It was just a few cuts. You weren’t going to die. Why did you have to force me to save you that day? If you hadn’t lied about how bad it was, I never would’ve left. I actually believed you. I was an idiot.
“Ethan died alone. He was scared of being alone. Just imagine how desperate he must have been at that moment.
“Lucas, do you know what it’s like to lose the love of your life? Do you?”
Her blade rose and fell until my blood streamed across the floor.
I tried to explain how dangerous it had truly been, but my words only fueled her fury. She didn’t believe me.
After half an hour, not an inch of skin remained intact, bone showed white in places, and I was barely hanging on.
Melissa placed Ethan’s framed photo in front of me, forced my battered body to kneel before it, then lit a fire that consumed our home and vowed to finish me the way it had finished him.
The memory of that despair nearly burned away what little reason I had left.
In the present, when I couldn’t get Melissa to come to my aid, Victor’s eyes went red, and he stabbed me again and again. Blood dripped off my shirt and pattered onto the black rooftop.
Just when I thought the lights were going out for good, footsteps pounded up the stairwell.
Robert Lane, my father-in-law, burst onto the roof. He took one look at me, drenched in blood, and his legs buckled as if they might give out.
Chapter 2
After Robert understood what was happening, he quickly said, “Victor, take it easy. We’ve wronged you. I’ll call Melissa and have her come over. Just don’t hurt Lucas. He just had surgery, and he’s weak.”
Victor’s knife wavered. He seemed to believe Robert, at least for the moment.
Robert’s hands shook as he pulled out his phone.
The line was noisy, and over the static, I caught a man’s cracked, desperate voice.
Robert asked, “What is going on? Lucas has been stabbed a dozen times. He’s fading. Why aren’t you here yet?”
He had expected Melissa to listen to him. Instead, she laughed coldly.
“Dad, are you in on this, too? I already checked. Victor is still back in his hometown. Tell Lucas to drop the act. If he’s really in trouble, he should call a doctor. By the way, I lined up a burial plot. We can schedule his interment whenever.”
Her disgust bled through every word.
Then, a weary voice came through the phone. “Is Lucas just acting up again? Mel, don’t get mad. He gets jealous and dramatic. Maybe you should sit with him… I really want to die. People online say burning is the worst way to go…”
I knew that the voice belonged to Ethan.
Robert’s face darkened. “If you don’t believe me, I’ll send you photos.”
Melissa went quiet for two seconds. She was probably looking at the pictures. But then, she sounded completely unbothered when she sighed.
“Wow, Dad. Lucas really splurged on this performance. Where did he find that extra who looks so much like Victor? And the blood looks exactly like the real thing.
“Oh, look at that pitiful face! Get him onto a film set before all that talent goes to waste!”
Robert opened and closed his mouth, rendered speechless.
For a heartbeat, a bleakness cut through me. How had I never seen Melissa for who she was?
Neighbors gathered on the rooftop. Some of them tried to explain the situation on my behalf.
However, Melissa still refused to believe it. “What now? Did he hire extras? Or are all those people really falling for his acting? Have fun up there. I’m going to calm Ethan down.”
The roof went quiet for a few seconds after the call ended. I had no idea which of her lines set Victor off, but he suddenly shoved me to the ground and lost it. The knife rose and fell, again and again.
The blade cut through my skin, and a sharp, horrifying pain surged from my chest through my body. I tried to fight back, but I couldn’t even lift an arm.
Just as the edges of my vision went dark, two officers barreled through the door.
It turned out that a neighbor had called 911.
It took both officers a hard minute to wrench the knife from Victor’s grip and slap cuffs on him.
Meanwhile, my blood kept spilling, and my eyelids grew as heavy as iron.
Right before they dropped, I heard Melissa’s soft voice coming from Robert’s phone. She had forgotten to hang up.
“Ethan, I’ve wanted to divorce Lucas for a long time, but he takes such good care of my dad. In my eyes, you’re my only husband. He’s just a useful moneymaker.
“Don’t be upset. Think about it. How could I love a man who lies through his teeth? I only love you because you’re honest and dependable.”
Each word she uttered slid into my chest like a fresh blade. However, what filled me wasn’t sorrow, but hate.
…
When I opened my eyes, the smell of antiseptic hit me.
Robert hurried to the bed and let out a long breath. “Lucas, we failed you. I’m sorry you had to go through this.”
I glanced at the thick bandages across my chest, my gaze turning cold. “I want some time alone.”
He took in my cold demeanor, sighed again, and stepped out.
I pulled out my phone to distract myself and accidentally played a video clip from a livestream of Melissa talking Ethan down.
Gasoline had been splashed across the living room floor, and Melissa didn’t even flinch. She stood there in a white wedding dress, held a diamond ring, and looked up at Ethan, her gaze filled with deep affection.
Chapter 3
“I honestly couldn’t stand Lucas anymore,” Melissa said on the clip of the livestream.
“This time, he got jealous and hired extras for his drama. What will happen when he gets jealous again? He’ll kill someone and burn the place down?”
She paused, glanced at the crowd watching, and added, “He’s so unstable. Once I divorce him, do yourselves a favor and steer clear of this man.
“Please hold me to it. Within three months, I’ll file for divorce, then I’ll marry Ethan. We’ll share our sweet moments both online and in real life.”
People around her whooped and cheered.
“Do it! We’ve got your back!”
“Exactly. Marrying the wrong man ruins a woman’s life!”
“We support you!”
Under all those approving eyes, Ethan nodded, his smile wide. He slid on the diamond ring and lifted his chin with smug satisfaction.
There was nothing suicidal about him now.
I set down my phone and headed out to find the doctor to ask about my condition.
I had just reached the doorway when I heard Robert on a call that was placed on speaker.
“I sent you the photos. Lucas is in bad shape.
“A week ago, he hurt his leg saving you and needed surgery. He was discharged today and got stabbed again, so he’s back in the hospital. He must be devastated.
“Get down here. He might be a grown man, but he’s fragile right now and needs you.”
Melissa sounded beyond impatient on the other end of the line.
“Enough, Dad! He’s just putting on a show! How does he even have the nerve to go to a hospital? Doesn’t he feel any shame?
“He must have pulled some strings to get admitted when he’s not even hurt. And who wrapped his chest like that? It looks pretty convincing.
“Tell him that if he really wants to die, he should just go ahead. I’ll pay his parents compensation!”
Robert’s temper snapped. “Melissa, you don’t even believe me now?”
She clicked her tongue and said, “I might believe you about other things, but not a single word when it comes to Lucas.
“Since you’ve called, pass this message along. If I ever have a child with Ethan, the baby will carry Ethan’s last name on the birth certificate. Think of it as his punishment.”
The line went dead, and Robert let out a long, helpless sigh.
I slipped back into the ward.
I had figured that Melissa wouldn’t show up while I was hospitalized.
But an hour later, she stormed in, yanked me out of sleep, gave me a once-over, and sneered. “Not bad. You even applied makeup to appear pale before I got here. Very convincing.”
The movement sent a hot spike of pain through my chest. The thought that I was stabbed because of her made me tremble with rage.
“Are you out of your mind? Melissa, I’ve told you over and over that I didn’t lie to you! Are you deaf? Why won’t you believe me? Why push me so far that I end up this badly hurt?”
If I’d had the strength, I’d have taken her apart then and there.
“You’re still keeping up the act?” Her contempt was clear. “Fine. We’ll deal with that later. Tell me, did you pay a troll farm to go after Ethan?”
“What?” I was stunned.
Melissa shoved her phone in my face, and I saw Ethan’s social media account.
He had posted a photo of the diamond ring along with a caption that read, “I’m getting married. I’m spending my life with the one I love.”
The internet had sniffed him out as the guy who tried to torch his apartment and tore into him without mercy.
“So the paramour is this brazen now?”
“Can you believe it? Her husband was left for dead, and she’s busy proposing to her side piece!”
“Scumbag! Why wasn’t it you who died?”
I looked away, not even bothering to lift an eyelid. “I didn’t pay a troll farm!”
“Enough! You’re still acting? Get up and apologize to Ethan!”
She grabbed my hand to haul me up. However, I set my jaw and stayed put.
She leaned close, anger burning in her eyes. “Fine! If you won’t apologize, then you leave me no choice but to make this rough!”
She perched on the bed, pressing one hand against my chest while the other clamped around my throat, squeezing hard.
I couldn’t breathe. My face flared with pain as I fought for air, but her hand pressed against my chest, leaving me unable to even lift my arms.
She had no intention of letting go.
A minute later, Melissa finally released me. Just when I thought she was done, she cocked her fist and drove it into my chest.
“Didn’t you want to pretend that you’d been stabbed dozens of times? Pretend to be injured? I’ll make it real! I’ll hit you until you’re hospitalized! How’s that?”
The punch sent a shudder through my whole body, draining the color from my face.
The wounds across my chest tore open under the impact, and blood seeped through the bandages, dripping onto the sheets.
A second later, Melissa sensed something was wrong. She ripped the gauze open, stared at the lattice of knife wounds, and went slack with shock.
“How is that possible? You… You’re actually hurt?”
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