Chapter 1
I was lying in bed, scrolling through my phone with my rounded belly, when a local news alert popped up.
"Murder of Wife in Willow Creek Apartment Complex Solved: Man Stabs Pregnant Wife to Death After She Refuses Intimacy"
I tapped to open it, only to realize the story was dated for tomorrow. And the name listed as the killer was my husband.
I thought it had to be a prank or a website glitch until I saw the familiar wedding photo included in the report.
In the picture, my face was covered with heavy pixelation. My heart seemed to stop beating.
Just then, the bedroom door swung open. My husband stepped inside, licking his lips, with a grin that sent chills down my spine.
"Honey, I want you tonight."
Celeste's POV:
"Aaron... I, I don't feel well. The baby's been acting up."
My voice was shaking, and all I could think about was the news story I'd just seen.
When he heard me say this, the smile on Aaron Elmore's face slowly faded, and his tone was filled with irritation.
"Why is it always 'I don't feel well'? What are you being so dramatic about, anyway?"
I froze.
Aaron had never spoken to me like this before. In the past, he'd never even said a harsh word to me.
I was just about to speak up in my defense when Aaron rushed over and grabbed my wrist in a tight grip.
"Do you have someone else out there? Is that why you're always making excuses to keep me away?!"
I gasped in pain. A sense of dread crept over me.
Could that news story actually be true...?
I struggled to push him away, trying to get out of bed. But he was impossibly strong.
He pulled me right back and threw me roughly onto the bed. My belly hit the mattress, and a searing pain spread through my body.
He looked around the room, then picked up the fruit knife I used for peeling apples from the nightstand.
The cold blade pressed against my neck.
"If you're going to be this unwilling, then I'll send you and your bastard child straight to hell!"
A sharp agony shot through me, and a flood of blood gushed out. I stared at his twisted, furious face as darkness slowly closed in around me.
When I opened my eyes again, I jolted upright in bed, gasping for breath.
I looked down at myself... I was completely unharmed. My phone screen was still on, and the time showed I'd gone back ten minutes.
That gruesome news alert popped up again.
Click.
The bedroom door opened once more.
It was the same familiar face... Aaron, repeating that terrifying line.
"Honey, I want you tonight."