He Watched Me Die 99 Times,The 100th Time, I DisappearedChapter 1
My husband had killed me ninety-nine times.
The most recent time, he pushed me in front of an oncoming truck to save his beloved first love.
Casually, he told someone to throw me in the trunk.
"Celeste is pregnant. She can't stand the smell of blood. Don't let her see too much of it."
"You'd better keep it under control. Don't die in our car."
I didn't say a word. Just curled up in the trunk, waiting to die.
Someone tried to stop him. He shrugged.
"She's died ninety-eight times. Every time she wakes up, she just apologizes."
At that, everyone glanced toward the trunk. Someone placed a hundred-million-dollar bet.
A wager on whether my first words after resurrection would be, once again, "I'm sorry."
But they didn't know. After dying a hundred times at the hands of the man I loved, the blood-vow curse would be broken. My karmic debt cleared. I'd ascend beyond the veil.
From then on, I'd have nothing more to do with earthly love.
——
When I woke again, I was still lying in the trunk, my body twisted at an unnatural angle, blood sticking to the metal beneath me as it slowly cooled. Every breath scraped against my ribs, shallow and uneven, as if even breathing had become something my body resisted. The air inside the trunk was thick and suffocating, carrying the metallic scent of blood and the faint trace of gasoline.
From the front seat came the sound of someone retching, soft at first, then more insistent, like waves rising and falling. I didn't need to look to know who it was.
The car braked suddenly, jolting my already battered body. Pain flared sharply through my limbs, forcing a weak gasp from my throat. A second later, the trunk popped open. Harsh light flooded in, stabbing at my eyes. I blinked against it, vision swimming, until his figure came into focus.
He stood above me, looking down as if I were nothing more than a piece of discarded trash. The signet ring on his hand caught the light, perfectly still.
"If you're still alive, get out," Dominic said coldly, his voice devoid of any warmth. "Celeste is getting sick because of you."
No concern. No hesitation. Just irritation.