Chapter 2

Linda sighed on the other end of the phone.

"Wendy, think it over again. You know about that case in Hillton City. The murderer has been moving from place to place, specifically targeting people who are alone. If you go there by yourself, you'll be short on manpower. It could be dangerous."

I gripped my phone hard until my knuckles turned pale.

"I've thought it through. I'm leaving the day after tomorrow."

After hanging up, I went to the district station.

Wesley had passed away, and someone had to handle his paperwork and wrap up his affairs.

Wade didn't have time. I couldn't just leave Wesley's affairs up in the air after he passed.

I walked up to the counter and handed over the documents. "Hello. I'm here to sort out all the paperwork for the deceased."

The staff member Lily flipped through the documents. "What is your relationship to the deceased?"

"I'm his daughter-in-law."

Lily's expression turned slightly odd when she heard that.

She typed a few things into the computer and turned the screen toward me.

"Miss, the system shows that the deceased's daughter-in-law is someone else. Her name is Helen. You aren't listed as a relative, so you can't handle any of this paperwork on his behalf."

For a moment, I froze.

"Is there a mistake? I've been married into the Graham family for seven years. I even have our marriage certificate."

Lily shook her head. Her tone was still polite.

"The information in our system has to be personally verified and entered. There shouldn't be any mistakes. Is it possible there's been some kind of misunderstanding in your family?"

Standing in front of the counter, my mind went completely blank.

Wesley had personally come to verify the information.

He was a police officer who had spent most of his life dealing with tough cases. He was meticulous and careful in everything he did.

Had he known all along that Helen and Wade had registered their marriage, yet kept it from me for seven years?

What did that make me? A free caretaker? Or just an unwanted third wheel?

Ever since Wesley was injured on duty and fell into a coma, I had rushed to the hospital after work every single day.

I cleaned his body, turned him over, changed his catheter bag, and stayed up with him until dawn.

During that time, I lost nearly ten pounds. Yet I never once complained.

I thought Wade was busy with work and couldn't take care of his father. As his wife, it was only right that I stepped in on his behalf.

We were family. I had never kept score.

But I never imagined that Wesley had already erased me from the family's list of relatives while he was still conscious.

By the time I left, it was already dark.

I wanted to cry, but no tears came. My chest felt so tight that I could barely breathe.

I returned home in a daze. The entryway light was on. It cast a warm glow throughout the living room.

The dining table was filled with food. There were four dishes and a soup.

Helen emerged from the kitchen in an apron. The moment she saw me, she smiled.

"Wendy, you're back? Come sit down. The meal will be served soon."

She was wearing my slippers and looking completely at ease as if she were the true lady of the house.

Wade was sitting on the couch. Beside him was a little boy, who looked around six or seven years old, clutching a toy car in his hands.

The boy's eyebrows and eyes resembled Wade's. His face and mouth, however, looked almost exactly like Helen's.

A terrifying thought surfaced in my mind, but I couldn't bring myself to believe it.

When the little boy saw me, he tugged on Wade's sleeve and asked timidly, "Dad, who is this lady?"

'Dad?'

I felt chills down my spine when I heard the boy call him that.