Five years of marriage, five years of hell. Clara loved Xavier with every fiber of her being, but to him, she was nothing but a criminal—the monster who supposedly ruined his lover and crippled his sister. Locked away in a cold basement, Clara endured endless torment as penance for sins she never committed. But when the truth finally surfaces, Xavier falls to his knees, begging for a second chance. Too late. The Clara who loved him is already dead, and she is ready to walk into the darkness to escape him forever.