“How could this happen?” Christopher stumbled and fell to his knees. Disbelief was flickering in his eyes.“How could this happen?” He kept repeating those words to himself, his voice filled with an undertone of despair. “It’s impossible! It can’t be her!”He muttered to himself, and his eyes were filled with confusion.Just then, Sergeant Hunter rushed in.He crouched beside Christopher on the floor. “My condolences,” he offered with sympathy.But Christopher acted as if he had not heard Sergeant Hunter. His entire body was trembling while he crawled toward my body. Was he afraid?Was he afraid to confirm that it was really me, or was he afraid of seeing how disgusting I had become?“Chris, I don’t understand. She’s been missing for two months. Why didn’t you call the police? Why didn’t you try to find her? Even if you hated her, she was still someone you’d known for so long!” Sergeant Hunter’s voice cracked with frustration as he questioned him.Christopher said nothing, hi
In the thick silence, Henry held my broken hand, just like he had done when he used to lull me to sleep as a child. “Naomi, it’s okay! I’m here with you. You’re just asleep, right? When you wake up later, I’ll buy you your favorite cupcakes, okay?”He seemed to be smiling, but his face was already streaked with tears.After a long while, Sergeant Hunter arranged for Christopher and Henry to be taken home. The two of them walked home in a daze. As they turned a corner, they heard Elizabeth’s voice saying, “Lucas, you’re the father of my child. How could you do this to me?”“Are you sure you’re only playing with Christopher’s feelings?”“Of course! I just wanted to get all of his money. I only love you!”...I froze in place the moment I saw that man. Images from that night flashed before my eyes.How would I ever forget him?He was the one who had cruelly broken my hands and feet and violently stuffed me into a suitcase. He was the one who had knocked me out and taken me to
“It was all Elizabeth’s idea! The photos at the wedding were photoshopped, and she told me to burn the body. But I got scared, so I threw it into the river instead. I’ll tell you everything! Please, just spare me!” Lucas dropped to his knees and banged his head on the ground, pleading for mercy.Next to him, Elizabeth suddenly collapsed to her knees.Christopher glared at her, his voice filled with fury. “Why did you kill her? She saved your life!”Elizabeth crawled over to him, grabbed onto the edge of his trousers, and sobbed. “I’m sorry! I did it because I loved you so much, and I didn’t know what else to do! Please forgive me! I wasn’t thinking straight! I only did it because I was scared you’d leave me for her. I just love you so much!”How could she talk about killing someone so casually?“Love? You say you love me, but the child you’re carrying isn’t even mine! Elizabeth, your love is nothing but a joke!” Christopher’s emotionless voice was icy cold.The atmosphere grew
Christopher stopped in front of the door to the morgue. He raised his hand to push it open, but he hesitated with his hand frozen in the air.He stared at the door for a long time before finally muttering to himself, “She probably wouldn’t want to see me.”With that, he turned around and slowly walked out of the police station.I hovered beside him, watching as he bought a plane ticket to the northern hemisphere. He was wearing the coat I had gifted to him. It brought back memories.Back then, he had to leave for a few months to study abroad. I did not want him to go, but there was nothing I could do. That day, I went to the beach alone and felt the light breeze from the sea. The sunset was breathtaking.“Naomi, I’m back!” I heard his familiar voice behind me. Tears blurred my vision instantly.I turned around, and there he was—Christopher, wearing that gray coat with his arms wide open for me.I rushed into his arms and the tears I had tried so hard to hold back fin
The police opened the trunk, and a thick stench hit them in the face.Everyone around immediately bent over and started retching.I did not blame them. I thought my own corpse was disgusting, too.Moonlight fell on the bloody, mutilated body. Its limbs were twisted in grotesque shapes. The skin around the wounds was rotting, with decaying flesh peeling away.The body was taken back to the police station and placed on the autopsy table.I stared at it so blankly that I did not even realize someone had entered the room.“Is the victim male or female?”I snapped back to reality the moment I heard that voice.But my body froze in place, and I could not move.I would never forget that voice. It was my fiance, Christopher Smith.He was the best forensic scientist in Cloud City.But I never expected him to be the one to dissect my body.I watched him walk right past me and stop in front of the autopsy table.For a brief moment, I was even curious about his reaction when he real
But I had heard these words countless times after my death when I forced myself to stay conscious and rushed to the wedding.At that time, I did not know I was already dead.When I saw the wedding venue’s large screens showing intimate photos of me with a man, I panicked and ran in front of them to explain.“Chris, that’s not me! Please believe me!”“Henry, no—I really didn’t do this!”…But they could not hear a word I said.That was when I realized I was nothing more than a powerless soul.“This is absolutely disgusting! Is she cheating on Mr. Smith?”“I heard she almost killed her own sister! What an awful person!”…Elizabeth took his arm and comforted him gently. “Chris, I think there must be some misunderstanding! Don’t let it affect you!”But Christopher clenched his fists and, in one swift motion, shattered the screen behind him, thus crushing my face.Watching his reaction, my heart felt as if someone had squeezed it tightly.But he then turned around and took El
When I was fifteen, I found Elizabeth barely alive by the river during a trip.I rushed her to the hospital, but after she woke up, she told me she had nowhere to go.Feeling sorry for her, I brought her home.At first, she was so sweet and well-mannered, quickly winning everyone over, including my brother.But the night before my SATs, she snuck into my room and burned my ID card.When I confronted her, she set her own hand on fire, a faint smile on her face.I stood there. I was so confused. That was when my brother suddenly stormed in, shoving me to the floor. “Naomi, what the hell are you doing?”He shouted at me without listening to a word I said. Then he walked off with Elizabeth sobbing in his arms.I froze while watching him disappear from my sight until I felt a sharp pain in my wrist.It was not until then that I realized I had sprained it.From then on, my brother who had always doted on me turned into someone I did not recognize. “Whatever I do, it’s always wrong
“What?”“The DNA report confirmed that the body is Naomi’s!”Hearing with his own ears that the body was mine, he should believe it, right?I studied his face, expecting to see at least a flicker of emotion.But he only narrowed his eyes slightly and replied in his usual indifferent tone, “It can’t be her. I saw her with another man not too long ago, and that body’s been dead for two months.”“But the report can’t be wrong!”“It’s definitely a mistake. If not, it must be Naomi pulling another one of her stunts. She’s always been good at this.”He was so sure of himself. He looked certain that this was just one of my tricks. But did he not realize how contradictory he was being? If I had truly chosen to be with another man, why would I go to such lengths to play the victim?Besides, he stopped caring about me altogether ever since Elizabeth came into our lives.The memory of my senior year trip flashed before me. Elizabeth and I had both fallen into the lake at the same tim
Christopher stopped in front of the door to the morgue. He raised his hand to push it open, but he hesitated with his hand frozen in the air.He stared at the door for a long time before finally muttering to himself, “She probably wouldn’t want to see me.”With that, he turned around and slowly walked out of the police station.I hovered beside him, watching as he bought a plane ticket to the northern hemisphere. He was wearing the coat I had gifted to him. It brought back memories.Back then, he had to leave for a few months to study abroad. I did not want him to go, but there was nothing I could do. That day, I went to the beach alone and felt the light breeze from the sea. The sunset was breathtaking.“Naomi, I’m back!” I heard his familiar voice behind me. Tears blurred my vision instantly.I turned around, and there he was—Christopher, wearing that gray coat with his arms wide open for me.I rushed into his arms and the tears I had tried so hard to hold back fin
“It was all Elizabeth’s idea! The photos at the wedding were photoshopped, and she told me to burn the body. But I got scared, so I threw it into the river instead. I’ll tell you everything! Please, just spare me!” Lucas dropped to his knees and banged his head on the ground, pleading for mercy.Next to him, Elizabeth suddenly collapsed to her knees.Christopher glared at her, his voice filled with fury. “Why did you kill her? She saved your life!”Elizabeth crawled over to him, grabbed onto the edge of his trousers, and sobbed. “I’m sorry! I did it because I loved you so much, and I didn’t know what else to do! Please forgive me! I wasn’t thinking straight! I only did it because I was scared you’d leave me for her. I just love you so much!”How could she talk about killing someone so casually?“Love? You say you love me, but the child you’re carrying isn’t even mine! Elizabeth, your love is nothing but a joke!” Christopher’s emotionless voice was icy cold.The atmosphere grew
In the thick silence, Henry held my broken hand, just like he had done when he used to lull me to sleep as a child. “Naomi, it’s okay! I’m here with you. You’re just asleep, right? When you wake up later, I’ll buy you your favorite cupcakes, okay?”He seemed to be smiling, but his face was already streaked with tears.After a long while, Sergeant Hunter arranged for Christopher and Henry to be taken home. The two of them walked home in a daze. As they turned a corner, they heard Elizabeth’s voice saying, “Lucas, you’re the father of my child. How could you do this to me?”“Are you sure you’re only playing with Christopher’s feelings?”“Of course! I just wanted to get all of his money. I only love you!”...I froze in place the moment I saw that man. Images from that night flashed before my eyes.How would I ever forget him?He was the one who had cruelly broken my hands and feet and violently stuffed me into a suitcase. He was the one who had knocked me out and taken me to
“How could this happen?” Christopher stumbled and fell to his knees. Disbelief was flickering in his eyes.“How could this happen?” He kept repeating those words to himself, his voice filled with an undertone of despair. “It’s impossible! It can’t be her!”He muttered to himself, and his eyes were filled with confusion.Just then, Sergeant Hunter rushed in.He crouched beside Christopher on the floor. “My condolences,” he offered with sympathy.But Christopher acted as if he had not heard Sergeant Hunter. His entire body was trembling while he crawled toward my body. Was he afraid?Was he afraid to confirm that it was really me, or was he afraid of seeing how disgusting I had become?“Chris, I don’t understand. She’s been missing for two months. Why didn’t you call the police? Why didn’t you try to find her? Even if you hated her, she was still someone you’d known for so long!” Sergeant Hunter’s voice cracked with frustration as he questioned him.Christopher said nothing, hi
Christopher took Elizabeth home.They lived comfortably in the new home I had furnished. I had carefully picked out every piece of furniture, nearly depleting all my savings. Looking back, I wondered—while I was busy dreaming about our future, was Christopher already planning to get rid of me?Late at night, they laid together on the bed.Christopher held Elizabeth close and gently stroked her hair. That must be what a truly intimate couple looked like.When I stared at them, my chest tightened with a numbing pain.I did not know how long I had stood there, but after a while, Christopher quietly called out Elizabeth’s name. Seeing she did not respond, he slipped out of bed and headed toward the door.Where was he going? Why was he sneaking around behind Elizabeth’s back?He went to the garage, and I followed him, sitting in the passenger seat.He seemed anxious and started the car quickly, driving off to somewhere. The vibrant lights from outside flickered across hi
“What?”“The DNA report confirmed that the body is Naomi’s!”Hearing with his own ears that the body was mine, he should believe it, right?I studied his face, expecting to see at least a flicker of emotion.But he only narrowed his eyes slightly and replied in his usual indifferent tone, “It can’t be her. I saw her with another man not too long ago, and that body’s been dead for two months.”“But the report can’t be wrong!”“It’s definitely a mistake. If not, it must be Naomi pulling another one of her stunts. She’s always been good at this.”He was so sure of himself. He looked certain that this was just one of my tricks. But did he not realize how contradictory he was being? If I had truly chosen to be with another man, why would I go to such lengths to play the victim?Besides, he stopped caring about me altogether ever since Elizabeth came into our lives.The memory of my senior year trip flashed before me. Elizabeth and I had both fallen into the lake at the same tim
When I was fifteen, I found Elizabeth barely alive by the river during a trip.I rushed her to the hospital, but after she woke up, she told me she had nowhere to go.Feeling sorry for her, I brought her home.At first, she was so sweet and well-mannered, quickly winning everyone over, including my brother.But the night before my SATs, she snuck into my room and burned my ID card.When I confronted her, she set her own hand on fire, a faint smile on her face.I stood there. I was so confused. That was when my brother suddenly stormed in, shoving me to the floor. “Naomi, what the hell are you doing?”He shouted at me without listening to a word I said. Then he walked off with Elizabeth sobbing in his arms.I froze while watching him disappear from my sight until I felt a sharp pain in my wrist.It was not until then that I realized I had sprained it.From then on, my brother who had always doted on me turned into someone I did not recognize. “Whatever I do, it’s always wrong
But I had heard these words countless times after my death when I forced myself to stay conscious and rushed to the wedding.At that time, I did not know I was already dead.When I saw the wedding venue’s large screens showing intimate photos of me with a man, I panicked and ran in front of them to explain.“Chris, that’s not me! Please believe me!”“Henry, no—I really didn’t do this!”…But they could not hear a word I said.That was when I realized I was nothing more than a powerless soul.“This is absolutely disgusting! Is she cheating on Mr. Smith?”“I heard she almost killed her own sister! What an awful person!”…Elizabeth took his arm and comforted him gently. “Chris, I think there must be some misunderstanding! Don’t let it affect you!”But Christopher clenched his fists and, in one swift motion, shattered the screen behind him, thus crushing my face.Watching his reaction, my heart felt as if someone had squeezed it tightly.But he then turned around and took El
The police opened the trunk, and a thick stench hit them in the face.Everyone around immediately bent over and started retching.I did not blame them. I thought my own corpse was disgusting, too.Moonlight fell on the bloody, mutilated body. Its limbs were twisted in grotesque shapes. The skin around the wounds was rotting, with decaying flesh peeling away.The body was taken back to the police station and placed on the autopsy table.I stared at it so blankly that I did not even realize someone had entered the room.“Is the victim male or female?”I snapped back to reality the moment I heard that voice.But my body froze in place, and I could not move.I would never forget that voice. It was my fiance, Christopher Smith.He was the best forensic scientist in Cloud City.But I never expected him to be the one to dissect my body.I watched him walk right past me and stop in front of the autopsy table.For a brief moment, I was even curious about his reaction when he real