A Wedding Night Gone Terribly Wrong novel Chapter 15

Death was knocking. Pure survival instinct drove her to thrash wildly, her fingers clawing at the darkness. Just as she hit the absolute limit of her breath, seconds away from drowning in the icy depths, her fingers snagged on a zipper.

Zip.

A flash of brilliance hit her. It was a pocket. She shoved her hand inside and felt a long, cylindrical case. The texture was instantly recognizable. She pulled it out fast, feeling its shape. A surge of frantic relief washed over her. It was her holistic medical kit containing the Aegis Nine Needles handed down by her grandfather. Tucked inside the partition was the Aegis Blade—an incredibly sharp heirloom scalpel capable of slicing through iron like mud.

She instantly understood what had happened. She was locked inside her own canvas suitcase. Which meant... someone had zipped her inside and thrown her into the river to die.

She quickly unsheathed the blade and slashed. The canvas tore open. She slashed again, cutting through the thick fabric until her arm broke free. Clutching her kit in her left hand, she ripped the ruined suitcase away from her legs with her right. Paddling furiously with one arm, she broke the surface of the water.

She had escaped death.

The tears she had held back for so long finally burst forth. As her tears hit the surface of the river, the sheer, crushing tragedy of her situation resonated with the sound of her breaking heart. Her mind was a chaotic whirlwind. She was divorced. She had walked away. She wasn't standing in anyone's way anymore. And yet, someone still plotted to murder her. To be so vicious, so ruthlessly thorough as to try and erase her from the earth entirely!

The burning will to live pushed her to swim faster. She hauled herself onto the riverbank, collapsing into a patch of tall, overgrown weeds. As she caught her breath, a splitting agony erupted in her head. The back of her skull felt as if it had been bludgeoned with a hammer. She realized her attacker must have struck her over the head before stuffing her into the suitcase.

She was injured.

Moving quickly, she laid out her needles, locating her acupressure points by touch. She inserted the needles to clear her meridians, drawing out the bruised blood and relieving the pressure to heal herself.

Above, thick storm clouds smothered the crescent moon. The sky looked like a reflection of the underworld, heavy with an eerie, creeping fog. Massive black birds circled overhead, letting out mournful, grating cries. Caw... caw... caw...

The heavens had drawn the curtain for her departure to the afterlife, preparing to welcome her death. The sleepless birds of midnight had come to pick her bones clean. She sat alone, facing the oppressive night sky and the flesh-eating birds. If she hadn't been trained by Chester Shultz, inheriting his unparalleled medical prowess, tonight would have undoubtedly been her last.

Three days later.

Dragging a body battered by hell, she finally climbed Emerald Mountain. The heavy doors of the Shultz Manor stood wide open. Inside, a woman in a green tunic with a short, sporty haircut and a petite, sturdy frame was sweeping the courtyard with a palm-frond broom. She'd sweep a bit, then dig into her pocket for a piece of peanut brittle to munch on.

"Celeste," Winifred rasped, slumping against the doorframe.

"Who's talking to me? Who's there? What kind of tribute did you bring for the Divine Healer?" Celeste patted her pockets, crunching on her candy as she hugged the broom and turned around. Her crescent-shaped eyes lit up. "Haha! My Winifred is back!"

"It's me, Grandpa."

A pair of bright, wise, yet deeply weary eyes studied her face. "You've suffered?"

"I'm divorced, and someone tried to murder me..." All her bottled-up grievances came pouring out.

Chester took a ragged breath and looked up. "Celeste, help me sit up."

"Right away." Snorting with anger, Celeste pulled out another piece of candy. "I'm so mad! Quick, eat this and get some strength back!" She walked over, fishing out one more candy and offering it to the old man. "Chester, you need some strength, too."

Chester turned his head away. "I'm not eating that."

"Oh, alright, I'll eat it then. I'm furious. I need something sweet."