Chapter 1

After I died, I found myself beside my husband, Ethan Monroe. He was at my sister, Vivian Richmond's birthday party, his arm wrapped around her waist as they danced together.

When my parents overheard people saying that Ethan and Vivian made a perfect pair, they didn't refute it.

In fact, they even chimed in, "That's right. I've always thought how wonderful it would've been if Ethan had married Vivian instead. Only someone like her could ever be worthy of him—unlike my eldest daughter, Sienna. She can't do anything and just whines all the time."

Each word they said stabbed at me. Vivian had taken everything that used to be mine.

Just then, a doctor in a white coat rushed into the room.

"Dr. Monroe, there's been an emergency. A decapitated female body was found at the abandoned factory. You're needed at the scene now," he said urgently.

The room erupted in gasps and murmurs.

Ethan remained perfectly composed. His gaze settled on Vivian as if he were seeking her permission to leave.

"Go ahead. I'm just glad you could make time to come to my birthday party. And I love the sapphire necklace you gave me," she said.

My breath caught as I looked at her neck. That necklace was an heirloom that belonged to Ethan's mother. In the past, he would snap at me with a frown if I so much as touched it.

I pressed a hand to my chest. I was already dead, so why did it still hurt so much?

After getting clearance, Ethan bent down and pressed a gentle kiss to the back of Vivian's hand. His voice was soft, as though he were a devoted husband speaking to his wife.

"Wait for me to come back."

I followed him to the crime scene. Before we even got close, the overpowering stench hit us.

Ethan's new assistant was doubled over against the wall, retching. Even Ethan, who was normally unfazed by such sights, frowned.

"The victim is female. Her head is missing, so her age and identity are unknown. Preliminary findings suggest she was beaten by several people. The decapitation wound shows a clean cut. It's likely caused by a machete."

The scene fell into heavy silence.

Then, someone cursed under their breath, "What a monster… They deserve to rot in hell."

Even the usually composed Ethan seemed shaken.

He walked toward the police officers and spoke with steady, unwavering resolve. "Rest assured. I'll do everything I can to help solve this case and ensure the suspects are apprehended quickly."

Then, he began a meticulous examination of the body and worked until the early hours of the morning.

Suddenly, his assistant reminded him, "Dr. Monroe, isn't today your wedding anniversary? Aren't you going home?"

Ethan paused for a second, then replied, "No. It's just an anniversary. There's nothing to celebrate."

That casual dismissal made my eyes sting.

He knew exactly how much our wedding anniversary meant to me. Every year, I carefully prepared a gift for him, but he'd never shown up even once. He'd always believed that his parents died because of me.

It began with a lawsuit I won that sent the defendant to prison. His relatives held a grudge against me and eventually chose to get revenge. They broke into our home, wanting to kill me.

That day, Ethan and I were at a jewelry store picking out rings, while his parents were at home. By the time we returned, only two corpses lay on the floor.

I'd never forgotten the look on his face that day—the way it had shifted from disbelief to utter devastation before he'd locked himself in his room for two full weeks.

In the end, we were legally married, but the wedding never happened. Even our wedding rings were plain bands. Soon, our marriage grew strained as we became distant.

Vivian took advantage of that to get close to him. She comforted him, and over time, they became inseparable.

She wanted to become his wife, so she pressured me to divorce him. When I refused, she began fabricating accusations against me at every turn.

Sometimes it was just a trivial matter, like accusing me of breaking her treasured jewelry. Other times, it was deliberate and calculated, such as claiming in court that I had stolen evidence from her to win my case. My reputation was ruined because of it.

Even my parents, who once treated me like their pride and joy, began to frown whenever they saw me. They stopped remembering my birthday altogether.

Before I realized it, I had become an outcast in my own family.

In the end, just because I refused to attend Vivian's birthday party, Ethan gave me the cold shoulder for days.

If he'd known the body lying in front of him was mine, he would've probably felt relieved. After all, it would mean he could finally be with Vivian without any obstacles.

Just then, his assistant let out a sigh.

"Dr. Monroe, Mrs. Monroe is actually quite pitiful. Every time it rains, she comes downstairs to bring you an umbrella. Then, she runs off alone into the rain—"

"That's enough, Adrian," Ethan said coldly.

"This is my family matter. Stay out of it. Besides, she's just being pathetic and clingy. Nobody forced her to do these pointless things. Get back to work."

The assistant, whose name I learnt was Adrian Blake, said nothing and went back to his tasks. A moment later, he extracted a piece of metal with the forceps.

"There appears to be... a ring in the victim's stomach," he said.

Ethan glanced at it briefly and responded flatly, "It's just a plain band. It won't help identify her."

"Look at this instead," he said, using his forceps to lift up a small mass of tissue.

The interns immediately gasped.

"Oh, my God, isn't that an embryo? The victim was pregnant?"

Before we married, I'd imagined countless times the look of surprise on Ethan's face when he found out I was pregnant. But never in my wildest dreams had I imagined our baby would meet him this way.

He took out a white cloth and covered the tiny form. For some reason, he seemed reluctant to look at it.

I wondered what he was thinking at that moment. I supposed I would never know.

As they finished their work that evening, it began to rain heavily.

Standing nearby, Adrian asked curiously, "Huh? Mrs. Monroe didn't bring you an umbrella today."

Ethan snorted and replied, "She's probably still sulking. All I did was ask her to attend Vivian's birthday party. Is it really worth making such a scene? She's so immature."

Adrian looked like he was about to say something, but Ethan had already rushed out into the rain.

He'd only taken a few steps when he stopped. From a distance, he saw a young woman walking toward him and smiled tenderly.