Chapter 2

Tessie's death was closely tied to Yvette.

I shouted Zachary's name like a madwoman, but he couldn't hear me.

Did he even know the difference between me and Yvette?

I wanted to cry, but I realized that the dead have no tears.

"Zach… can we get married?" Yvette asked.

I bit my lip hard as I stared at Zachary.

Zachary froze for a moment, then seemed to think of something and said, "Let her come back and atone for her sins first."

"But what if she never comes back?"

"Then she can die out there."

At that moment, my heart completely shattered.

I really did die out there.

It turned out that everything I had been begged for was something Yvette could get effortlessly. It turned out Zachary's love truly couldn't withstand the test of time.

Because of Tessie, our wedding kept getting postponed.

…

Two years ago, Tessie suddenly became obsessed with motorcycles. I had already been an experienced rider for a long time.

She said I was her role model and wanted me to be her mentor. From that moment on, I took her to every race.

That was until one important race—I couldn't make it because I was too busy.

But I never expected Tessie to take my spot as a substitute secretly.

An accident happened during the race, and some of the racers didn't survive.

I was in the middle of a meeting at work when I got the call. By the time we rushed over, the only thing left of Tessie was her ashes.

Her parents cried their hearts out. And after they were done crying, they placed all the blame on me.

I had no way to defend myself, so I could only endure everything in silence.

At first, Zachary would at least say a few words in my defense, but over time, he turned against me too.

On the day Tessie died, they forced me to kneel in front of her urn all night. That night, heavy snow fell, and I shivered from the cold.

My knees turned red and swollen, soaked in the freezing snow. I cried and begged him to let me off.

But he stared at me with hatred in his eyes and said, "Let you off? Did you ever let Tessie off? Tessie is dead. Why do you still get to live?"

I didn't know how to refute him.

Zachary wouldn't break up with me, but he wouldn't let me go either. He couldn't accept the fact that the woman he loved had killed his younger sister.

After that incident, he rarely touched me. And even when he did, it was rushed and indifferent.

I could only endure his torment in numbness.

After two years of mutual torment, we finally entered the "sacred halls of marriage".

I asked him why he still chose to marry me, and he said he wanted to keep me by his side forever—to make my life a living hell.

…

The next morning, it seemed like Zachary finally remembered me. He called me, but no one picked up. He texted me, but no one replied.

I would never answer his calls again, and I would never reply to his messages anymore.

He called several more times before he finally lost his patience. His expression darkened as he tightened his grip on the phone. "Jeanie, would it kill you to answer the phone? What kind of trick are you pulling this time? Trying to fool me again, aren't you?"

I sat helplessly in the backseat of the car. It wasn't that I didn't want to answer. It was because I was already dead. He just refused to believe it.

Zachary drove to another one of my houses. He called my name over and over again, but silence was his only response.

Unable to find me, he stood by the table, gripping its edge so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"Jeanie, if you're playing a game, you better make sure I never find out. Otherwise, I'll make you wish you were dead," he sneered.

Suddenly, as if something had just occurred to him, Zachary quickly walked out.

My spirit followed him. He was driving fast—so fast it made me instinctively afraid.

The blurred scenery rushing past looked oddly familiar.

This was… the road to Jerome's house. Had he returned?

I wasn't wrong—Zachary drove straight to Jerome's house and rang the doorbell repeatedly.

Jerome Locke was a child my parents had sponsored. I always saw him as a brother. He had been living abroad for years.

When the door finally opened, Jerome didn't look well.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Where's Jeanie?" Zachary demanded.

Jerome froze for a moment at the mention of my name. "Nini… she's already dead."

"So now even you are playing along with her? Are you two that bored? Just because I left her at the wedding? She deserved it, then. Someone like her should die."

Jerome's shoulders trembled slightly. He was trying to suppress his emotions, but his tense muscles and bulging veins betrayed him.

"Zachary, what are you talking about? Don't you know Nini is dead? Didn't the police call you?" Jerome snapped.

Zachary's expression darkened instantly. He pressed his lips into a hard line, a flicker of rage flashing in his eyes.

"Jerome, don't tell me you've been fooled by Jeanie too? She's really outdone herself this time—she even tricked you."

I didn't understand why Zachary was so convinced that I wasn't dead. Did he really think that I was that deceitful?

"Tell her to come out. Where is she? I knew you still couldn't let her go. What's wrong? Did you forget how her father nearly beat you to death back then?" Zachary jeered.

I froze.

There was a time when Jerome walked out of my father's room covered in blood. After that, he left the country.

No one knew what had happened. I had always assumed he had done something terrible. But it turned out… it was all because of me.

Zachary had run out of patience. "I need to take her to apologize to Tessie. Hand her over, now."

Jerome finally lost control and threw a punch at Zachary. He took a deep breath to calm himself, but his eyes still burned with fury. Even his tone sounded heavier than before.

"Zachary, how many times do I have to say it? Nini is dead! She's dead! Didn't you claim her body yourself?" he shouted.

Zachary still wasn't convinced. "Impossible. What kind of spell did she put you under to make you protect her to this extent? After all these years, you still love her? She's nothing but a liar—she doesn't deserve to be loved by anyone. She not only killed Tessie, but she also abandoned Yvette. How could you still like someone like that?"

I was in so much pain that I couldn't even argue back.

Jerome had had enough by then. He tackled Zachary to the ground and started punching him.

"Zachary, you're unworthy of her! Do you even know that Nini didn't kill Tessie? Have you ever investigated the truth? How dare you accuse Nini without proof? Do you remember what you promised me?

"You said you'd take care of Nini. You said you wouldn't let her suffer. You said you would treat her better than I ever could. And now? You drove her to her death. You forced her to die in such an undignified way. How dare you come looking for her now?"

Zachary's eyes widened in shock. "What did you say? Jeanie didn't kill Tessie?"

Jerome let out a cold chuckle. "What do you think? Nini has been by your side for years. Do you really not know what kind of person she is? She rescues stray cats—how evil could she possibly be?"

Just then, a voice interrupted them.

"Mr. Gordon, we've found Mrs. Gordon."

Both men immediately turned toward the secretary, Taylor Grant.

"The police have identified the perpetrator in Mrs. Gordon's murder. They've also concluded their investigation into the crime's circumstances… and regarding the DNA verification, yesterday's body has been confirmed as Mrs. Gordon."