Love Laid Me to Rest

A white light blinded my eyes, and the first thing I saw was Callista's exquisitely beautiful face.

Her cheeks were flushed, and her clothes were disheveled. It was obvious what she had just been doing.

I looked at her with desperation, hoping she'd save me. But she didn't seem surprised at all that I had woken up. She scrutinized me with a cold, disdainful gaze and clicked her tongue.

"You poor thing. You're about to be buried alive. Maddox went to take care of the funeral arrangements, so I'll keep you company for a while, dear sister.

"Five years ago, your mother found out about my identity. To clear the way for you, she forced my mother to her death and made Dad kick me out of the Whitcombe family. Not only that, but you even stole my wedding! The person who was supposed to marry Trevor was me!

"You've been married to him for five years, and he abused you the entire time. I never expected you to have endured it all, refusing to divorce, so I had no choice but to send Maddox to seduce you.

"You were so stupid, actually falling in love with him. Weren't you dreaming about going abroad to marry him? Well, since you stole my marriage, I'm going to steal yours!

"Now, your mother is finally dead, and I tampered with the fake-death drug too. Once you're buried underground, you'll watch yourself die and be powerless to stop it. And the day of death will be the very day Maddox and I get married."

Callista enunciated each word clearly, and my heart grew colder with each sentence. The tiny spark of hope that had just reignited was once again extinguished.

She curled her red lips with delight as she took out the water and food that had been left inside the coffin.

"You're about to die anyway, so you won't need these," she said airily. "But I will leave the oxygen tank for you, so you can hang on for a few more days. It's a shame you won't get to see my wedding with Maddox."

The coffin lid was closed again, and the last sliver of light vanished.

My fingers dug into the wood so hard that my nails almost broke. My eyelids grew heavy, exhaustion overwhelming me, and I fell unconscious.

When I woke up again, I heard the noisy chatter of people outside.

My funeral had begun.

Guests greeted each other, chatting and laughing. No one mourned my "death".

"Judith was finally tormented to death. Trevor beat her to a pulp, and she still refused to divorce him for the Whitcombe family's sake."

"Serves her right for stealing her sister's man. Callista is much prettier and more capable than she is. If she hadn't been exposed as an illegitimate daughter, Judith never would've had the chance to take her place."

"Exactly. She even drugged Trevor just so she could marry into the Penn family. How shameless! And not long after they married, she got beaten so badly that she lost her baby. Unbelievable, right? Now she's dead, and Trevor won't even attend her funeral."

"Callista really has good luck. She suffered a lot five years ago, but now that her sister is dead, she's the sole heiress to the Whitcombes. And in a week, she's marrying the heir of Harlow Corporation. Who would dare call her illegitimate now?"

Guests gossiped about my family and my marriage, mocking and belittling me without a second thought.

Little did they know, the person lying in the coffin was still alive, lying there in despair and waiting for death to take me.

The priest finished the prayers, and the burial was about to begin.

I struggled desperately, feeling time slip away second by second, but no one could save me.

I was carried to the gravesite. Just before I was lowered into the ground, I heard Maddox lean in close to my coffin.

With all my strength, I forced out three words. "Save… save me."