Chapter 1
He shot my three-year-old son with a single arrow to save his mistress.
As my child lay dying, he called out, "Daddy."
But he didn't look back. Instead, he carried that woman away.
I knelt in the snow, holding my son's lifeless body, and stayed there through the long, cold night.
When I opened my eyes again, it was ten years ago, the day before we were engaged.
In this life, I would make sure everyone in this city knew what they did to me in my own bed.
I would watch him fall from his throne, step by step.
*****
The arrow pierced straight through his heart.
Warm blood splattered all over my face.
My three-year-old son, Oliver, shuddered in my arms. His little mouth opened, but no sound came out.
He looked down at the bowl-sized wound in his chest, his big eyes lost and bewildered.
Then, with all the strength he had left, he lifted his head and looked at the man holding the bow not far away, softly calling out. "Daddy..."
It was the most hopeless cry I'd ever heard in my life.
Alfonso Castaneda, his father and my husband, only spared us a cold, indifferent glance.
Without a hint of hesitation, he turned and wrapped his arms protectively around another woman, leaving us behind without so much as a backward glance.
That woman was his mistress, Yasmin Wilson.
The rebels had the city surrounded, and chaos reigned as dozens of soldiers hunted them down.
To save Yasmin, Alfonso fired that fatal arrow, killing his only legitimate son, Oliver, the child who shielded her from harm.
I knelt in the endless snow, holding my son's body as it turned cold in my arms.
Blood poured from him, staining the snow beneath us red, only to be quickly covered by fresh flakes.
The air was thick with the clash of weapons, desperate cries, and roaring flames.
Everything else faded away. I could neither hear nor see anything.
My entire world was reduced to the small, lifeless body in my arms. He would never smile at me again, never call me 'Mother.'
I knelt there all night, unmoving.
*****
The next day, the city fell.
Even as the rebels' iron hooves crushed my body, I didn't resist.
As my consciousness faded, I saw Alfonso and Yasmin riding off on horseback, disappearing toward the city gates.
He didn't even look back at me and Oliver.
On the road to the underworld, I would become a vengeful spirit, haunting him day and night, making sure he never knew peace for all eternity.
*****
"Katherine, wake up! Wake up!"
"If you don't get up soon, the Castaneda family's betrothal gifts will be at the door!" My mom's voice, both anxious and excited, echoed in my ears.
I snapped awake.
What greeted me was my familiar bedroom, the carved wooden bed with elegant tassels hanging from it.
I was wrapped in a warm silk quilt, and the air was thick with the scent of my favorite sleep-inducing incense.
Could it be... I was really alive?
I pushed myself up and glanced down at my hands.
They were pale, slender, and flawless, not a mark or rough spot anywhere.
Not the chapped, scarred hands I'd had after years of hard work in the Castaneda household.
I threw off the covers and rushed to the dressing table.
In the bronze mirror, I saw a young face, still carrying a hint of childishness.
My eyes were bright, my teeth gleamed, and my gaze was lively and full of spirit.
This was what I looked like at sixteen.
My heart was pounding, and an unbelievable, ecstatic thought rushed through my mind.
I was back.
Unbelievable. I was really back ten years ago!
"My silly girl, what are you grinning about? Hurry up and freshen up. Your father's already waiting in the front hall," my mother, Jennifer Baldwin, said as she walked in.
She gave my forehead a gentle poke, full of affection.
"Today's the big day. It's your engagement to Alfonso. You mustn't forget your manners."
At the mention of his name, my smile froze, and the excitement in my eyes was replaced by a chilling coldness.
In my past life, just one day before the engagement, which was today, I agreed to marry him, thinking I'd found my soulmate and everything would be perfect from then on.
Little did I know, that was the beginning of my descent into hell.
After we got married, he became more and more distant.
His mother, Jessica Hunt, made things unbearable for me. She treated me like I was a thorn in her side.
I was so naive, thinking that if I was just good enough, obedient, and virtuous, I could somehow warm their hearts.
I managed the household, tried to please his parents, and kept the whole Castaneda family running like clockwork.
I even sold off the generous dowry my mother gave me, just to cover his endless favors and dealings in the official circles.
But all I got in return was him moving his mistress, Yasmin, into the Castaneda family.