Chapter 1
On New Year's Eve, every home was glowing with lights.
I knelt before the picture of my late husband, Scott Helberg, and lit a candle for him for the third year since his passing.
I whispered in my heart that the over one hundred thousand dollars in debts had finally been paid off, and my paralyzed mother-in-law had taken her medicine and fallen asleep.
The phone in my pocket vibrated. It was a forced logout notification from a game.
[Your account, Prologue, has been logged in from another location. IP address: Marenis Hotel, Veyra.]
That was Scott's favorite game account when he was alive. No one else knew the password except me.
The candle burned my fingertips, causing a sharp, piercing pain. I booked a flight to Veyra that night, without a second thought.
*****
Veyra was warm even in winter, and the lobby of the Marenis Hotel glittered with gold and opulence.
A massive aquarium cast a deep blue glow, reflecting off the smiling faces of guests passing through.
I glanced down at myself.
I was still wearing that old, pilled black down jacket, and my sneakers were crusted with leftover holiday slush that hadn't melted yet.
It was a badge of my little northern hometown. It was out of place in all this glitz and glamour.
The lobby manager blocked my way, giving me a once-over from head to toe.
"Ma'am, this is a private party area. You can't come in unless you're dressed for the occasion," he said.
I paid him no mind, my gaze landing on the waist-high sign by the party hall entrance.
[Amberly Family Dinner & Helberg-Amberly Twins' First Birthday Celebration]
On the sign, the man was dressed in a custom-tailored white suit, his hair perfectly styled without a strand out of place.
He cradled a cherubic twin in each arm, his face beaming with a happiness I had never seen before.
It was Scott Helberg.
The same Scott who, three years ago, left for a long-haul job out of town and ended up driving off a cliff, vanished without a trace. His body was never recovered.
The same Scott who left me a widow for three years, working three jobs, running myself ragged, and making myself sick to pay off his debts and care for his paralyzed mother.
He wasn't dead.
Not only was he alive, but he was here, being a husband to another woman and a father to her children.
My head was spinning, and my ears were ringing.
All those debts, the endless nights of despair, and my mother-in-law's moans from her sickbed, they all flashed before my eyes like a movie reel.
"Get out of my way," I shouted.
I shoved the manager aside with a force that startled him.
Caught off guard, he stumbled back.
Without hesitation, I rushed into the party hall.
I pushed open the heavy, ornately carved doors, and the noise crashed over me like a tidal wave.
The crystal chandeliers overhead were so dazzling, they nearly blinded me.
At the far end of the red carpet, Scott was holding a glass of champagne, with a woman in a red evening gown nestled against him.
That was Jassica Amberly, the Amberly family's eldest daughter.
I'd seen her featured in the financial news before.
"Thank you all for coming to celebrate our twins' first birthday..." Jassica's voice was sickly sweet.
Scott turned his head, his eyes full of affection as he looked at her, about to lean in and kiss her cheek.
Crash!
I rushed forward and hurled the memorial portrait I'd been clutching tightly onto the red carpet at their feet.
The glass frame shattered with a harsh, piercing sound.
The whole room went dead silent.
The music stopped, and everyone's eyes locked onto me.
Scott's smile froze.
He looked down and saw the familiar black-and-white photo.
In the picture, he was smiling just like that. Only it was the same smile from the photo that sat on his urn.
I stood a few steps away from him, my chest heaving. I jabbed a finger at his nose, my voice hoarse and raw.
I said, "Scott, it's been three years.
"Three years, and you already got yourself a new wife and kids?"
Scott's head snapped up.
Our eyes met.
I saw his face go ghostly pale, and pure panic flashed across his features.
He instinctively took a half-step back, a few drops of champagne spilling from his glass.
Jassica was startled by the sudden chaos. She screamed and clapped a hand over her mouth.
Jassica shouted, "Security! Security!"
Scott regained his composure almost instantly.
The terror in his eyes vanished, replaced by an icy, unfamiliar indifference and contempt.
He looked at me like I was a filthy fly that made him sick.
He pulled Jassica protectively behind him, then motioned to the security guards who had rushed over.
His tone was cold and indifferent, not a hint of emotion.
He said, "Who let this lunatic in here? I have no idea who she is. Get her out of here."
Didn't you know me?
Those words hit me like nails hammered straight into my ears.
I let out a bitter, mocking laugh, pulling my phone from inside my coat. My fingers shook as I tapped open the photo album.
I said, "You don't recognize me?
"Scott, open your damn eyes and take a good look! This is our marriage certificate. Here's our family photo from five years ago. And this is your mother, paralyzed in bed."
I held up my phone for all the guests to see, my voice so loud it was nearly breaking from how hard I was shouting.