A Ten-Year Dream, All in Vain — Novel

About

On the eve of her wedding, a mortuary reconstruction specialist finds herself trapped in a nightmare that shatters everything she thought she knew. Just as she uncovers the identity of a long-missing woman, her fiancé, Mike, is oblivious—lost in a world of betrayal and heartache, kissing another woman who bears a striking resemblance to his bride-to-be. As the darkness closes in, she is dragged into a brutal underground fighting arena, where her life hangs in the balance and the man she’s loved for a decade becomes the instrument of her torment.

With each slap, each cruel taunt from the crowd, the line between love and hatred blurs. Can she break through the twisted reality of Mike's choices and reclaim her fate? Or will she remain forever shackled by the weight of his betrayal? As the stakes rise and the pain intensifies, the question looms: what will it take for him to see the truth, to recognize the woman he’s about to lose forever?

In a world where love is a weapon, and loyalty is a gamble, can she survive the ultimate test of faith?

A Ten-Year Dream, All in VainChapter 1

I was a mortuary reconstruction specialist.

On the eve of my wedding, I restored the remains of an unidentified woman, only to discover, shockingly, that she was Mike’s long-missing mother.

Before I had a chance to tell him the news, I was kidnapped and dragged into an underground fighting arena.

They disfigured my face, poisoned my voice into silence, drugged me and tied me up onstage to be auctioned off as a human stress toy.

With my eyes swollen to a narrow slit, I saw Mike holding his lover, passionately kissing her amid the rowdy crowd. "Mike, do you think your fiancée’s off fondling corpses again? No wonder you came here to throw your bachelor party with your sweetheart!"

After the kiss, Mike reluctantly let go of the woman in his arms and said nonchalantly,

"Karen likes fondling corpses and I like fondling Jane. We each have our own preferences! I'm getting married tomorrow, so of course I need to make Jane happy tonight!"

As the arena announced the stress-relief method and price, I struggled to wink at Mike, trying to signal him.

But he thought I was flirting with him.