Home / Romance / Five Years After My Watery Death / Chapter 1 - Chapter 7

All Chapters of Five Years After My Watery Death: Chapter 1 - Chapter 7

7 Chapters

Chapter 1 The Bodies

Five Years After My Watery Death/Arctic Islands

After receiving the case report, Sebastian Clarke, my brother, promptly rushed to the crime scene with his new assistant, Riley.In addition to two heavy boulders, a curled-up human skeleton was found inside the dark red suitcase.Sebastian's gaze hardened.One look at the remains, and he knew the victim had been dead for at least two years. Moreover, the longer time passed, the fewer traces the murderer had left would exist. As a result, solving this case would require exceptional technical skill.Riley crouched beside the suitcase, picking up one of the boulders. His eyes caught on a small bone—a tibia, by the looks of it."This can't be a child's bone, can it?"Sebastian expressed displeasure with Riley's jesting and scornful tone.Glancing at Riley with a serious expression, Sebastian growled, "Stick to the facts, not baseless speculation."Embarrassed, Riley flushed and quickly redirected his focus, carefully following Sebastian's lead.My tense feeling also calmed down

Chapter 2 Envy

Five Years After My Watery Death/Arctic Islands

Rebecca was the child my parents adopted from an orphanage after I went missing.Sebastian once explained the adoption to me. "They took her in to fill the void you left," he said. Strictly speaking, she was my substitute.Yet, I constantly envied Rebecca since the day I returned to the Clarke Residence. With a single word or a subtle gesture, she could command the attention of everyone in the room. Meanwhile, I, still weighed down by my rustic mannerisms, sensitivity, and timidity, could barely find my place in this family, even after years of reunion.Even though my parents and Sebastian constantly tried their best to make up for my lack of family affection in the past few years, it still couldn't change the fact that they grew alienated from me later on.My presence among the Clarke family seemed to have become invisible. Rebecca, on the other hand, flourished as though she were the true heiress of the Clarke family.No matter how hard I tried, it only seemed to drive them fu

Chapter 3 Truly Unfair

Five Years After My Watery Death/Arctic Islands

It wasn't until we returned from the cemetery that I realized something peculiar: my soul seemed bound to Sebastian. I could follow him, but no one else.The familiar Clarke Residence remained the same as the one in my memory. Sorrow crawled at my chest as I looked at the big family portrait in the living room, which no longer had a trace of me inside.I thought back to my first year at the Clarke Residence and to the gifts I received upon my return. Sebastian gave me a Toy Poodle, my first real pet. Meanwhile, my parents took me to a photography studio to create a family portrait.At that time, my grandmother was still alive and well. She pulled me from the back row, positioning me by her side. Her warm eyes gazed down at me as she said, "Naomi, we've finally found you. Don't worry. From now on, we'll never lose you again."I cried in her lap, believing I really had found my family and happiness.But never once did it cross my mind that it would be the start of my nightmare

Chapter 4 Interrogation

Five Years After My Watery Death/Arctic Islands

Sebastian's face turned pale. "Repeat what you just said," he demanded, his voice trembling with disbelief.Caught off guard, Riley hesitated for a moment before responding, "I'm not entirely sure. You should come see for yourself."The phone slipped from Sebastian's hand and dropped to the ground with a clang. He simply stood still in a daze until he received a notification pop-up from his Telegram. He opened the message and saw that it was the craniofacial reconstruction image Riley had sent him.Sebastian stared blankly at the phone screen.He bent down to pick it up, but a pair of hands reached it first."Sebastian, what are you doing here?" Rebecca's familiar voice chirped. She handed him the phone with a playful grin. "The Hall family's younger crowd is planning to get you drunk, and here you are, hiding in some dark corner!"Noticing his pale complexion, Rebecca tilted her head in concern. "What's wrong, Sebastian? Are you okay? Hello? Earth to Sebastian?"After she cal

Chapter 5 Realization

Five Years After My Watery Death/Arctic Islands

Upon arriving at his workplace, Sebastian frantically rushed into the forensic identification room.Riley was stunned for a long time when he saw Sebastian suddenly show up."Aren't you attending Rebecca's engagement party?""The dog. Where's the dog?"His near-hysterical state scared the hell out of Riley. "Dog? There's no dog here."In a fit of desperation, Sebastian grabbed Riley by the collar. His usual composure was shattered; the man who stood before Riley was unrecognizable."The one… that came with the human skeleton," Sebastian choked out, his voice breaking. "I… I need that dog." Sebastian's voice was choked with sobs and eventually became vague at the end of his speech.Riley's eyes widened in realization. Slowly, he pointed toward the autopsy stand. "It's there. I placed it there."Sebastian released him and staggered into the room inside. He didn't even bother putting on gloves—an unthinkable breach of protocol for someone as meticulous as him. He tore through th

Chapter 6 Speak the Truth

Five Years After My Watery Death/Arctic Islands

"Sebastian, what on earth are you talking about?" My mother came over and shielded Rebecca from Sebastian's assault. "And do you realize how badly you humiliated Rebecca in front of all those guests? She was supposed to have the happiest day of her life, and you ruined it with your outburst! You owe her an apology!"Holding up the dog's tibia furiously, Sebastian pointed at Rebecca and roared, "She’s the one who should be apologizing! Come here, Rebecca! I want you to answer me. Did you lie to us all along?"Rebecca pressed herself against my mother, her entire body trembling. Her eyes darted around, avoiding Sebastian’s piercing gaze, and an aura of guilt seemed to envelop her."Sebastian, what should I be apologizing for? I have never lied to you guys!" Sebastian didn’t wait for another excuse. His rage boiled over, and he grabbed Rebecca by the hair, dragging her to the floor. "Do you still remember I had called you on the day Grandma died?"Grimacing in pain, Rebecca looked

Chapter 7 It All Came to Light

Five Years After My Watery Death/Arctic Islands

Once I desperately ran over to my grandmother's side and helped her up from the ground, Rebecca was nowhere to be found.I took out my phone and prepared to call the police. However, my failure to notice Rebecca already waiting secretly behind me granted her a chance to attack me.Fearing that my grandmother was still alive, she took the steel bar and stabbed her in the abdomen repeatedly.Moreover, she cut off my left hand, which was missing a thumb, to conceal my identity. She even brought out the suitcase that she had long prepared.It turned out that she had planned the whole murder from early on and wanted to shift all the blame on me. That was why she brought along my suitcase instead of her own.Her original plan was to pack only my grandmother's body into the suitcase and make it look like my crime. But my unexpected presence disrupted her carefully laid scheme. Worse for her, my loyal dog had followed me. Eventually, the bloodthirsty Rebecca beat my dog, who was eager