Chapter 1

Beau's POV

I had a gentle and beautiful girlfriend. My friends envied me, and my family approved of her. I used to feel proud that she was mine.

But all of that shattered in an instant because of the patient sitting in front of me.

"Dr. Cantrell, your girlfriend is a murderer. She's going to kill you."

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

My eyes widened as I rose from the chair. I was deeply offended by what I had just heard. "If you insult my partner again, I'll have security escort you out."

My girlfriend, Kaylee Dishman, was gentle by nature. At work, she was approachable and well-liked by everyone. How could she possibly be a killer?

The woman in front of me looked deathly pale, as though all the color had been drained from her face. She didn't seem the least bit surprised by my reaction. "You'll believe me eventually," she said. "You're a man of conscience."

Her gaze slowly drifted to the plaque on my office wall. "Your girlfriend won't be coming home tomorrow night. She's going to dispose of a body." After saying that, she got up and left.

I frowned, convinced the woman was suffering from some kind of mental disorder. She should probably see a specialist.

For the rest of the evening, I rested in my office. Since it wasn't the holiday season, the emergency department remained quiet throughout the night.

It wasn't until morning that my coworker came to take over my shift. "Beau, did anything exciting happen last night?" he asked.

"I was on duty. What could possibly happen?"

Marshall Covington looked surprised. "You didn't forget Halloween was last night, did you?"

I froze for a moment. Halloween? Wasn't it just another made-up holiday?

"Dr. Covington, as a medical professional, I suggest you stick to scientific reasoning," I said, rolling my eyes at him. I gathered my things and stood up to leave.

After getting home, I took a shower and immediately fell asleep on the bed.

When I woke up again, it was already evening. I picked up my phone and sent Kaylee a message. "Kaylee, shall we have fried chicken tonight, just like always?"

It was our little tradition. When we first started dating, we were both broke students. For all four years of college, we always celebrated our anniversary with fried chicken. Today marked our anniversary once again.

"I can't. Something came up at the office," she replied. "You're on your own for dinner tonight. I'll be home late."

I let out a soft "oh," a hint of disappointment settling in. Still, it didn't matter too much. Over the past two years, we had both become busy with work, and missing anniversaries wasn't unusual anymore.

I was about to make myself a simple meal at home when my phone rang. It was Kaylee's coworker and best friend, Winter Langley.

"Beau, you two are seriously relationship goals," she said. "Kaylee even asked the boss for permission to leave work early today because it's your anniversary."

I was taken aback as I read the message on my phone. Kaylee had clearly told me she was busy at work and couldn't come home tonight. But now, Winter said she had taken leave specifically to celebrate our anniversary with me.

The stories didn't match. So, who was lying? Or was Kaylee secretly planning some kind of surprise for me?

With that thought, I didn't bother making dinner and simply waited in the living room for her surprise to arrive. One hour passed, then two, then three…

By 10:00 pm, she still hadn't returned. Staring out at the dark, overcast sky, I took a deep breath. In the end, I never made the call.

It was because I remembered what that woman had told me. "Your girlfriend won't be coming home tomorrow night. She's going to dispose of a body."