Ethan set down the diamond ring, and his gaze was losing focus. Eventually, he looked at his wrist.There wasn't anything special on his wrist, save for the marks left from wearing a watch over long periods.When Ethan got together with Sophia later on, she had complained about the watch he was wearing. She had said that it kept poking her when she lay her head on his arm to sleep.After hesitating for a long while, Ethan took off the watch he had always worn and placed it in the drawer of the bedside table.That watch was the first gift I had ever given to him.Ethan and Sophia had gotten into a huge fight a long time ago.Sophia was sulking, and she had gone flirting with another man. Ethan, who was full of youthful vigor, had chosen to get drunk in a bar instead of talking to her.Sophia had expected Ethan to appease her, but in the end, she didn't get what she wanted. In her fury, she had called Ethan and said many terrible things to him.Back then, Ethan kept failing the p
When I next saw Sophia, she was in the underground garage of my and Ethan's house.It was very hot then, but she was wearing a hat, sunglasses, and a mask. I could tell right away that she was worried someone might recognize her.The internet was a double-edged sword. Thanks to the internet, Sophia became a famous livestreamer overnight, but now, it was the very thing that utterly destroyed her reputation. Someone uploaded the video online, and the video caused a huge uproar.Internet users hated the thought of being used as pawns, especially when it involved matters concerning public safety.A user wrote, "Goodness, I remember this woman! She was the one who exposed Charlotte Smith for stealing and leaking the virus samples!"Another user commented, "The more I think about it, the scarier it becomes. If that corpse really were Charlotte Smith, how could a dead person steal the samples?"Someone else wrote, "I think she might have been murdered to cover up the truth…"The fame
Ethan took Sophia to an illegal clinic he had sought out beforehand.In the unregulated surgery room, Sophia had the child aborted. Each of her terrified screams was louder than the last.I watched in the air above them, my heart as calm as it could be.The doctor took out a bloody piece of flesh.Ethan only took a glance at the dead baby, which had already begun to take form. Then, he carelessly flicked the ash off the cigarette he was holding. "Toss it."Sirens were heard outside the clinic. Ethan coldly watched as they carried away Sophia, who was close to death. He disappeared into the night.He had given the illegal clinic lots of hush money, so he had no fear of being implicated. I followed him. He went straight to the hospital where my corpse was stored. Then, he claimed my ashes with our marriage certificate, which had been expired for a long while.He carried the tiny urn in his hands, but it seemed to weigh a thousand pounds. He usually had an upright posture, but th
When the case was overturned, I felt like many people had begun favoring me.Those who had insulted me and my parents and indirectly driven them to their deaths were now the same ones speaking out in my defense and offering apologies. My colleagues, who had attacked me amidst the chaos, suddenly grew remorseful. As they talked about their time working with me in the past, they shed some tears of regret.One of them said, "Actually, I had wanted to say that Charlotte wasn't that sort of person at all. She even helped me with my reports back then."Another replied, "I wanted to say that too…"I only found it ironic.After leaving the prison that day, Ethan went to my old home alone.This place had been abandoned ever since my grandparents passed away. It was in ruins, and the grass at the entrance had grown even taller than Ethan.I was stunned as I gazed at the familiar yet strange scene. I felt something cold on my face.How odd. Could spirits shed tears too?I had only brou
Two years ago, I was the most talented researcher at the Disease Control Agency.While I was studying virus samples with undeciphered genetic codes, my husband Ethan Carter's true love, Sophia Williams, burned me alive. She had splashed alcohol across the shattered virus samples, the glass vials she'd broken in the struggle. Pressing a rag soaked in diethyl ether against my face, she waited until my consciousness faded. Then, she set the lab ablaze, reducing everything to ashes. When the staff arrived with the firemen, she had sobbed through her story—claiming I was a foreign agent who had stolen virus samples. A month later, a strange and highly contagious disease began spreading through the city, leaving death and suffering in its wake. Ethan publicly severed all ties with me before getting together with his true love. I became the city's pariah, condemned as a foreign spy by everyone. This continued until three bold high schoolers breached the long-sealed lab. There, th
I was stunned.Ethan was still my legal husband when I died. Two years after my death, he had married the culprit who had murdered me, and they even had a baby together.I was curious, though. I wondered what expression Sophia would have on her face when she saw my corpse after two years. After all, this would mean that the truth behind my death was about to surface.That fateful afternoon, I was researching a group of virus samples with genetic codes we hadn't deciphered yet.My superior had told me that the virus was extremely dangerous and that it could survive even in high-temperature environments. Our top priority was to figure out ways to inhibit it.No one was working at the lab that day. After getting special permission from the leader, I was all alone in the lab as I repeatedly compared the boring data. I was determined to speed up our research progress.It was then that Sophia entered the lab.As soon as she walked in, she started shouting and insulting me. She was fur
With Sophia playing the victim and Ethan defending her, the case was wrapped up with the claim that "Charlotte Smith, a researcher, had turned her back on her duties and betrayed the country". That careless judgment had marked me with a deep disgrace. No one dared enter the lab to investigate the truth due to the threat of the unknown virus.The researchers at the lab were ordered to terminate the project due to the leaked virus samples, and the surrounding areas were designated as restricted zones. The site was sealed off entirely, entombing my corpse within it. Officials had suppressed the information to avoid mass panic, but a month later, the terrifying and highly contagious disease had broken out in the city. It was the most dangerous outbreak the world had ever seen.Countless lives were lost, and for a time, everyone was at risk. Several bold journalists had discovered that Ethan was in charge of the case and demanded an explanation from him.They had intercepted Ethan
Sophia's behavior that day had attracted a lot of fans who supported her relationship with Ethan.After the disease gradually came under control, time slowly eased the stress the outbreak had brought upon the public.However, whenever my name was mentioned, people still spat and cursed at me.Making use of her fanbase, Sophia had started working as a live streamer. She would update her lovey-dovey life with Ethan every day.Later, she began creating content based on infant care when she got pregnant.By the time Ethan saw my corpse, Sophia was already four months pregnant.She gently caressed her belly on-screen, and her quiet expression exuded a motherly shine.However, when Ethan told her that a burned corpse was found in the lab, her expression turned ferocious for an instant."Come home soon, darling. Our baby misses you," Sophia said.Ethan replied, "Is it our baby who misses me, or is it you?"Their call was on speaker mode, so Ethan's voice reached the ears of all the