Chapter 1 Chapter 1

“That jealous woman hasn’t come over to kick up a fuss. Has she learned her lesson and is finally obeying my rules? “I knew it. She’s the type who needs to be punished before she learns her place.” But Lucas, Xander’s assistant, suddenly stiffened up. “Mr. Foster, I don’t think… Mrs. Foster has been released just yet.” Xander’s expression wavered momentarily, but he soon schooled his face again. “That’s fine. Let her reflect on her actions for a few more days.” Lucas looked like he had something to say but did not know how to breach the topic. In the end, he said, “Mr. Foster, a foul smell is coming out of the room where Mrs. Foster is locked up. Shouldn’t you… take a look?” Xander’s voice turned cold. “A foul smell? That’s normal. Susan is the type to do whatever it takes to live. To ensure her body is still functioning, she’ll even eat her own excrement and drink her own urine, then redigest them. How can the room not smell vile?” Lucas wanted to say something else, but Lucas interrupted him with a disgusted scowl. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore. I’ll let her out tomorrow. It’s been days since she’s locked up, so she should have learned to behave. If she apologizes to Grace after she’s out, I’ll look past this.” Right after he finished speaking, Grace walked in barefooted. Xander’s gaze instantly turned gentle. “Do you still have nightmares, Grace? Don’t worry, I’ve already punished Susan. I’m going to make her experience tenfold your suffering.” He hugged Grace and gently caressed her hair. “You’re so nice to me, Xander.” Grace buried her head in his arms and pouted. “Susan must have learned her lesson by now. I just want her to apologize to me. I never wanted her to be punished. She won’t blame me for it, will she?” As I watched them flirt with each other, I laughed, but my laughter did not alert anyone. After all, I was dead. At the final moment of suffocation and despair, my soul came out of the cramped and scary luggage bag. I could see that the surface of the luggage bag was already soaked through with blood. I could even see a lock over the closet containing the closet as if it wanted to trap the person inside forever. Even after I became a ghost, I was so terrified by the suffocating sight that I shut my eyes. Meanwhile, Xander was still cooing at Grace to comfort her. “Did you have another nightmare? Don’t worry. I’ll stay by your side forever.” He caressed Grace’s face gently. “I’m sorry you had to go through that, Grace. “Did you know that Susan even ate her excrement and drank her urine just to survive? She treasures her life so much but would hurt you! I have to make her pay!” I was so stunned when I heard this that I could not even cry. Xander was right. I did want to live. The luggage box was small. In order to stuff me inside, Xander broke my hands. I endured the pain to escape. When I discovered that it was useless, I did my best to conserve my stamina to pass the time. But before he stuffed me inside, he forgot that I was pregnant. Being bent over for a prolonged period of time meant that I was putting pressure on my stomach. I was in great pain, and I lost control over my emotions, but I could do nothing about it. During my last moments alive, I felt a great urge to live. I screamed, struggled, and used my toenails to try to dig open the zipper so that I could live, but all he did was say cruelly, “You’re finally scared? Grace would have felt even more helpless. Suffer inside and learn to behave.” I could only shoulder all the crimes that I did not commit so that he would spare me. Then, as blood flowed down between my legs, I lost my strength. In my daze, I heard him say, “She’s too noisy and still doesn’t understand my rules. Lock her up and let her reflect upon her actions in silence.” I pleaded to be let out with a hoarse voice, but it did nothing. All I could do was hear the lock being placed over the closet. Then, I heard nothing else.

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

“Let Susan go. Ask her to clean up before apologizing to Grace. I don’t want her to smell of urine and excrement. It’ll just disgust Grace,” Xander said coolly as Lucas awkwardly grunted. “Xander, once Susan is out, you should comfort her. Don’t be mad at her anymore. No matter what, you’re a couple. You shouldn’t get into such a major argument. It’s not nice.” Impatience flared in Xander’s eyes, but he massaged Grace’s fingers gently. “She wouldn’t dare. Due to her misunderstanding, you were trapped in the elevator for half an hour. I can’t imagine just how scared and helpless you were at that time. Grace, you’re always so nice, and that’s why Susan took advantage of you.” Xander kept his anger in check. It was as if he was worried he would scare Grace. But when I heard those words, it sounded as if he was mocking and laughing at me. Last week, while Xander was having a meeting, Grace had come over to provoke me. “Even if you’re pregnant, it doesn’t matter. Even if you give birth, your baby won’t get Xander’s love. You and your baby are both annoying.” I could not be bothered arguing with her, so I just told her to leave. But her elevator malfunctioned when she was going down, and she was stuck between floors. When she was stuck there, she sent a long message to bid farewell to Xander. She told him that she might not get out anymore and was saying goodbye to him. [I know that Susan doesn’t like me. I hope that after I leave, she can take care of you in my place. [Let’s meet again in heaven.] Once Xander saw the message, he immediately cut the meeting short and rushed back like a madman. He mobilized all of his manpower and finally found Grace unconscious in the elevator. I stood nearby and watched him hold Grace in his arms as he shouted, “Grace, don’t leave me!” At that time, I found it hilarious. Was it really necessary? She was just stuck for half an hour, and they were acting like they were about to be separated forever. But when Xander grabbed my hair and stuffed me into the luggage bag, I finally realized that while they were showing off their love, this incident spelled disaster for me. “Do you know what you’ve done?! Grace has claustrophobia, and you nearly killed her! Even if we manage to save her, she’ll be traumatized for life! “Susan, I’m going to make you understand that you have no right to do whatever you want just because you’re my wife. If you don’t apologize, you’re not coming out!” Even at present, his expression was still cold as he waited for me to apologize. Unfortunately for him, he would not get his wish granted. “Mr. Foster, Mrs. Foster… is no longer showing any signs of life!” Xander was stunned. I observed his reaction. I had thought that he would at least feel a little shaken by the news, but he just smiled nonchalantly. “She’s just acting. She’s been causing trouble for so long. How can she die so easily?”“Contact a funeral parlor and tell them to burn her body. If she loves pretending so much, then we’ll let her know the price of faking her death.” Xander tapped at the table and said coolly, “Tell her that if she doesn’t clean herself up within half an hour, I’ll continue punishing her until she stops causing trouble.” Lucas trembled and wanted to say something, but Xander snapped at him, “Why are you still standing there? Do you want to be punished too?” He grabbed Grace by the shoulder and gently said, “Grace, don’t pity her later. You have to hold your ground and make her suffer a little more. I’m going to make her grovel while she apologizes. That’s my punishment for her. Don’t feel sorry for her.” Grace looked as if her heart was going out for me. “Xander…” I could not even find it in my heart to hate them. But for some reason, my soul seemed bound here, and I could not leave. I could only watch as Xander cursed and laughed at me.

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

I loved Xander for ten years. I loved him for three years in high school, four years in university, and another three years after graduation, in which we started dating and got married soon after. I did not know that he always treated me as a blight. I followed him like an annoying shadow for seven entire years while thinking that my sincere love for him would touch his heart. On the day he accepted my confession, I was so happy that I did not sleep a wink. I did not know that he married me because the capital chain of his company had ruptured, and he needed me to give him financial aid. During the two years I was married to him, I supported his career wholeheartedly and did my best to take care of him as well as get into his good grades. He also changed bit by bit. He started waiting for me to come back, cooked breakfast for me, and massaged my belly when my stomach hurt. I nearly thought that I had won his love. I also knew that on the day that I got pregnant, I was so excited that I nearly squealed, but he was frigid when I revealed the news to him. “Did you say you’re pregnant?” I did not hear the doubt in his voice and just nodded naively. “Heh. But I have asthenosperm and can’t possibly sire children. You know exactly who the father is, don’t you?” I tried many things to clumsily prove that Xander was the father. I also told Xander what the doctor said, “After nine weeks, the baby will have stabilized, and we can take a paternity test. I didn’t betray you.” What I did not know was that on the day I got pregnant, Grace came back. He told Grace about my pregnancy like it was a joke. I worked hard for ten years to warm Xander’s heart, but on the day Grace returned, all of my efforts went up in smoke. Could souls be in pain too? I just thought that I could not breathe. The despairing, suffocating feeling I had while I was trapped in the luggage bag enveloped me once more. As Xander held Grace, his expression turned darker. “Why isn’t she out yet? It’s been so long. I’ve asked her to reflect on her actions for days, and she still hasn’t learned her lesson. Is she giving me attitude now? “Well then, I hope that her spirit is really as tenacious as she’s making it out to be.” I stared at him coldly and noticed that he was fidgeting with his hands in an increasingly panicked fashion. There was also an anxious look in his eyes. “Grace, I’m going to check what Susan is doing. Don’t worry. I’m going to make her apologize to you.” Xander stood up and strode to the room where I was kept prisoner. When he arrived at the door, he scowled and covered his nose. “Why does it stink so much?” Lucas stood behind Xander. Cold sweat covered his entire body. “Mr. Foster, you should take a look yourself.” I did not know what I was feeling at the moment, but I knew that I was tense. I had to look at my own dead body, and I needed a lot of courage for that. Xander pushed the door open. The luggage bag had already been dragged out of the closet and was on the floor. The zipper was partially opened, as if someone had tried zipping it up again in order to hide what was inside. Xander stared at the luggage bag in displeasure. “Susan, I’m already letting you out, but you still won’t come out? Do you want to stay inside forever?” Did he actually think that I did not want to come out? I had tried my best to get out before I died just so I could see the sun once more. But I would no longer have that chance. “Are you giving me attitude? Are you spitting in the face of my mercy?” He went over to the luggage bag. The strong, foul stench made him unable to even keep his eyes open, but he still acted however he wanted and kicked the luggage bag. “You stink. Hurry up and clean yourself up. You’re disgusting.” He kicked the luggage bag with so much force that it flipped over, and the lid flew open. Before I could even brace myself for it, I saw my horrifying dead body. The corpse in the luggage bag was twisted in an awkward angle. My arms were even bent backward at a ninety-degree angle. My fear was stuck on my face. My eyes and mouth were wide open. Even my eyeballs were protruding out. The blood at the lower half of my body had already dried up, and dark red splotches covered all parts of my legs. In a panic, Xander took two steps backward, and he trembled.