The Fatal Decoy

To protect his precious childhood sweetheart, my husband forced me to act as her decoy to lure out a psychopathic killer.

I told him I didn't want to go.

He stroked my face with chilling affection. If you don't go, I'll pull the plug on your mother's ventilator, he said in a freezing tone.

Later, I was stabbed twenty times and left to die in that dark alley.

When the police called him to identify my body, he just sneered.

"Useless. She couldn't even stop a freak! Stop faking, Lyra. Get back to the alley tonight and lure him out again."

......

After my death, my soul lingered beside Jasper Garrison.

I watched as he gently poured a bowl of chicken soup. He carefully blew on the spoon before feeding Seraphina Blair.

"I spent three hours simmering this soup myself. The doctor said it would help you recover."

He fed her one patient spoonful at a time. His eyes reddened as he looked at Seraphina's bandaged right hand.

"It's all Lyra Sterling's fault. If it weren't for her, that killer would never have targeted you. Now she has the nerve to play missing!"

Whenever he mentioned me, his tenderness vanished, replaced by an unrestrained look of disgust.

My heart throbbed with sharp, suffocating pain.

In our five years of marriage, I never let him step foot in the kitchen because he said he hated cooking.

I wouldn't even let him touch cold dishwater.

I never imagined that the first time he cooked would be for another woman.

Seraphina smiled weakly at him. "It's fine, Jasper. It's just my hand."

Jasper immediately countered, "Your hands are meant for saving lives! Lyra is a curse! At least she was somewhat useful as your decoy this time."

"Still no word from Lyra? What if something happened to her?"

Seraphina frowned, barely hiding the smirk tugging at her lips as she feigned concern.

Jasper let out a cold laugh. Before he could speak, his phone rang.

I stood behind him and saw my own name flashing on the screen.

But I was already dead. Who could be calling from my phone?

Jasper waved the phone with a mocking brow. "See? Only two days and she can't hold out anymore."

As if to prove his point, he let it ring for ten seconds before answering. He didn't even wait for a hello before snapping.

"Lyra, you useless brat. You couldn't even stop a freak! Don't forget, Seraphina took that hit for you!"

"Stop playing tricks. Get back to that alley tonight and lure him out."

There was nothing but the sound of faint, heavy breathing on the other end.

Jasper raised his voice impatiently. "Are you even listening to meD"

The call was abruptly disconnected.

Jasper's face darkened, his teeth grinding. "Fine! You want to play hardball with me?"

"I'm calling the hospital right now to stop her mother's life support. I'll see how long Lyra Sterling can stay hidden then."

My pupils shrunk, and my body began to shake uncontrollably.

"Jasper Garrison! Don't you dare!" I screamed at him hysterically.

He had used my sick mother to threaten me into being Seraphina's decoy in the first place. Now, he was doing it again.

Seraphina reached out with her uninjured left hand and gave him a pale smile.

"Don't be so harsh. It's understandable if she's scared. It is dangerous, after all."

Jasper blurted out, "No! Only by catching that maniac will you be safe for good."

"Don't worry. As long as her mother relies on my money to breathe, Lyra has no right to say no."

Jasper sat back down with total confidence. He peeled an orange for her and fed it to her lovingly.

A flash of triumph crossed Seraphina's eyes, though she quickly masked it.

I clenched my fists, my eyes turning bloodshot at the sight.

From start to finish, Jasper never even considered that I might be in trouble.

I wasn't hiding. I couldn't.

My corpse was still lying in that cold, damp alley.

Twenty stabs. The feeling of flesh and bone being torn apart was a pain I would never forget.

I closed my eyes and laughed at my own stupidity. My life wasn't even worth one of Seraphina's fingers to him.

For two whole days, I was forced to watch Jasper Garrison and Seraphina Blair act like a pair of lovebirds.

My initial rage slowly turned into a hollow numbness.

I learned that the high-and-mighty Jasper could actually humble himself to wash clothes and even scrub Seraphina's feet.

It made me realize that for five years, I had been nothing but a clown.

Suddenly, the hospital room door was kicked open with a bang.

Hazel Montague rushed in, her face dark and her eyes burning with a murderous red.

She went straight for Jasper, grabbing him by the collar and pinning him against the wall.

"Lyra died such a brutal death, and you're here playing house with your little girlfriend!"

"Come with me! Lyra is still waiting for you!"

Hazel was my only true best friend.

She had always despised Jasper.

She thought any man would be better than him and had begged me to divorce him a thousand times.

Hazel pulled his wrist, trying to drag him out.

Jasper struggled and finally managed to break free. He raised his hand and slapped her hard across the face.

"Are you insane? Whether she's dead or alive has nothing to do with me! Tell her to drop dead somewhere else!"

"I'm sick of her. Tell her to get lost!"

My world spun, and a loud ringing filled my ears. I clenched my fists so hard they shook.

"What the hell did you just say!"

Hazel's eyes were bloodshot, the veins on her forehead bulging. She let out a roar.

"Repeat that! Say it one more time!"

"This is a hospital! Who gave you the right toD"

Seraphina had barely stepped out of bed to play the hero when Hazel kicked her straight into the wall.

"I've hated your guts for years! Lyra's death is on your hands too!"

Hazel was pure fury. She grabbed Seraphina's head and slammed it against the wall.

The "delicate" Seraphina stood no chance against Hazel's rage.

"You stole another woman's husband! You fake little brat! I'm going to make you pay for everything Lyra sufferedD"

Hazel's voice suddenly cut off. Her body swayed, and she collapsed backward.

Blood began to trickle from her forehead onto the floor.

"Jasper Garrison!"

I watched in shock as Jasper dropped the heavy crystal ashtray he had used to hit her.

He rushed over to support Seraphina, who now had a bruised and swollen forehead.

"Seraphina, are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"Jasper, your wife is dead! Do you even have a heart? The woman next to you is a murderer!"

Hazel clutched her head and screamed, her eyes filled with raw hatred.

I caught a fleeting glimpse of panic and guilt in Seraphina's eyes.

Jasper turned a cold, piercing gaze toward Hazel.

"Don't think I won't touch you just because Lyra usually protects you."

"My patience is gone. She's the reason Seraphina's hand is injured. Seraphina might never be able to perform surgery again."

"If Lyra has any conscience left, she'll get back here now, crawl on her knees, and beg Seraphina for forgiveness."

"Then we'll discuss how she's going to lure out that killer again."

"If she keeps hiding, I'll assume she's dead. I'll stop all her mother's medical payments immediately."

"That useless woman isn't spending another dime of my money!"

Blood continued to drip down Hazel's face. She stared at Jasper with a look of pure, unadulterated loathing.

She knew better than anyone how much I had worshipped Jasper all those years.

She knew I had traded my dignity for him.

Neither she nor I could have imagined he would ever be this cruel.

A chill ran through my soul.

All these years, I was just a gold-digger to him. A parasite.

How pathetic.

Hazel closed her eyes, her body trembling violently. It took her a long time to speak.

"Jasper, I'm begging you. Just come with me. Lyra really is dead."

"She died in that alley. That maniac stabbed her twenty times! Do you hear me? Twenty times!"

"Every cut hit bone. They even took her internal organs"

Hazel's pride vanished in a second. She looked at him with pleading eyes, her voice cracking.

I turned my head away, unable to look. My heart was a mess of grief and regret.

My friend shouldn't have to suffer this for me.

Jasper showed a moment of hesitation. But then, Seraphina let out a sharp cry of pain.

"Ah!"

Jasper's expression shifted instantly. He looked down at her hand with frantic concern.

Seraphina gave him a weak, trembling smile. "It's nothing, really."

When Jasper looked back at Hazel, his eyes were like ice. "Since you two want to play games, tell her to come back and sign the divorce papers."

He called for the guards outside the door.

"Teach her a lesson and throw her out. Don't let her anywhere near this room again!"

Following his orders, the guards began to kick and punch Hazel.

She tried to fight back, but she was outnumbered. She curled into a ball, protecting her head.

"Jasper Garrison! You'll regret this! Lyra is dead! If you want a divorce, go find her in hell!"

"I'll be waiting for the day you crawl to her grave and beg!"

As I watched Hazel being dragged away, I wanted to laugh.

I laughed at my own stupidity. I laughed at the man I had loved for so long.

I laughed at my own delusions.

That evening, Jasper brought Seraphina back to our house because she said she couldn't bear to be away from him.

The soup I had made for his stomach on the day I died was still sitting on the dining table.

It was starting to smell sour.

Seraphina sighed, looking pained. "Did Lyra make this? Doesn't she know you hate these kinds of soups?"

Jasper let out a dismissive snort.

"She only does these things to squeeze more money out of me. Why would she care about what I actually like?"

"Not everyone is as thoughtful as you are, Seraphina."

I watched them coldly. The irony was suffocating.

He had developed a severe stomach condition because he skipped breakfast for years. He'd even been hospitalized for it.

I had spent every day learning new recipes just to help him heal.

But in his eyes, it was just proof of how "useless" I was.

He pressed Seraphina onto the sofa and went to the kitchen to cut up a variety of fruits for her.

"Rest for a bit. Tell me what you want for dinner, and I'll make it for you."

For a moment, he actually looked like a gentle, caring man.

Seraphina looked at him tenderly. "I wish I could have married you. Lyra is so lucky, yet she doesn't appreciate it."

Jasper smiled and got up to clear the table, his face clouding with irritation.

"That useless woman making this garbage just to give me more work to clean upD"

He stopped mid-sentence. He saw the signed divorce papers I had left on the table.

His knuckles turned white as he gripped the document. In the next second, he tore the papers into tiny pieces.

He threw the scraps into the trash with a burst of rage.

"Since when does she have the right to dump me? If anyone's getting a divorce, it's me!"

I sneered at him.

In his mind, I was probably no different from a stray dog. No, even a dog was worth more.

He pulled out his phone and dialed my number over and over, his face tense.

My phone had likely been sold and wiped a dozen times by now.

How could he possibly get through?

Finally, he began sending me furious voice messages.

"Lyra Sterling! You had the guts to leave these papers, so why are you hiding now?"

"Don't play hard to get with me. It won't work!"

"Get back here right now. This marriage is over!"

"Even if you're dead, you'd better crawl out of your grave and sign these papers before you go!"

Suddenly, there was a loud crash.

Jasper dropped his phone and ran toward Seraphina.

She was standing in the living room, looking innocent. At her feet were the shattered remains of a bracelet.

"I'm so sorry, Jasper. I just wanted to look at it. I didn't mean to drop it."

She did it on purpose. I knew it.

My fists clenched, and my soul shook with fury.

That bracelet was my family's heirloom, passed down through generations of women.

I had given it to Jasper when we got married. He had called it tacky and tossed it on a storage shelf.

He'd said it was just "easier to reach" there.

That bracelet had survived five generations. It wouldn't have shattered just from a simple drop.

Jasper must have told her about its significance, and she had smashed it to hurt me.

I stared at her with blood-red eyes, wishing I could tear her apart.

But I was just a ghost.

I looked at Jasper, hoping for a shred of respect for the heirloom. He knew what it meant to me.

But Jasper just grabbed her hand and checked it for scratches, sighing with relief.

"It's fine. It was just a cheap, broken piece of jewelry. Ten of those aren't worth one of your fingers."

He didn't even look at the shattered pieces on the floor as he led Seraphina upstairs.

Behind his back, Seraphina flashed a smile of pure triumph.

My fists tightened and then went limp. I let out a long, hollow breath.

Yes, that bracelet was just like me.

A piece of trash that was never worthy of his eyes.

Back in the bedroom, Jasper sat on the edge of the bed. He looked up at the only wedding photo on the wall.

He bit his lip and looked back at his phone.

The screen showed our chat historyDa long list of his angry messages with zero replies from me.

For the first time, the power dynamic between us had completely flipped.

A cold glint flashed in his eyes.

"Fine, Lyra! Don't regret this!"

I stared at him, feeling a sudden surge of dread.

He dialed the hospital's number and spoke with a flat, emotionless voice.

"Stop all payments for the patient in Room 301. Don't renew her care anymore."

My world tilted. It felt like a giant hand was crushing my heart.

The pain was so intense that I collapsed to my knees, clutching my arms.

He had finally done it. He had targeted my mother.

I was powerless to save her.

Even giving up my life hadn't bought a single drop of mercy from him.

Whatever tiny spark of hope I had left for him died in that moment.

After hanging up, Jasper's face didn't look any better. He looked darker, more agitated.

He kept glancing at his phone as if waiting for me to call and beg.

Then, there was a knock on the door.

Seraphina stood there, holding up her bandaged right hand with a helpless shrug.

"I might need our big CEO to help me change. I'm having a bit of trouble with my clothes."

Jasper cleared his throat. "Is that appropriate?"

Seraphina chuckled softly. "We grew up sharing everything, Jasper. Why so formal now? If you're worried Lyra will be jealous, I'll just sleep in these clothes."

She turned to leave, but Jasper caught her by the wrist.

"Who said I care if she's jealous?"

"It's just changing. I used to wash your clothes for you back then, didn't I?"

Jasper started unbuttoning her blouse, his cheeks flushing slightly.

"I even bought your personal supplies for you in college. Remember?"

Seraphina smiled, her eyes burning with desire as she watched him.

Even as a spirit, I could feel the atmosphere between them turning thick and suffocating.

Seraphina wrapped her arms around Jasper's neck, pulling him closer.

Jasper slowly began to close his eyes.

I watched with pure disgust. This was the man I had begged to stay away from her.

Every time we fought about her, he told me they were just "childhood friends."

He'd said they were like siblings and that nothing would ever happen.

I was such a fool.

Just as their lips were about to touch, his phone rang loudly.

Jasper jumped back, startled. He pushed Seraphina away and fumbled to answer the call.

"Hello? Is this Lyra Sterling's husband? This is the police department."

"We have apprehended the thief who stole her phone and the man who attacked her. Please come to the station to sign some papers."

Jasper's face went cold. "Lyra? Is this a new prank? She's hiring actors now? She must have more money than I thought."

The officer's voice turned stern.

"Mr. Garrison, we have a duty to inform the victim's family. If you doubt us, check our official number online."

Jasper hung up and immediately opened his browser. But then, he froze.

his hand began to shake as he hovered over the keys. His face went pale.

Was he nervous? Was he scared I was actually dead? Or was he scared I wasn't?