Chapter 3

There was even a hint of relief in Selina's voice as she spoke. "Jared wouldn't look like this."

Zachary relaxed as well. He stared at the mangled face inside the body bag, and a mocking smile tugged at his lips.

"I knew this was all a hoax. Jared cares more about his looks than anything else. There's no way he'd let himself end up like this."

"Zachary," Selina warned, stopping short.

He pretended not to notice her anger and continued, "He's always been good at using that face of his to gain sympathy. Otherwise, how could he have fooled you for so many years?"

Apparently, even death couldn't stop people from running their mouths.

Just then, the forensic pathologist, George Sterling, spoke up. "The deceased has an old, one-inch scar beneath his left collarbone."

Selina froze.

That scar had come from the car accident five years ago. When Selina rescued me, a piece of glass had pierced my shoulder, leaving the scar behind. Afterward, she used to kiss it every night, telling me, "Jared, you owe this life to me."

In the end, I'd truly given my life back to her.

George pulled back the white sheet, revealing the familiar scar beneath the cold examination lights.

Selina's expression hardened. "His medical records aren't a secret."

Zachary immediately chimed in. "He used to brag about how Selina saved his life. Who knows how many people have seen that scar?"

George continued, "The deceased also suffered tendon damage to his right little finger. He underwent two reconstructive surgeries, but the finger never fully straightened."

The little finger mentioned was slightly curled inward.

At last, Selina's expression changed.

When we first held hands, she'd accidentally hurt my little finger. Ever since then, she'd always been careful not to put any pressure on it whenever we held hands, gently folding it into her palm instead.

She'd promised to stay by my side through every road we traveled together from then on. But in the end, I'd walked the final stretch of that road alone, on a snowy mountain.

"All of this information can be found in his medical records," Selina said, her voice growing hoarse. "Finding someone with similar physical features wouldn't be difficult."

George frowned. "You think someone deliberately went looking for a body with similar physical features and buried it beneath the avalanche debris from three years ago?"

Selina didn't answer.

Zachary, however, let out a cold laugh.

"What wouldn't Jared do to get revenge on Selina? He even abandoned his own parents. His family fell apart over the past three years, and he never once showed his face. Even when his father died, he didn't come back for the funeral."

My soul went rigid.

Dad was dead?

I'd known he'd suffered a stroke while in custody, but I hadn't known he'd died.

Selina's head snapped up. "What did you say? When did this happen?"

Zachary didn't answer, but Janice spoke up impatiently. "He's a criminal. So what if he died? What's there to talk about?"

Selina whipped around to face her.

"When did it happen?" she demanded.

Startled by her sudden outburst, Janice took a step back before answering, "It happened after he had that stroke in custody. You said you never wanted to hear about the Solton family again, so we didn't tell you."

Selina's face went deathly pale. "Where is he buried?"

Janice looked away. "The Solton family couldn't even afford a burial plot. Who knows where his ashes ended up?"

It felt as though someone had reached into my chest and torn it open when I heard that.

At our wedding, Dad had taken Selina's hand and told her earnestly, "If Jay ever wrongs you, let me know. I'll teach him a lesson myself. But whatever happens, don't ever stop loving him."

He'd entrusted her with the care of his son, believing she'd love me and stand by me. Yet in the end, Selina hadn't just stopped loving me. She'd destroyed the very family that had welcomed her as one of their own.

Zachary stepped up beside Selina and tried to comfort her. "It wasn't your fault. If Jared hadn't run off with the money, you wouldn't have taken your anger out on his family. At the end of the day, he's the one who caused his own father's death."

"Shut up!"

Selina shoved him away, and Janice immediately stepped in front of Zachary to protect him.

"What did Zach say that was wrong?" she snapped. "If Jared hadn't abandoned you, would his family have ended up like this?"

George cut in sharply. "Please keep quiet."

He lifted the body's right hand, revealing a badly deformed wedding band on its ring finger. He removed the ring and placed it in a metal tray, and the engraving on the inside became visible—S&J.

That was our initials.

Selina had designed our wedding rings herself, and only two existed. She'd once told me that neither of us was allowed to take our ring off unless death parted us.

Later, she'd thrown hers into the sea, but I'd kept mine on my finger until the day I died.

Selina stared at the ring, her expression hardening. "The design can be copied. So can the engraving."

Zachary quickly backed her up. "Exactly. Jared could have arranged this in advance. He knows how sentimental you are, so of course he'd use things like these to soften your heart."

Patrick finally lost his patience. "Selina, what exactly would it take to convince you?"

"Proof that can't be fabricated." Selina suddenly lifted her head, her gaze unwavering. "As long as there's even one other possibility, I won't accept that this is Jared."

I finally understood.

She wasn't waiting for proof. She was waiting for a miracle that would prove I was still alive.

But everything was here, laid out before her. Everything except a miracle.

George opened the autopsy report and continued, "The deceased also has a scar on the right side of his abdomen. It isn't documented in his medical records. The wound was stitched up without proper medical care, with seven stitches in total. Between the third and fourth stitches, there's an irregular crossed knot."

The cold, indifferent expression on Selina's face suddenly froze.