Chapter 1

After my eighth therapy session, I finally became the perfect, obedient wife my husband always wanted.

The moment I stepped through the front door, I walked in on my husband's friend giving him a hand job.

His expression darkened. "Ever heard of knocking? If those hands are useless, might as well chop them off."

I nodded obediently, grabbed a kitchen knife, and raised it toward my wrist.

Eric Harrison kicked the knife flying. The momentum sent me crashing to the floor.

He glared at me through gritted teeth. "Helen, what the hell are you playing at? If you really want to die, why don't you just bash your head in and get it over with?"

I climbed to my feet without a word and charged headfirst toward the floor-to-ceiling window.

The staff screamed and grabbed me just in time.

Eric stared at me like I'd lost my mind, speechless.

"Women are so dramatic," his friend said, arms crossed. "I'm just helping a buddy out, and you act like the world's ending. Total buzzkill."

"Get out of my sight," Eric snapped, irritation flashing across his face. "You're giving me a headache."

I blinked, then without hesitation, jumped from the second-floor balcony and disappeared.

01

Chaos erupted—screams tearing through the night as my consciousness scattered on the wind.

When I came to, Eric Harrison's voice drifted through the bedroom door.

"She's fine. Just another attention stunt."

"It's only the second floor," he scoffed. "There's a tree right below. She knew exactly what she was doing."

His friend Clara Murphy snorted. "Ever since she got back from that psych ward, she's gotten really good at playing the victim."

"Please. If Eric and I actually had feelings for each other, do you think she'd even be in the picture?"

"I know every mole on his ass. I was just giving him a hand job. Does that really warrant a suicide attempt?"

"Seriously," someone else chimed in. "Clara was terrified. You think Helen did it on purpose?"

Clara huffed. "I don't care. I'm still shaking. My heart rate hasn't gone down. You'd better make this right."

"Let me check..." Eric pressed his ear against her chest, voice teasing. "You're right. For someone so tough, you scare easy."

"How about I have her cut out her heart and give it to you as an apology?"

A wife must obey her husband completely... The mantra echoed in my skull, drilled into my very soul.

I stumbled out of bed, grabbed a fruit knife from the table, and pushed the door open. I dropped to my knees in front of Clara.

Fighting to control my trembling, I forced a smile.

"I'm sorry. I'll make it right."

I pressed the blade to my chest and dragged it down.

Skin split. Blood welled up.

The air went still.

The next second, Eric's hand clamped around the blade as I tried to push deeper.

Blood dripped from his fingers.

Clara screamed. The others scrambled to call a doctor.

"Helen!" Eric knocked the knife away, his face ashen. "Are you done yet?"

"If you pull another stunt like this for attention, I swear I'll send you back to that place."

My breath hitched instantly.

Shock collars. Whips. Waterboarding. Dark cells. Hands crawling over my skin. Hell replayed in flashes behind my eyes.

Nausea surged. I bit down on the inside of my cheek until I tasted copper, barely holding back the bile rising in my throat.

The doctor arrived.

While everyone crowded around Eric, I covered my mouth and bolted to the bathroom.

By the time I came out, his hand was bandaged.

"Come here," he said coldly. "Let the doctor check your wound."

I walked over instinctively, eyes vacant, letting the doctor do whatever he needed.

But my body wouldn't stop shaking.

The doctor's expression grew more serious. Eric frowned. "What? Is it bad?"

The doctor shook his head. "The wound itself is superficial, but Ms. Johnson's physical responses are concerning. She needs a comprehensive psychological evaluation."

When the results came back, the doctor hesitated. "Mr. Harrison, you mentioned sending her to a psychiatric facility. Was it... a legitimate institution?"

The diagnosis read: severe post-traumatic stress disorder, dependent personality disorder with extreme compliance behaviors, and emotional detachment with complete affect suppression.

Eric froze.