Chapter 1

On the day my boyfriend proposed to me, I was blindfolded, my heart full of joy and anticipation.

But I never expected that with my congenital heart disease, I would be placed inside a horror escape room.

My boyfriend stood in the escape room, and I saw him as the only hope I had left, desperately begging him for help.

But all I got was his cold stare and a mocking smile.

He sneered. "It's just a staged setup. Aren't you pretty much fine now? If you're just acting up again, don't pretend to be pitiful here."

Crushed and terrified, my heart gave out, and I died right there.

Half a month later, my boyfriend joined a popular escape room reality show, and he completely lost his mind.

*****

In the gloomy room, a creepy red light washed over my face, making everything feel even more sinister.

My body convulsed, eyes bulging, and I couldn't get a single word out. All I could do was desperately cling to Kelvin Lambert's leg, hoping he'd save me.

But he just kicked me away.

Kelvin sneered. "Celine's escape room is shooting a promo right now. Do you think it's funny to play dead here?"

I died, my eyes still wide open.

His dream girl, the one he truly loved, Celine Harris, shrank into his arms. She looked scared and super anxious. She asked, "Is Tanya really going to be okay?"

Kelvin gave me a silent, indifferent look.

He said, "We agreed I'd help you promote today, and she's still acting all jealous and bitter. If she wants to play dead, let her. Let's just get on with the task."

With that, he just stepped right over my barely alive body.

Kelvin could search the pretend-to-be-dead staff for clues over and over, but he couldn't even be bothered to check on his real girlfriend's condition seriously.

"Mr. Lambert." The walkie-talkie crackled with a faint green light. "Ms. Garner doesn't look right. Should we go in and get her out for emergency treatment?"

The staff member was about to say more, but Kelvin cut him off with a cold laugh.

He snapped, "No need. She's perfectly fine!"

Those were the last words I heard as I was dying, so cold and ruthless.

Was this really the man I'd loved for five years?

Just an hour ago, I saw a post from my boyfriend on his social media.

It said: [Today, I'm going to announce something huge in my life.]

The photo he posted was filled with red roses and crystal chandeliers.

Even his sister called me, screaming, "Is Kelvin about to propose to you? No wonder he's been so busy all day!"

It turned out the "big thing" in his life was actually the grand opening ceremony of Celine's escape room.

Lost in my own happiness, I kept dreaming about us finally tying the knot after five years together.

I even slipped into a mermaid-style dress and carefully did my makeup to look my best.

But I never expected that the moment I stepped out of the car, they slipped a blindfold over my eyes.

What I thought would be a sweet surprise turned into a nightmare I'd never escape from.

The long mermaid dress made it almost impossible for me to move in the escape room, but Kelvin couldn't care less. He just told me to crawl through this cramped tunnel just to grab a task card.

"Kelvin, I have a heart condition. I need to get out of here," I pleaded.

But Kelvin just waved me off, didn't even blink. "Didn't I take you abroad for surgery? Why can't you just help out with something so easy?"

I raised my voice. "But that was the promise you made to my mom! Otherwise, why would I have helped bail out your family's company?"

With the hidden cameras rolling, Kelvin's shameful secrets got exposed. Humiliated and furious, he slapped me hard across the face.

"Enough!" he shouted.

Even his dream girl, Celine, jumped in to defend him. "Tanya, quit with the emotional blackmail! Kelvin was the one who took care of everything for your mom's funeral, remember?"

I took a deep breath, trying not to lose it.

Honestly, my mom's death never made sense to me. She had a heart condition too, but she'd spent years recovering at the manor and was always stable. So how did she just drop dead out of nowhere?

But just then, a staff in disguise came crashing down from the ceiling.

Its grotesque, nightmarish face stared right at me, our eyes meeting for a split second.

I was frozen, didn't even have time to react. I couldn't even scream.

My heart seized up, and I just toppled straight back, stiff as a board.

Kelvin was glued to Celine, acting like her personal bodyguard, totally ignoring me. When I collapsed backward, he didn't even bother to reach out a hand.

But this escape room was personally designed and arranged by Celine herself.

How could she possibly be really afraid of this place?

Celine's eyes were shining with excitement. But when she saw me lying there, not moving at all, her expression finally shifted to fear. "Kelvin, is she... is she okay?"

Kelvin held the task card, eyes lowered, totally focused as he spun the numbers on the combination lock.

He said, "She loves to act, right? Isn't that the bare minimum for a wannabe actress? If Tanya wants to keep up the act, let her. The password is 1126, your birthday." With a click, the lock opened.

Kelvin arched his brow smugly, while Celine snuggled up to him, looking totally blissed out.

"You actually remembered..." Celine murmured.

At some point, it was like my soul had slipped right out of my body, leaving me coldly watching everything from the sidelines.

Suddenly, everything became clear.

His safe, phone password, bank card PIN, and even my suitcase lock were all set to those digits.

Every combination of the password digits was Celine's birthday.

I just stood there, stunned, feeling my heart being ripped apart.