The day of Ashley Reed’s wedding, my mom got a call from the police department. A dismembered female body had been pulled from the river. The killer was already arrested, and the head had been identified, but no one knew who the body belonged to. The media swarmed the police station, desperate to know whose body it was. “Do you want to know? She’s the daughter of your most brilliant forensic expert’s acquaintance.” The killer licked his lips, a chilling smile spreading across his face. “Someone paid me a million to kill her. She kept screaming ‘Mom’ and her fiancé’s name when she died, but too bad neither of them loved her.” The media laughed at the killer’s outrageous claim. Everyone knew Dr. Eleanor Vance’s daughter, Ashley Reed, had it all — love, family, everything. She’d never even cried, let alone died. Only my mom and Liam Hayes, standing behind the cameras, had a profound look in their eyes. They both thought of me, thrown out of the house two years ago. “Mom, could it be her?” Liam frowned, staring at the stitched-together female corpse. The head’s owner had already been claimed; it was a head cut from another body. That girl’s parents had cried hysterically, cursing the killer for not even sparing the dead. But this killer’s even more monstrous act was killing another girl, the owner of the body before them. It had been a week. Even the killer had been caught and brought to justice, but the body’s owner remained unclaimed. The death was extremely brutal. Every bone was shattered, all ten fingernails ripped out, exposing raw, bloody flesh. Moreover, a large amount of stimulants was found in the body. The victim had been killed while fully conscious. “Impossible. Chloe is such a coward; she’d rather hide than die. Even if everyone else in the world died, she wouldn’t.” Mom spoke calmly, a face flashing in her mind, filled with disgust. But she didn’t know I was standing right beside her. “Mom, if this body really is me, would you feel even a tiny bit of heartache?” Mom looked in my direction. I stiffened, lost in her gentle, loving gaze. “Mom… can you see me?” “Ashley, why are you here? You’re pregnant. You shouldn’t be in places like this. It’s not good for you or the baby.” Mom hurried over, walking right through me. In front of her, whether I was dead or alive, I was no different from air. “Mom, Liam, you’ve run into a tough case. You’re not even coming home for dinner tonight, so of course I had to come see you. I brought food.” Ashley smiled, holding up the food. Mom quickly took it. “Our Ashley is such a thoughtful girl.” “Ashley, once this case is over, I’ll make it up to you with another wedding. You’ll still be the most beautiful bride.” Liam looked apologetic, gently stroking Ashley’s hand. “We rushed off today. I didn’t get a chance to properly apologize.” “We’re a couple, why apologize?” Ashley smiled sweetly, patting her belly, her face filled with happiness. “For the baby’s sake, I’ll forgive you.” Liam and Mom laughed heartily. Their laughter, however, felt incredibly harsh to my eyes. I turned my head away, hearing Mom say, “Ashley, the vegetable cream soup you made today tastes different from before.” A flicker of nervousness crossed Ashley’s face as she chuckled. “Mom, maybe being pregnant has made me rusty in the kitchen. I’ll practice more.” “You’re pregnant. You should cook less. Let the housekeeper do it.” Mom said, smiling with concern. I stood by, a chill running down my spine. That vegetable cream soup was all made by me. Ashley had kept me locked in a hidden cell in the basement of the villa for two whole years.
The noise outside continued, the media crowding around the killer, Dennis Black. “Whose body is it really? Why did you kill her so cruelly? Did you have a vendetta against her?” “I told you, it’s that forensic expert’s daughter, your assistant’s fiancée. Someone paid me a million to kill her. For every bone I shattered, I got an extra ten thousand, so I shattered every single bone in her body.” Dennis licked his lips, smiling at the camera. I shivered. I’d never forget that face. Two years ago, he ruined me. Two years later, he killed me. “How did I do?” “Excellent.” I saw Ashley mouth those words, then cover her belly and walk towards the corpse. “Ashley, you’re easily scared. Maybe you shouldn’t look.” Liam pulled Ashley’s arm, looking worried. “I’m fine, Liam. You and Mom are both forensic experts. I’ve seen plenty since I was little. It won’t scare me.” After saying that, she walked closer to the corpse, examining it carefully. “All her bones shattered?” “Yes, a brutal death. I can’t imagine the hatred or grudge involved.” Liam sighed regretfully, shaking his head. “The victim is likely a young woman, aged between twenty-three and twenty-five. The body fluids found were Dennis Black’s. It’s been confirmed.” My stomach churned. Thinking of that night, I felt like I died all over again. Ashley chuckled softly. “The body probably hasn’t been claimed because it’s missing its head, right? I think we should post nude photos of the body online. Anyone who recognizes it will naturally come forward.” A chill ran down my spine. I shook my head. “No… no… Liam, Mom, I beg you, don’t do that.” I was already dead. I didn’t want to be humiliated any further. “Ashley, you’re so smart! You’re truly your mother’s daughter.” Mom suddenly understood, showering Ashley with compliments. I wanted to scream, to tell everyone that I was the one who died, to beg them not to strip away my last shred of dignity. But no one could hear me. My body was posted online, drawing mostly mockery. “Gotta say, that body is truly beautiful. I bet she had a pretty face too.” “I really wish I could see what the owner of this body looked like. Such a shame to die like this.” “Thinking about a corpse? You guys must be desperate.” Ashley admired the body for a while before leaving. Liam and Mom escorted her to the door. “Ashley, once this case is done, we’ll come home and spend time with you.” Ashley nodded with a smile, then got into the car. I heard her say quietly, full of sarcasm, “Chloe Vance, I put your body right in front of them like this, and they still won’t figure out where you went. Too bad you kept screaming their names that night. How laughable.” “Now, everything you had is mine. I won.” I trembled uncontrollably, feeling utterly disgusted. Ashley Reed was the orphan I had begged Mom to bring home from the orphanage. When I met her at age ten, she was much smaller and thinner than other kids her age, sitting silently under a tree. I saw her strangle a cat. I screamed, terrified, wanting to hide, but then I saw her looking at me with pitiful, deer-like eyes. “Does everyone fear me?” Hiding behind the tree, I hesitated, then walked up to her and said, “I’m not afraid of you, but you hurt the little cat.” “Its leg was broken, and other cats bullied it. I just put it out of its misery.” Ashley assessed me, then said ingratiatingly, “I saw you today. You’re Dr. Vance’s daughter. A lot of kids went to play with you when you came.” “Why didn’t you go?” “The director told me not to get close to you.” My heart softened, an indescribable feeling. That day, I begged Mom to adopt Ashley and brought her home. But that was the mistake of my life. I shouldn’t have wished to save someone whose heart was inherently dark.
“Tell us, who is the owner of that body?” Mom and Liam sat opposite Dennis Black, their eyes filled with intense disgust for the killer. “I’ve been a medical examiner for so many years, and I’ve never seen such a brutal method of killing. Who ordered you to do this?” Mom stared at Dennis’s hardened face. “I’ve told you several times! It’s your daughter, your assistant’s fiancée. When I was hammering her bones, she kept screaming ‘Mom’… ‘Mom’… ‘Liam’… ‘Liam’… Her voice was just delightful.” Dennis spoke, gesturing with his hands. Everyone present couldn’t bear to listen. “A lying bastard.” Liam’s eyes were filled with impatience. “If you curse my fiancée again, I’ll feed you to the wolves.” “Dr. Hayes, Dr. Vance, for all your sharp eyes, you’ve searched the entire city and couldn’t find whose body it was, yet you can’t even recognize the person once closest to you. I truly pity that unloved woman.” Dennis clicked his tongue a few times, looking at Liam and Mom’s faces with a smile. “Think about it, who is it?” I stood by, watching the scene, and heard Dennis’s next words. “Chloe Vance, remember her?” Mom and Liam’s eyes widened instantly. Someone hearing that name immediately stepped forward and slapped Dennis hard twice. “How dare you say such nonsense!” “Why would I lie? I won’t live to spend the money anyway.” Dennis’s lips were bleeding, but he smiled triumphantly. “She begged me for so long, begging me to spare her life and let her see her mom and fiancé one last time. I just poured hot water down her throat, so she couldn’t scream anymore.” Liam and Mom’s faces turned grim. “Shut up, now!” Someone punched Dennis twice and dragged him away. “Dr. Hayes, Dr. Vance, Chloe couldn’t have been harmed.” “What could possibly happen to her? Fifty thousand goes missing from her card every month. What could happen to such a selfish person?” Mom said directly, “I wish she’d die out there. I wish I’d never given birth to that daughter.” I felt like I’d been plunged into an ice cellar, chilled to the core. “I’ll never forgive what she did to Ashley back then. Selfish and utterly irresponsible.” Liam’s face was filled with disgust when he mentioned my name. “Ashley’s life is far more important than hers. If she thinks she can use this method to get our attention, she’s delusional. She’s not even worth a single strand of Ashley’s hair.” Every single word pierced my ears. I gave a bitter laugh, my heart aching with a dull pain. That kidnapping two years ago, everyone believed I was selfish and wicked. But I was a victim too. Liam and I were supposed to get married two years ago, but I was kidnapped on our wedding day. Ashley was beaten within an inch of her life, yet I was returned unharmed. Everyone concluded that I had pushed my stepsister forward to save myself, but I knew nothing of that night. Everyone naturally sided with the perceived victim, and I became the worst kind of criminal. Driven out of the house, I was then locked in the basement by Ashley for two years, and all because she was jealous of me. “Why do you get all the love while I have nothing? Chloe Vance, if you hate, then hate that you brought me home.” Liam and Mom returned home, both looking distressed. “Mom, Liam, what’s wrong?” Ashley sat beside them, asking with a worried expression. “Ashley, you won’t believe it, that killer was bribed by Chloe Vance. She faked her death to make us pity her. She’ll stop at nothing, even playing with human lives.”
Mom was disgusted whenever my name was mentioned. “How did I give birth to a daughter like that?” “Chloe always loves to draw attention. I even heard she went to a hotel with a man a few days ago, and private photos were posted online…” Ashley saw their grim faces and covered her mouth. “Mom, Liam, did I say something wrong?” “No, Ashley, she’s fallen so low. Even if that female corpse is her, I wouldn’t be surprised.” Mom cursed, then saw the private photos Ashley took out. My eyes widened. These photos were taken the night I was attacked. Ashley was using photos of my forced assault to slander me. Liam threw the photos to the floor. “Disgusting.” I turned my head away, my nose burning. “She should have died two years ago, not still be alive to sicken us.” Liam’s brows were tightly furrowed, and Mom’s face was pale. “If I had known she would be like this, I should have left her at the orphanage… Luckily, our family is fine, and she won’t bother us.” “Mom, do you smell something bloody in the house?” Liam suddenly asked. As forensic experts, they were always sensitive to the scent of blood. “I smell it too. Something needs to be cleaned up quickly, or it won’t be good for Ashley and the baby.” Mom looked worried and was about to stand up but was stopped by Ashley. “Mom, it’s just some pork I bought. I haven’t had a chance to clean it yet. Don’t worry about it. Just get some rest.” Mom’s wrist was held, and she paused, then smiled and said, “Okay, you rest early too.” After saying that, she went back to her room. Inside the room, Mom saw a photo tucked inside a book on the table. She gently pulled it out. It was a picture of me, smiling radiantly, at eighteen. On my eighteenth birthday, Mom had given me a stunning pink sapphire necklace. My name was engraved on that necklace. “Chloe.” She found it an eyesore and tore the photo to shreds, throwing it into the trash can. “Chloe Vance, you truly are heartless, not coming home for two years just because of one slap, and now trying to deceive me by faking your death.” “Mom…” I called out softly, but she couldn’t hear. “Mom, right now, I hope you won’t recognize that it’s me.” Late at night, there was a sudden, urgent knocking at the door. “Mom! Wake up!” Mom opened the door to see a distraught Liam. He rarely looked so anxious. “What’s wrong? Is something wrong with Ashley?” Mom’s heart leaped to her throat. “Not Ashley, it’s about Chloe Vance.” Liam hesitated before speaking. “The police just called. Dennis is sticking to his story that it’s Chloe Vance, and… and he even pulled out a necklace.” Liam showed his phone, and Mom saw the necklace on the screen. It was that pink sapphire necklace. Her mind went blank instantly. The name “Chloe” engraved on the necklace stung her eyes. Even more striking than the pink sapphire were the dried bloodstains on it. Mom stumbled backward. I instinctively wanted to reach out. Liam steadied Mom, his lips trembling. “Also, Dennis said he knows where the head is, but we need to go to the scene ourselves.”
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