Revenge is My Love Language novel Chapter 1

It was well past midnight.

Down a shadowy alleyway, a small, frail figure cowered helplessly on the ground as a gang of thugs kicked and punched with merciless glee. Her voice was hoarse, but every pitiful attempt to fight back was crushed with brutal force.

One of the men slammed his boot down on her shoulder and shoved hard, forcing her face into the dim light.

Half of her features were heartbreakingly beautiful, the other half twisted and ravaged by cruel burn scars.

“Jesus Christ, what the hell is that? Turn her over, will you? I’m gonna be sick if I have to look at that!”

“Is this really the woman Harrison Lancaster married? The guy could have anyone in the world. Why would he want a freak like her?”

“Who knows? Maybe rich guys are into weird stuff. Whatever, just quit yapping and finish the job. We need proof she’s dead.”

The kicks and fists started again.

Suddenly, footsteps echoed at the alley’s mouth.

A man and a woman approached arm in arm, dressed in elegant evening wear, the picture of privilege and charm.

“Well, well, Mr. Lancaster, Ms. Sterling. Didn’t expect you to show up in person. Don’t worry, we’ll take care of her. She’ll be good and dead, guaranteed.”

The thugs grinned obsequiously.

Anastasia Sterling struggled to lift her head, hatred burning in her eyes.

“It’s… you?!”

Penelope Sterling. Aaron Lancaster.

Once, Penelope had been her closest sister, and Aaron—the man she loved more than anyone. Now, they were here to make sure she died, as if destroying her life hadn’t been enough.

“Why?” she croaked.

“Why?” Aaron looked down at her, voice cold and distant. “Uncle Harrison’s dead. You’re not useful anymore. There’s no reason to keep you around.”

Penelope’s lips curled in a poisonous smile. “Anastasia, since you’re about to die, let me be honest. We only ever needed you for Harrison’s fortune. But now that he’s gone—and the money’s all ours—your part’s done. You can die now.”

Harrison Lancaster. The most powerful, wealthy man in the Empire. Penelope’s eyes blazed with envy—how could a woman like Anastasia inspire such devotion in a man like him?

Anastasia blinked, dazed, her mind still foggy from the nightmare. But Martin’s words snapped her to attention.

Wait… what?

She instinctively touched her face—smooth, unmarked, no sign of burns. Her eyes widened in disbelief at the unfamiliar, untouched skin.

Martin called again, impatient, “Ms. Sterling—?”

“…Keep driving,” Anastasia whispered, voice trembling with shock.

Martin hesitated, surprised. “But Mr. Lancaster is gravely ill. Ms. Sterling, you can’t just turn away now!”

“I said, drive on. Take me to Rosewood Manor.”

Her voice was hoarse but resolute, shaky with emotion.

No one could have guessed how wildly her heart was pounding.

She remembered this moment. Harrison had just moved from Riverton to Fairhaven to recover from his illness, and today was the very day she, forced by the marriage contract between her mother and the Lancaster family, would become his bride and set foot in Rosewood Manor for the first time!