Chapter 1

In our village, there lived a murderous lunatic who was hideous beyond words. Yet, the same man managed to marry 38 beautiful wives. Every woman who accepted his hand in marriage died a brutal death on their wedding night. Even then, villagers were still desperate to marry their daughters off to him. One New Year's Eve, I returned home to celebrate the holiday. Despite my protests, my parents forcibly tied me up and married me off to the madman. … "Chevonne, congratulations!" As soon as I stepped into the village, Mrs. Whitman greeted me with a wide grin on her face. My confusion was sprawled all over my face. "What are you congratulating me for, Mrs. Whitman?" She covered her mouth and chuckled. Before walking off, she left behind only one cryptic sentence: "Oh, what a lucky girl you are!" Bewildered, I lugged my suitcase home. Along the way, every villager who passed by gazed at me with eyes of envy. When I arrived home, I found my parents hanging up banners and signs all over the house. "Mom, Dad, what's the occasion? Why is the house decorated like this?" My mother turned at the sound of my voice. Her lips were pulled into a huge smile. "It's your wedding day, silly!" I frowned. "Mom, what are you talking about? My wedding with Malcolm is scheduled for Independence Day next year." My dad chuckled and explained, "Your mom isn't talking about your marriage with Malcolm Shaw. She's talking about your marriage to Ernest from our village." His voice rang in my ears as he announced, "Ernest has chosen you as his wife!" I stared at my parents in disbelief. In a low voice, I questioned sternly, "I have a boyfriend! How could I possibly marry Ernest Lyman?" My mom immediately dropped her tasks at hand and scolded, "Malcolm just has a degree and earns a bit of money—that's all. How could he even compare with Ernest? You're so clueless!" I was dumbfounded. Malcolm and I had been sweethearts since college. Our love had always been strong. Through his own hard work, Malcolm built a company from scratch. He started with nothing and was now the CEO of a publicly listed enterprise. He was no doubt a successful man praised by people all around him. Ernest Lyman, on the other hand, was an ugly, ill-tempered lunatic. He even had a record of being locked up in a mental institution—repeatedly—for murdering his wives. And yet, my mother thought Ernest was better than Malcolm! My eyes were as wide as saucers as I stared at her. "Mom, Ernest Lyman is a monstrous lunatic! He's been married 38 times now, and every single one of those 38 women did not live till dawn." I continued, "Even Sophie died at his hands! Yet here you are now, marrying me off to him. You're sending me straight to my grave, too!" When my older sister Sophie was still around, she was the popular girl in town. Not only did she have the looks, but she was also a capable woman. She had countless suitors, all of them outstanding men, yet she was determined to marry Ernest. That very night, she died in his bed. Her corpse was left in a gruesome state. She was tortured beyond recognition. Engraved into my memory was the look of terror in her wide, lifeless eyes. And yet, everyone still fought to marry their daughters to Ernest. At that time, I was convinced that they were all insane. I never imagined my own parents would turn out just like them! My mom paused for a moment, then replied indifferently, "That's all in the past now. Your sister and the others failed to live up to his expectations. They failed to serve Ernest as he deserved, so they have no one but themselves to blame. "But you're different. You will undoubtedly live a fulfilling life with him." My father nodded in agreement. "Chevonne, you are the apple of our eye. We have cherished and protected you for over 20 years. You know we would never put you in harm's way. So please, listen up and get yourself ready. "You will marry Ernest and consummate the marriage tonight!" My parents had always doted on me. Although we were from a rural village, I had never lacked anything growing up. In my heart, my parents were the people who loved me the most in the world.