Chapter 2

Tobias didn't believe Glenn, but he didn't argue either. Seeing the bruises in the crook of Glenn's elbow wiped the anger from his face.

He scoffed. "They actually believed a junkie's accusations, huh?"

With that, Tobias had someone bring him Glenn's blood test results. The results were exactly what he'd expected.

He turned back. "No one's going to believe a man who's not in their right mind. Glenn, if you insist on pinning this on Celeste, I'll hire the best lawyers in the country to clear her name."

It felt as though something inside me had been ripped out.

Three years had passed, and he still hadn't changed. He still rushed to defend the woman he loved, unable to stand seeing her treated unfairly. Only now, that woman was Celeste.

Glenn lowered his head and chuckled.

"Sunny, Lucky… I won't be able to protect you anymore."

Tobias' fingers went rigid as he reached for the doorknob. A beat later, he turned back stiffly and asked, "What did you say?"

Glenn's face gave nothing away, yet an icy chill seemed to emanate from him.

"Sunny and Lucky," he said, enunciating each word clearly. "Those were the names of Ms. Parker's unborn babies. She was carrying twins, wasn't she?"

Tobias' throat tightened. He clenched his fingers, hidden from view.

Sunny and Lucky were the nicknames we'd chosen for our babies. When I found out I was pregnant, I hadn't gone out of my way to hide it. But aside from Tobias, no one knew I was carrying twins.

"Did Adeline tell you about the babies just to frame Celeste?"

A faint tremor crept into Tobias' voice, but he spoke with the same cold detachment.

Suddenly, something occurred to him.

Tobias shot Glenn a contemptuous glance and added, "Yes, Adeline was carrying twins. But by the time she divorced me, she'd already had an abortion.

"Glenn, I don't know why you're trying to frame Celeste, but Adeline lied to you."

The divorce papers hadn't been the only thing delivered to Tobias that day. There had also been a report confirming that I'd had an abortion.

After seeing that, he'd finally given up trying to stop me from leaving and signed the papers.

Cold metal chains bound Glenn's wrists and ankles, but his eyes burned with a wild intensity as he said, "What if I told you the babies were still inside her when she died?

"When we sealed her inside the plaster, the heat blistered her skin all over. An hour later, her arms and legs had swollen and turned purple, and her cries for help had grown fainter."

He continued, "Yet, she remained curled up, desperately trying to shield the babies inside her. Then, the plaster sealed her mouth shut, and she stopped breathing."

As I listened to Glenn describe it, I relived my final moments—the searing heat against my skin and the desperate struggle to draw breath. Despair washed over me again.

Tobias' expression darkened at once.

However, Glenn seemed oblivious to his reaction. A wicked smile played on his lips, and he asked, "Aren't you looking for the hidden body? 63 Ninth Lane, Bayview."

The moment Tobias heard the familiar address, he froze.

My sculpture studio was at 63 Ninth Lane. He often picked me up after work at the school, but even more often at my studio. It was also where he'd cheated on me with one of my students.

I couldn't bear to see talented students' potential go to waste simply because they lacked the means to develop it. Celeste was one of them.

That was why I'd given her a key to my studio and let her practice there whenever she needed to.

Celeste was so grateful that she began treating me like an older sister. On top of that, she was always the first to arrive for my classes and the most attentive student in the room.

Summer weather could be unpredictable. The forecast hadn't called for rain, but the skies opened up. I was only trying to help, so I asked Tobias to give Celeste a ride.

Two weeks later, I stood upstairs and waved at the familiar car. Then, I saw Celeste rise on her tiptoes and kiss Tobias, the man she'd greeted with such familiar affection every day.

My smile slowly faded.

That day, Tobias and I got into a terrible fight. I threw Celeste out, and Tobias swore he'd never set foot in my studio again.

At the memory, Tobias went rigid, and he turned to leave.

Before he walked away, Glenn had one last thing to say.

"When you find the body, run the prints. Check them against Celeste's. After all, she was the one who poured the plaster into the mold."