Book 1: Chapter1
The Shadow of My Death
It had been four long years.
In the wail of police sirens, my body was unearthed from the sands of an abandoned factory, sparking a wave of shock among the onlookers.
As they carried my remains back to the lab, my soul stumbled along, tethered to what was left of me.
I was placed on the autopsy table, awaiting the examination that would finally confirm my identity.
The person performing the autopsy? None other than my husband, Michael Hayes.
I never imagined that four years after my death, we would meet again in such a way.
He took my hand, gently lifted my torso, and carefully inspected every injury on my body. His touch was so tender… for a moment, it almost felt like a dream.
“Where was the body found?”
The routine question shattered the silence.
“The body was discovered buried in the sand at a place called Zenith Factory. The factory’s been abandoned for years, so the victim’s been mummified in the sand, undetected for the past four years,” the officer replied.
At the mention of Zenith Factory, Michael froze for a couple of seconds.
It was as if something dormant within him had suddenly been awakened, a flash of anger igniting in his eyes.
I knew why.
Just hearing those words brought me back to his mind.
Zenith Factory was where we first met, where we had our first date, where we fell in love. We even took our wedding photos there. It was a place filled with our memories.
And now…
It’s where I died.
The irony of it all felt almost absurd.
I wondered what Michael was thinking. After a moment’s pause, he called over a medical intern to assist him and began the autopsy.
“The victim suffered hundreds of injuries, big and small, all over her body. Her legs were broken, suggesting severe abuse.”
“The perpetrator shattered her skull with a hammer, then used acid to disfigure her face and erase her fingerprints, deliberately trying to conceal her identity.”
“The most horrifying part is…”
“There’s a deep incision in the lower right abdomen. The uterus was cut open, showing signs of pregnancy. The fetus was removed—likely only a few months along. The whereabouts of the child are still unknown.”
These few sentences left the intern speechless with horror.
Michael remained calm, gently reassuring the intern, “Stay composed. As forensic professionals, our ability to withstand such things must be stronger than that of ordinary people.”
He was still as gentle and caring as ever, asking the intern to step aside and gather the details without a hint of dissatisfaction.
But… what if he knew that it was our child?
Would he still be this composed?
Looking at his downcast eyes, the same serious, refined demeanor he always had, I couldn’t help but be reminded of four years ago.
Four years ago.
That was when an intern named Rachel Green appeared at Michael’s side.
Rachel was no ordinary person. She was a rose that Michael had nurtured with his own hands.
During a field mission, Michael met Rachel, a highly gifted student with top grades, though from a poor family. He said she was special, and as a girl fascinated by forensics, she was a rarity—someone he wanted to mentor and protect.
After returning to the city, Michael sponsored Rachel’s university education, and they kept in touch through letters. Rachel idolized Michael, growing more attached to him over time, and eventually, she enrolled in the same forensic school, enduring many hardships to be by his side.
But he didn’t know that the rose he nurtured would use the skills he taught her to brutally murder me!
Even after four years, Rachel’s words still filled me with terror!
“Get out of here!”
“You should never have been by Michael’s side! You should be dead!”
“I’m the only one who belongs with him!”
Those haunting words echoed in my mind for four long years.
Every time I recalled them, I couldn’t stop trembling!
Even the lights in the autopsy room flickered, reacting to my distress.
In the midst of my fear, Michael’s scalpel cut into my chest, slicing through my flesh.
Even in death, I could still feel the sharpness of the blade.
It was just like that night… when Rachel Green used a knife to carve into my skin!
Book 1: Chapter2
At that moment, I couldn’t hold it in any longer!
I wept, floating above my lifeless body.
I screamed Michael Hayes’ name over and over, desperate for him to recognize me, to seek justice for me, to punish Rachel Green.
She had orchestrated everything—framing me, slandering me for cheating during our marriage, and even colluding with another accountant at my firm to claim I was embezzling money and having an affair with a rival company’s CEO, only to flee the country with the stolen funds!
It was her lies that led to my demise!
But then, Michael’s phone rang, the screen flashing with the name “Wife.”
Wife?
I’d been dead for four years—who could be calling him?
He was just about to open my chest, where he’d see the surgical scar from a missing rib, something that would make it easy for him to recognize me!
But instead, he removed his gloves and quickly answered the phone, leaving the intern to continue the autopsy.
“Sweetheart, what’s up?” His voice was gentle, like a spring breeze. “Is the baby kicking again? Are you uncomfortable?”
The voice on the other end was soft and coy, but it sent shivers down my spine.
“It’s nothing, just a little nausea. I miss you so much, darling.”
It was Rachel Green’s voice!
Michael chuckled. “Don’t worry, love. When I get home, I’ll give that little troublemaker a good talking to for making my baby uncomfortable.”
Rachel giggled, “Mmhmm!”
They flirted, right in front of my corpse, as if they were the perfect family.
I couldn’t believe it. Rachel Green had actually married Michael after killing me!
And now they even had a child together…
What did that make the child she ripped from my womb?
After hanging up, Michael’s face was still softened with tenderness, so much so that even the intern couldn’t resist teasing him.
“Dr. Hayes, I didn’t expect you and your wife to be so in love after all these years!”
Michael paused, a shadow crossing his face before he explained.
“She’s my second wife, not my first.”
“We’ve only recently gotten married. She loves me deeply, and I’m grateful for her understanding.”
"Because... my first wife was just after money. She cheated, left me, and took off to another country with a stash she’d stolen."
He seemed to grit his teeth, his voice laced with bitterness.
“Oh!” The intern was mortified. “I’m so sorry, Dr. Hayes!”
“It’s fine.”
Michael smiled faintly, a glimmer of stars in his eyes as he reminisced about Rachel’s virtues.
“I’ve moved on now. It’s my current wife who helped me get through it.”
Hearing those words, I howled in rage!
It was Rachel Green who killed me!
It was her who ruined me!
She took my place!
She ripped our child from my body!
And now, in front of my corpse, you’re reminiscing about how wonderful she is?!
I was beside myself with anger.
Michael, however, simply smiled down at my body, directing the intern to continue the autopsy.
They reached my stomach.
When they sliced it open and peeled back the stomach wall, the dry, crackling sound was like tearing into a piece of beef jerky.
One look inside, and the intern gasped in shock!
“Dr. Hayes! You… you need to see this!”
“The victim’s child… it was stuffed inside her own stomach!”
“Preliminary analysis suggests it was forced in through that incision in the lower right abdomen.”
Michael frowned, swiftly noting it in the record.
“This is beyond cruel!”
“It really is! Absolutely barbaric!”
“No doubt about it.”
Michael donned his gloves once more, examining my body with a steady hand.
"Initial assessment: the perpetrator was swift and ruthless, delivering each strike with deadly precision and without hesitation."
Book 1: Chapter3
The intern immediately understood what Michael Hayes was implying.
"Dr. Hayes, do you mean…?"
"The perpetrator likely had a strong knowledge of human anatomy."
"Exactly."
"The killer is probably a professional, either a medical examiner or a healthcare worker. This is crucial—make sure to note it down and pass it to the police."
"Got it."
"And the use of acid to destroy the victim's face and fingerprints? Ordinary people wouldn’t be able to obtain this much acid through legal channels. That's another key point."
...
They kept working, and I thought that following these clues, it wouldn't be long before Michael realized that this body was mine.
But after giving a few quick instructions, Michael removed his gloves once again.
His tone softened, and a smile played on his lips.
"I’ll leave the rest to you. I need to get back home to my wife."
Tethered to Michael, my spirit followed him as he returned home.
This used to be our home, but now it belonged to him and Rachel Green.
The decor and layout had completely changed, erasing every trace of my existence.
They even had a cat and a dog. As soon as Michael opened the door, the pets eagerly rushed to greet him.
I remembered how Michael used to have a serious cleanliness obsession—he wouldn’t even allow a single fish, let alone pets, in our home.
When I once brought home a couple of gifted goldfish, he was furious, accusing me of disregarding his feelings, and forced me to flush them down the toilet.
But now, he was entirely different!
He patted the cat and dog on their heads before rushing to find Rachel in the bedroom.
Rachel playfully smiled and hid behind the curtains, and they ended up in each other's arms, laughing and kissing.
"Honey, you're back?" Rachel gasped, wrapping her arms around Michael's neck.
"Yeah, I missed you," Michael’s voice was husky. "I couldn’t stop thinking about you after we hung up. How’s our baby?"
"Behaving well."
They laughed, cuddling together, and then fell onto the bed right in front of me.
"Over three months now, and everything seems stable. Should I be gentler?"
"Mmhmm!"
I floated numbly by the window, watching them in our old marital bed, entwined together.
Michael undressed her, whispering sweet words as rhythmic sounds filled the room, shattering my heart completely!
I screamed like a madwoman, calling out Michael’s name over and over!
Rachel Green killed me!
She framed me!
She even ripped our child from my body!
And yet you...
You married her and gave her all the love that was once mine?
Then what am I? What about our child?!
I screamed with all my might, but it was no use—I could only watch as they basked in their stolen happiness.
I could only watch as Rachel Green, this murderer, enjoyed everything she had taken from me!
The next morning, Michael prepared a lavish breakfast for Rachel.
I hovered by the window as I saw Rachel sneak up behind Michael and wrap her arms around his waist.
As they stood there, wrapped up in each other, Rachel couldn’t help but bring up my name.
"Michael, did you ever…make breakfast for Phoebe Barnes?"
Michael hesitated slightly, his brow furrowing.
He didn’t notice the expression on Rachel's face—a mix of mockery, playful teasing, and a sense of triumph.
“Let's not talk about that first thing in the morning.”
Michael's voice was ice-cold, filled with deep resentment.
"A filthy woman like Phoebe Barnes—just saying her name makes me sick."
