Chapter 4

Caroline took Ian to the file room and found my file using the body tag number. If she just opened it, she would have seen the photos taken when my body first arrived. She would have known that the corpse was me.

Yet, to protect Ian, Caroline set fire to my file without even glancing at it. Together, they dumped my body in the river and falsified the inventory. It was as if I was never brought to the morgue at all.

Caroline personally erased every trace of my existence in this world, along with any chance of justice for me.

I felt hollow. As a forensic pathologist, Caroline betrayed her conscience and desecrated the profession she took pride in.

When she looked at Ian, she just gave him a tired smile. It was as if she was relieved she protected the man she loved once again. She thought she covered everything perfectly, not realizing the case involving this body was far from simple.

The next day, Caroline got a call from the detectives. They said a male corpse connected to a major smuggling case disappeared from the morgue, and they asked if she saw anyone suspicious at work. The higher-ups were taking this case very seriously, insisting that they had to find the body.

Caroline gave some vague answers and hung up. However, her hands were shaking uncontrollably. She tried to steady herself and was about to find Ian to discuss their next move, but another call came in.

It was Aaron Reed, my assistant.

Caroline always believed I forced her into marriage with money and resented my company, so she disliked my employees as well.

Aaron would never have contacted her unless he had no other choice.

Caroline’s face darkened, but she still answered. She demanded, "Did Luther ask you to call me? What has he been doing all these days?"

There was a pause on the other end before Aaron stammered, "D-Dr. Bailey, we haven't been able to reach Mr. Powell for an entire week. You haven't heard from him either?"

"What?!" Caroline's voice shot up.

She quickly checked all my social media accounts but found nothing. An entire week passed without a single word from me, as if I vanished into thin air.

Caroline grabbed her coat and rushed out the door, heading straight to the police station to find her detective friend. "Kenneth, I need you to look someone up. His name is Luther Powell."

"Caroline, I was just about to find you. We found the male victim by the river. You're the best forensic pathologist we have, and Captain Jenner wants you to handle the autopsy personally."

Caroline's fingers trembled slightly, and her eyes flickered with uncertainty. She stammered, "T-That was fast."

Before she could figure out her next move, Kenneth West already led her to the autopsy room. My body was lying on the table, swollen and smelling from being in the water for a day.

The moment Caroline stepped into the room, she automatically slipped back into her professional mindset. No matter what happened, she would have to carry out the autopsy properly.

However, when she finally looked closely at the corpse, her knees nearly buckled.

Every detail of the body screamed the same terrible truth: the man who was tortured and burned with acid looked exactly like me.

Caroline touched the acid-scorched skin on the corpse’s cheek, and her lashes trembled uncontrollably. Then, she brushed aside the hair on my forehead and finally saw that faint scar that belonged to me.

The scalpel clattered to the floor as Croline jerked her hand back like she was electrocuted, covering her head and screaming.