Chapter 3

Soon, the autopsy results were out.

"The victim was about 26 years old. The kidnapper seemed to really hate her guts, for he tortured her immensely while she was still alive. In the end, she died due to the explosion.

"Most importantly, the victim was found to be two months pregnant at her time of death."

Everyone fell silent as soon as they heard Kevin's report.

Torture. Death by explosion. Two lives were gone.

Every word and phrase seemed so terrifying when combined together.

I was shocked when I heard Kevin's report. Then, I looked down at my stomach in disbelief.

I was… pregnant?

The fetus was still so little… I didn't even know of its existence, yet it was forced to leave this world…

Tears began dripping down my cheeks. Meanwhile, Kevin could only sigh.

"That poor victim… I hope you guys can solve this case as soon as possible for the sake of seeking justice for her. I don't have any cases on me right now, so I can follow up with this case with you."

I let out a cold chuckle while gazing at Kevin.

Would he still say such things if he were to find out that I was the victim?

After the autopsy, Kevin's expression remained solemn. He and William crouched in the backyard while smoking quietly.

William said, "Kevin, couples don't argue! Since Michelle's mad at you, why don't you just be nice to her?"

Kevin just sneered. "Be nice to her? She'll only cause more trouble! She called me when I was at work and threatened me! Next time, she would most likely lie to me about her fake death!"

What Kevin didn't know was that I was truly dead. I wondered if he'd regret saying what he had said once he found out about the truth in the future.

But I didn't care anymore. Now, all I wanted was to leave his side forever.

William could only let out a small sigh when he realized that Kevin refused to listen to his advice.

…

The police started investigating the missing people first. William spent a few days investigating in the office. So far, he only managed to determine a few missing women who fit the criteria.

At that moment, Kevin's phone rang. It was a call from his childhood friend, Violet.

"Kev, when are you going home? I didn't get to see you when I was looking for you at your home earlier."

Kevin's face was exhausted because he had been burning the midnight oil lately. He quickly squeezed out a small smile the moment he heard Violet's voice.

"I have a case going on at the moment. Once I'm done with the case, I'll spend time with you, okay?"

Violet had a sweet and petulant voice that made her sound like she was always whining cutely. "But Kev, I'd like to watch a horror movie! I don't have the guts to watch it if you're not here with me! You used to spend all your time with me!"

Kevin didn't get mad at Violet for disturbing his work. Instead, he comforted her patiently. "I promise I'll take some time off and go on a vacation with you after I'm done with this case, alright?"

Violet replied nonchalantly, "Oh, alright! What sort of case are you in charge of?"

Kevin answered, "A woman got killed by a bomb after getting kidnapped. We're investigating this woman's identity right now. We think there was bad blood between the woman and the kidnapper."

He let out a soft chuckle, his tone now gentle. "I won't go into the details. You're a scaredy cat—if you listen to the case details, you won't be able to sleep at all."

I just sneered while watching this scene unfold before my eyes. How ironic.

Kevin even had time to worry about whether or not Violet was scared. But he never thought about where I could possibly be at the moment.

All this time, Kevin treated Violet completely differently than the way he treated me.

After Kevin ended the call, he continued watching William cross-check the database on missing people with the victim's criteria.

It was already past midnight by the time the cross-checking process was over. None of them fit the criteria.

The case had gone into a stalemate. For a moment, everyone fell silent as they thought about what to do next.

Kevin just stared at my body. After that, he said, "Let's publicize the victim's characteristics and see if there were still cases of missing people which had yet to be reported to the police."

William nodded. Soon, he got in touch with the local TV station. My incident was broadcast throughout the city in less than ten minutes.

A while later, Kevin's phone rang abruptly.

I happened to be standing next to him in a dazed state. The moment I heard the voice coming from the other end of the line, I snapped out of my trance immediately.

It was my dad. He told Kevin anxiously, "Kevin, Michelle has been missing for a few days! Her characteristics fit the ones that are spread by the police!"