LOGINSarah had stepped beside me at some point, taking in Valerie with a calm, neutral gaze."This is a preschool, and right now is peak drop-off hours. If you continue to make a scene here and harass my employee, I'll call the police immediately."Valerie was forced to loosen her grip. Her eyes darted back and forth between Sarah and me, a flicker of deep jealousy and pain flashing in her gaze.In the end, she had to swallow all her questions, taking Archer by the hand to complete his enrollment paperwork first.From that day on, Valerie began appearing in my life with relentless frequency.Every single day, she showed up outside the preschool gate right on time.When I was on guard duty, she would watch from a distance.When my shift ended, she would hold Archer's hand and follow a few paces behind me.She even tried to copy the way I used to care for her, cooking meals every day and bringing them over."Owen, this is the mushroom soup you used to love most. I prepared it from sc
After changing into casual clothes, Sarah called me into her office.She wasn't in a rush to speak, instead patiently brewing a pot of coffee and sliding a mug over to me.Watching the steam rise from the cup, I remained silent for a moment before asking her, "Did you run a background check on me?"Sarah didn't deny it. She met my gaze openly and nodded."Of course. As the director, I'm responsible for over a hundred children here. Any incoming employee undergoes a discreet background check."Besides, given your sharp martial arts and tactical moves, they certainly don't look like something picked up on a whim."Sarah paused, her tone turning sincere and respectful."Owen Hudson. Former Captain of the Homicide Division, solver of countless high-profile cases. But to the outside world, everyone believes you perished in that explosion two years ago."My fingers tightened slightly around the mug.The past I had deliberately tried to escape was abruptly laid bare before me."So,
Valerie froze instantly.Mark's voice cut through the air with resolute condemnation."You kept saying how suffocating it was to stand next to Owen, how all you wanted was a soft, tender partner. But in reality, you were just a cheating, two-faced liar!"You greedily soaked up every bit of Owen's devotion, while simultaneously craving the pathetic worship you got from Dylan. It makes me sick to my stomach!"Now that Owen is gone, who are you putting on this heartbroken act for?!"Every single word landed like a sledgehammer, driving Valerie's head low.Mark was right. She was the one who had personally plunged Owen into darkness.How hopeless, how agonizingly painful must those final moments have been for him?Valerie's face drained of every last trace of color, and blood spilled from her lips.Amid the chaotic, panicked screams echoing through the room, her vision went black, and she collapsed hard onto the floor.…Two years later. A warm coastal town.Early morning sunli
Half an hour later, inside the police department.The rescue captain gently set the soaking wet evidence bag onto the table.Inside lay a silver ring, scorched black by fire.When Valerie was eighteen, she had spent fifty dollars from her first scholarship to buy it for Owen.That night under the ocean breeze, she had slipped the cheap band onto Owen's ring finger, her face flushing red as she swore to spend the rest of her life by his side.Even after he became an esteemed homicide captain, and even long after the metal had grown heavily worn, he kept it on him at all times, treating it like his most precious treasure.Now, the ring was charred beyond recognition. As for the man who wore it, not even his body had been found."After the van plunged into the river, an explosion erupted beneath the surface. We found this near the wreckage."Besides that, we found a significant amount of blood and human tissue on the riverbed. The blast was too intense, and with the swift current..
Valerie sat frozen in sheer disbelief, a strange, inexplicable dread washing over her chest.What did he mean by no survivors?The officer's eyes were bloodshot, his voice cracking with emotion."Valerie, even if you guys didn't have a legal marriage certificate, you lived together as husband and wife. Did you really not feel a single thing for Captain Hudson?"Right now, he went into the river with those criminals, trying to protect you!"Valerie went completely stiff, staring blankly at the officer. Her lips trembled violently for a long time, but not a single word came out."The day you faked your death, Captain Hudson drove back from out of state like a madman. The second he saw that fake corpse you left behind, he blacked out on the spot... His heart belonged to you, and everyone could see it!""Enough... Stop talking!"Valerie snapped, letting out a raw, low growl as if she couldn't take another second of it.Yet every single word circled inside her head, impossible to e
Valerie looked at Dylan's swollen, flushed cheek, then turned her angry gaze straight onto me.Seeing the look in her eyes, my heart dropped.She was known for her calm, gentle demeanor. It was rare to ever see her express hatred so openly.Yet today, more than once, she had looked at me with that exact same disgust for the sake of another man."Owen, you're completely beyond saving! Since you're so determined to make trouble for Dylan, don't blame me for showing no mercy."Valerie yanked me out of the infirmary without a trace of hesitation, dragging me all the way down the hall and into an interrogation room.Right in front of my face, she tore the waiver to pieces, then slapped another document onto the table with a cold expression.It was a Consent for Psychiatric Evaluation and Medical Release.There, in stark black and white, it stated that due to extreme job-related stress, I was suffering from mental instability, delusions, and severe emotional outbursts, and was volunt







