Chapter 2

Selina picked up the watch. A jagged edge cut into her fingertip, but she didn't seem to notice.

"How much did Jared pay you?"

Patrick frowned. "What?"

"The video, the watch, and those so-called financial records." Selina let out a cold laugh. "He really went to a lot of trouble to ruin my wedding.

"Three years ago, he stole 50 million dollars from me, sent me divorce papers, and disappeared. Now, three years later, just as I'm about to get married, he hires people to put on this little performance. I'm sure he wants me to believe he's dead, feel guilty about it, and then ruin my wedding."

Standing behind her, I suddenly found the whole thing absurd.

Apparently, in Selina's eyes, I'd become some kind of all-powerful mastermind. Even after my death, I could somehow transfer 50 million dollars out of her accounts, send the divorce papers, and predict the exact day she'd remarry.

She'd rather believe all that than accept that I had loved her more than my own life.

Zachary took Selina's hand. "Jared has always been good at playing the victim. Now that you're finally ready to move on, of course he can't stand it."

Selina didn't pull away from him, but I could see her hand trembling as she clutched the watch.

Patrick placed a report in front of her. "The footage came from a satellite emergency beacon. Its serial number, timestamps, and GPS coordinates all match the records from the accident three years ago."

He paused. "Seven days ago, an ice shelf collapsed. A mountain patrol team discovered the device and found a man's body nearby."

Selina's entire body went rigid.

"The deceased was carrying Jared's ID. DNA testing also confirmed a match with the medical samples we had on file for him."

"'Also'?" Selina seized on that one word. "That means you can't be certain."

Patrick studied her for a moment before explaining, "Three days ago, we contacted you and asked you to come identify the body. But the person who answered the phone told us you already knew about it and had refused to claim it."

Selina looked up sharply. "I never received that call."

Patrick read out the phone number, and it was Selina's private line.

Slowly, she turned to look at Zachary, who instinctively let go of her hand.

"I answered it," he admitted.

He hurried to explain himself. "You were trying on your wedding dress that day, and you'd left your phone in the lounge. I thought someone was trying to scam you by bringing up Jared again, so I turned them down on your behalf."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Selina demanded.

"Because it was going to be our wedding soon!" Zachary shot back, sadness filling his eyes. "He's been missing for three years. Are you really going to let an unidentified body ruin our lives all over again?"

Selina stared at him.

"My phone is password-protected."

The air in the room suddenly grew tense.

Selina turned to look at Janice, who avoided her gaze before finally speaking.

"I gave Zach the password. He's about to become your husband. What's wrong with him checking your phone?"

"You only gave him the password?" Selina enunciated each word carefully. "Or did you know about that phone call, too?"

Janice's lips moved, but no words came out at first.

Finally, she said, "Lina, we were only trying to protect you."

That single sentence was as good as an admission.

"So you all knew they'd found Jared?"

"That doesn't mean the body is his!" Janice suddenly raised her voice. "You haven't had a single decent night's sleep in three years because of him. Now that you're finally ready to start over, I wasn't going to let a dead body ruin your wedding!"

"Who gave you the right to make that decision for me?" Selina demanded.

Janice froze.

Zachary reached for Selina's hand, but this time, she pulled away.

"I'm going to see the body," Selina declared.

"You believe them?"

"No." Selina slipped the watch into her pocket. "I just want to see with my own eyes and expose this hoax."

During the drive to the morgue, Selina remained silent. Janice sat in the front passenger seat, while Zachary sat in the back, still dressed in his wedding suit.

When they stopped at a red light, Janice finally ventured to ask, "Lina, what if the body really is Jared's?"

"There is no 'what if,'" Selina replied. "The video could have been recorded ahead of time, and the watch could have been planted. If the face is too badly damaged to recognize, there are countless ways to fake someone's identity."

Janice visibly relaxed at her words. "I knew he couldn't be dead. He's always been so selfish. He would never risk his own life to save us."

Zachary chuckled softly. "Exactly, Janice. All Jared ever cared about was protecting himself. Whenever danger struck, he'd hide behind Selina. There's no way he'd walk straight into a blizzard alone."

I turned to look at him.

Three years ago, Zachary had claimed to feel unwell and stayed behind at the hotel at the foot of the mountain. Yet after the accident, he'd somehow managed to reinvent himself as the man who had braved the snowstorm to find the rescue team.

The traffic light turned green, and the car moved through the intersection.

Whenever I rode in Selina's car, I used to steal a kiss at every red light. Eventually, whenever the light turned red, she'd turn her face slightly toward me, waiting for me to kiss her.

Now I sat in the same seat I always had, but the person who used to kiss her was gone forever.

An hour later, the car pulled up outside the morgue, where a staff member handed Selina a body identification form. She didn't take it.

"Jared and I divorced three years ago."

"The divorce papers are suspected of being forged and currently have no legal effect," Patrick explained. "You're still Jared's legal wife and the only person who can identify his distinguishing physical features."

Wife.

Selina stared at the word "spouse" in the next-of-kin section, unable to bring herself to sign.

Standing beside her, Zachary's expression darkened. "So what if they're still legally married? Jared abandoned her three years ago. A man who left his wife for money has no right to keep calling himself her husband, even in death?"

Selina whipped around to look at him.

With a sorrowful expression, Zachary went on, "Am I wrong? I've been by your side for the past three years, whether you had a fever or collapsed from a bleeding ulcer. What has Jared ever done for you besides hurt you?"

Selina didn't answer.

Patrick turned to her. "If you're so certain this is a hoax, go inside and see for yourself."

At last, Selina signed the form.

"I'm only doing this to prove he's still alive."

The metal door swung open, and a rush of cold air swept over them. At the center of the room stood a metal examination table, with a black body bag lying motionless on top of it.

I went inside ahead of them.

So this was my body.

It had been buried beneath the snow on the mountain for three whole years, and all that time, my soul had stayed beside the woman who hated me.

The body bag was slowly unzipped, revealing a face so badly disfigured by falling rocks that it was impossible to recognize.

Selina took one glance, and the tension drained from her shoulders.

"That's not him."