I died on the day Adrian proposed to Melissa. As the lead detective, he stepped over my body at the crime scene, his only concern covering Melissa’s eyes. He whispered, “Don’t look. It’s disgusting.” He said I was disgusting. My heart had been carved out. My blood drained dry. I was nothing but a discarded rag doll. Later, I became a ghost. I watched him burn every trace of me to win Melissa’s favor. Watched him move into the house I bought. Watched him sleep with my killer in that very room. I hated him so much that I wanted to kill him. Until the wedding day. The day he pulled the knife from Melissa’s chest and drove it into his own heart. In a pool of blood, he reached toward an empty corner. Tenderly. “Natalie, am I worthy to see you now?” Natalie’s POV Seven days after my death, Adrian brought a woman home. I floated in midair, looking at my own portrait, then at Adrian’s garish wine-red shirt. Melissa clung to his arm. She was the heir to Lincoln Medical Group, the woman he’d shielded at the crime scene, afraid she’d see something disgusting. I didn’t have much family left. My uncle stood off to the side, his hands trembling with rage. “Adrian, today is Natalie’s funeral. You dress like this and bring a stranger here. Do you want to break her heart?” Adrian laughed. He casually adjusted his cuffs without even glancing at my portrait. “She’s dead. How can she be heartbroken? Superstitious nonsense.” Melissa leaned coquettishly on his shoulder, covering her nose and looking at my casket with disgust. “Adrian, the smell is too strong. It’s making me dizzy.” Adrian immediately wrapped his arm around her waist, his hand caressing places he’d never touched on me. “Then let’s not stay. I didn’t want to come anyway. Just going through the motions.” My uncle grabbed the flowers from the table and hurled them at him. Adrian tilted his head. The flowers smashed against the doorframe, turning into a pile of mush. His eyes instantly went cold. I knew that look well. It was the one he used on criminals, the look that could devour a person. But now he was turning that viciousness on one of the few family I had left. “You son of a bitch. You looking for death?” Adrian lunged forward. My uncle stumbled back, terrified. I desperately wanted to rush down and stop him, reaching out to push against Adrian’s chest, but my hand passed straight through his body. No sensation whatsoever. I’d forgotten. I was already dead. Of course Adrian didn’t hit my uncle. He simply grabbed my black-and-white portrait. “Adrian! What are you doing!” my uncle shouted. “This photo looks unlucky.” Adrian flicked his wrist. Crash! The frame hit the floor, glass shattering everywhere. The photo I’d chosen so carefully, where I smiled my brightest, was torn to shreds by the sharp glass. Melissa clapped and laughed beside him. “Adrian, use this one instead. This one’s prettier.” She pulled out a photo she’d prepared in advance. It was her photo. She wore white lace, smiling radiantly. Adrian took it and casually placed it where my portrait had been. I almost laughed from sheer fury. At my funeral, displaying his mistress’s photo? Adrian, you really are capable of anything. “Done. Spot’s taken.” Adrian dusted off his hands and turned to Melissa with a gentle smile. “Let’s go home. It’s cold in here. Don’t want you getting sick.” My uncle trembled with rage, pointing at Adrian’s retreating back and cursing him as a bastard. Adrian didn’t even pause. I floated behind him, staring hard at his back. Adrian, how can you be so heartless? We were married for three years. You once ran all over the city to buy me a discontinued toy. You once had tears in your eyes just because I cut my finger. You said you’d protect me for a lifetime. Turns out that lifetime was this short. They walked out and got in the car. Melissa sat in the passenger seat, touching up her lipstick in the mirror. “Adrian, you were so fierce back there. You scared me.” Adrian started the engine, steering with one hand, his tone casual. “If I’m not fierce, those poor relatives will think they can extort money from me. Natalie’s dead. All she left behind worth anything is that house. Can’t let them get their hands on it.” “Then just sell the house.” “Sell it? That location’s prime real estate. Keep it for appreciation.” I sat in the back seat, listening to them calculate my inheritance. That house was left to me by my parents, and I’d used my savings from journalism to barely pay off the mortgage. Now it belonged to him and his mistress. Melissa seemed satisfied with this answer and leaned over to kiss his cheek. “You’re so practical. Oh, and that dead woman’s stuff isn’t all cleared out yet, right? I don’t care. It all has to go tonight, or I’m not going in.” “Whatever you want.” Adrian agreed too quickly, without a second’s hesitation. The car drove into the night. Streetlights flickered across his face as they passed. I looked at this profile I’d once loved so deeply and felt only strangeness. When they reached the apartment, Melissa got out first. Adrian was locking the car when his movements slowed. I saw his hand on the car door trembling. He looked down at his right hand. His index and middle fingernails were broken, flesh exposed, blood dripping from his fingertips. I froze. When had that happened? Then I remembered. At the funeral home, when he turned to leave, his fingers had dug into the doorframe. He’d had his back to everyone then. No one saw his expression, no one saw how hard he’d gripped. He stared at the wound for a moment, expressionless, then wiped the blood on his pants, cleaning it off. Then he put on a smile and headed upstairs. “Coming, babe.” He called out in the stairwell. I floated in place, looking at those few drops of blood on the ground. Adrian, are you in pain? Does your fingernail hurt, or is it something else? No. I quickly dismissed that ridiculous thought. A man like him couldn’t have a heart. If he had a heart, he wouldn’t be bringing his mistress home just days after my death.
Natalie’s POV Back at the apartment, Melissa truly began to make good on her promise. Spring cleaning. “What is this? So ugly.” Melissa yanked my trench coat from the closet-the birthday gift Adrian had given me last year. Back then he’d held me and said, “You look most elegant in this.” Now he leaned against the doorframe, cigarette in hand, glancing at the coat. “Throw it out.” “What about this? This bag’s all worn. Aren’t you embarrassed?” That was my interview bag for reporting. I’d used it for four years, carrying it to countless crime scenes. “Throw it out.” “These books are all yellowed, and this pile of notebooks…” Those were my interview notes, containing leads on every case I’d investigated, including the dirt on Lincoln Medical Group that led to my death. I rushed over in a panic. “You can’t throw those away! Adrian! Those are evidence! Evidence I was going to give to the police!” I tried to grab the notebooks. But Melissa’s hand passed right through me as she stuffed all the notebooks into a black trash bag. Adrian walked over and bent down to lift the heavy bag. “Just waste paper taking up space.” He carried my life’s work, my entire life, and turned to leave. “Adrian! Look at them! Just open one and look!” I followed him, screaming. If he’d just open one page, he’d see what I’d found out. He’d know how I died. But he didn’t. He walked to the hallway and dumped the trash bag straight into the garbage bin. He even dusted off his hands as if they were dirty. When he came back, Melissa was shrieking in the bathroom. “Adrian! Look at this!” I floated over. Melissa pointed at a small box on the sink. Inside lay a simple ring. Our wedding ring. When we got married, Adrian had nothing. I used three years of savings to buy those rings. I didn’t care that he was poor. I said we’d build a life together. Back then, he slid that ring onto my finger, crying like a child. He’d said, “Natalie, from now on, everything I have, I’ll give to you.” Now Melissa held it between her fingers, disgusted. “This is your wedding ring? Not even worth much. Why leave it here to bother people?” Adrian leaned in the bathroom doorway, his gaze falling on the ring. Just a moment’s pause. “It is pretty bothersome.” He walked over and took the ring from Melissa’s hand. I thought he’d put it away. Even if just for show. But he didn’t. He walked to the toilet and opened his fingers. “Clink.” The sound of the ring hitting the water was piercingly clear. Then came the sound of the flush being pressed. The rushing water swept the ring away, and with it, my last shred of hope. I stood in the cramped bathroom, watching the whirlpool disappear, watching the calm water surface. My heart felt completely emptied by that flush. “Out with the old, in with the new.” Adrian pulled Melissa close and kissed her cheek. “Tomorrow I’ll take you to pick out a big one. With diamonds.” Melissa smiled happily. “That’s more like it. That cheap ring wasn’t worth anything anyway.” “Yeah, worthless.” Adrian agreed. They walked out of the bathroom laughing, turning off the light. Darkness swallowed me instantly. I crouched by the toilet, staring at that pitch-black drain. Adrian. That was three years of savings. That was money we’d saved eating dry bread in our rental apartment for so long. That was what you knelt down and put on my finger when you proposed. You said it was worthless. Yes. If the person wasn’t worth anything, what was a ring? That night, Adrian slept on the couch. Melissa refused to sleep in the master bedroom because I’d used the mattress. She insisted on replacing it tomorrow before she’d sleep there. Tonight she took the guest room. Adrian didn’t object. Late at night, the house was quiet. I floated in the living room, watching Adrian on the couch. He wasn’t sleeping. He held his phone. The screen lit up his face. He was looking at stocks. Or some other financial news. Definitely not at photos of me. Suddenly, he pressed his phone against his chest and let out a long breath. That sigh was deep and heavy. Like exhaustion suppressed for too long. He sat up and pulled out a pack of cigarettes from under the coffee table. He lit one. The red ember glowed in the darkness. He didn’t smoke it, just held it between his fingers, watching the smoke curl upward. The ash burned down to his hand, but he didn’t move. I watched him. I’d watched him smoke countless times in the middle of the night before. Back then he worried about cases. I’d walk over, take away his cigarette, pour him a warm glass of milk. He’d pull me close by the waist, burying his face in my embrace like a child. Now I couldn’t even touch him. “Natalie.” He suddenly spoke. His voice hoarse, especially clear in the silent night. I jolted. “You stupid woman.” He laughed and stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray. “Won’t give me peace even after death.” For that instant, I thought he regretted it. I thought he was thinking of me. But the next second, he picked up his phone and made a call. “Hello, Mr. Lincoln. She’s asleep…Don’t worry, I cleared out all her stuff. Yeah, I’ll handle the transfer tomorrow. Right, I want the house under Melissa’s name as soon as possible..” I floated in midair, listening to him calmly settle my affairs. So that sigh was him calculating how to please his new masters faster. Stupid woman. Yes, I was really stupid. Dead and still being cursed in his mind. Adrian. If ghosts could really kill people. I’d strangle you right now.
Natalie’s POV Early the next morning, an uninvited guest arrived. Kyle. My brother. After our parents died, Kyle was my only concern. He was in college, normally living on campus. He must have heard about my death and rushed back like crazy. The door was kicked open. Kyle gripped a fruit knife, his eyes bloodshot, like a wounded beast out of control. “Adrian! I’m going to kill you!” He charged into the living room and lunged at Adrian, who was eating breakfast. Melissa shrieked, spilling milk everywhere. Adrian didn’t even change his sitting position. The instant before the blade touched his chest, he shot to his feet and kicked Kyle’s wrist. The fruit knife clattered to the floor. Then with a grappling move, Kyle was slammed onto the coffee table, face pressed against the cold glass, unable to move. “Let go of me! Adrian, you bastard! You killed Natalie! It was you!” Kyle struggled desperately, screaming. I floated beside them, frantic. “Kyle! Run! You can’t beat him!” But he couldn’t hear me. Adrian held Kyle’s neck down with one hand while leisurely pulling out a tissue with the other to wipe the milk that had splashed on his hand. “Natalie died of heart failure. The medical examiner’s report is already out.” “Bullshit! She was perfectly healthy, how could she have heart failure! It was definitely you! You and this bitch killed her!” Kyle spat toward Melissa. Melissa shrieked and dodged, pointing at Kyle and cursing. “Adrian! He tried to murder someone! Call the police! Or… cripple him!” Melissa’s eyes were vicious. The two bodyguards behind her were already reaching for their waists. I knew. Those were guns. The Lincoln family did shady business. Their bodyguards carried guns at all times. If Kyle kept making trouble, he’d really die. “Adrian! Please! Let him go!” I knelt before Adrian, though I knew he couldn’t see me. Adrian’s eyes shifted. He glanced at the two bodyguards, then at Kyle still struggling beneath him. “Cripple him?” Adrian laughed softly and picked up the fruit knife from the floor. He spun it in his hand, the blade flashing cold light. “For something this small, I’ll handle it.” Before the words finished, the knife in his hand plunged down hard. The sound of blade entering flesh. “Ahh-!!!” Kyle’s agonized scream filled the room. That stab went straight through Kyle’s thigh. Blood gushed out instantly, staining the carpet red. I collapsed to the floor, watching my brother’s face contort in pain, watching that blood pour out continuously. “Kyle…” I tried to cover the wound, but my hand passed through the warm liquid. Adrian pulled out the knife, bringing with it a spray of blood drops. He stood up, looking down at Kyle curled in pain. “This stab is to teach you a lesson. Learn to be smarter. Don’t stand up for Natalie again. Her life was short-you want to follow her?” Kyle was drenched in cold sweat from the pain but still stared at Adrian. “Adrian… even as a ghost… I won’t let you go…” “Fine, I’ll wait.” Adrian threw the bloody knife on the table and pulled out a wet wipe to clean his hands. “Call 911. Drag him out.” He told the bodyguards. The bodyguards glanced at Melissa. She seemed pleased by the bloody scene and nodded. Kyle was dragged out like a dead dog. A long trail of blood remained on the floor. I chased after them, following until the ambulance arrived. Watching Kyle being loaded in, the paramedic said no artery was hit, just flesh wounds that would heal in a few months. I slumped by the roadside. No artery hit? Adrian had stabbed so viciously, straight through the thigh, yet just happened to miss the artery? Was it coincidence? I floated back to the apartment. Bodyguards were cleaning the blood from the carpet. Melissa nestled in Adrian’s arms, her finger tracing circles on his chest. “Adrian, you were so handsome just now. That stab was so clean.” Adrian looked down at her, a smile on his lips but no warmth in his eyes. “As long as you’re happy.” Melissa pulled a document from her bag and handed it to him. “This is a gift from my father. He says from now on, the Deputy Director position at Lincoln Group’s Security Department is yours.” Adrian took the document and flipped through it. “Thank Mr. Lincoln for me.” He closed the document, his gaze sweeping over where Kyle had bled. His eyes were as deep as stagnant water. In that moment, I suddenly felt I couldn’t read him. To curry favor with the Lincoln family, to climb the ladder, he could even be ruthless to Kyle. But that stab… why did it specifically avoid vital areas? If it was the old Adrian, that sharpshooter detective captain, he knew human anatomy inside and out. He did it on purpose. Deliberately stabbed where the flesh was thick-looked scary but wouldn’t kill. Why? Was it to avoid suspicion? Or to spare Kyle’s life? Those two bodyguards had their hands on their guns. If Kyle hadn’t gone down, would that bullet have blown his head off? I shook my head. Natalie, have you lost your mind? He stabbed your brother like that, and you’re still making excuses for him? He’s a bastard. A complete and utter scumbag.
Natalie’s POV On the fourth day, Adrian accompanied Melissa for a checkup. The location was a high-end private hospital inside Lincoln Group’s headquarters. I knew this place well. When I was alive, I’d disguised myself and snuck in several times to investigate the Lincoln family’s dirty secrets. Security here was tighter than the police station, with cameras and patrol guards everywhere. Adrian dressed very formally today, following behind Melissa like a dutiful kept man. He bossed around the doctors and nurses. “Be gentle, didn’t you see Miss Lincoln frowning?” “This water’s too cold. Get hot water.” The doctors were submissive, their eyes showing contempt-they probably all knew he was a gold digger who’d sold out his wife to move up. Adrian didn’t care at all. He even seemed to enjoy this borrowed authority. Melissa went in for a “maintenance” treatment. This was a very mysterious procedure, only for VIP clients, conducted in a special ward on the top floor. I floated in after them. The room contained only one bed, surrounded by precision instruments. Melissa lay on the bed. Several doctors in sterile suits wheeled in a small cart. On the cart sat several vials of red liquid. Was that blood? The color was brighter than normal blood, with an eerie, vivid redness. The doctors skillfully injected Melissa. As the liquid entered her veins, Melissa let out a satisfied sigh. The skin on her face seemed to instantly become more radiant, her whole body relaxing. I drifted closer. A strange smell entered my nose. Not the smell of disinfectant. It was a… sweet, cloying smell mixed with a faint metallic scent. This smell was so familiar. I remembered. I’d smelled it at the funeral home. It was that high-grade embalming fluid smell-used for corpse beautification to prevent decay and preserve the appearance of the living. Why would a living person smell like this? And it was coming from that red liquid. I felt a chill run through me. What exactly was this stuff? Just then, Adrian walked in. “Done yet?” he asked. The doctor quickly blocked the empty syringes. “Almost, Mr. Bennett. This is a sterile area, you…” “I’m her fiancé. What can’t I see?” Adrian strode over, casually pulling out a pack of gum from his pocket, tossing two pieces in his mouth. “Melissa, how do you feel?” Melissa opened her eyes, her gaze hazy. “Wonderful. Adrian, this is good stuff. You should get these injections too.” “Sure, as long as it keeps me young, I’ll pay any price.” Adrian smiled, his hand resting on the cabinet by the bed. No one noticed that in the instant he turned, he stuck his chewed gum under a hidden spot beneath the cabinet. Inside that gum was a black chip no bigger than a fingernail. A listening device. My eyes widened. That was the newest micro-surveillance device, rare even in police departments. Adrian… what was he doing? Hadn’t he been suspended? Hadn’t he married into the Lincoln family for money? Why would he plant a bug where Melissa was getting her treatment? When the doctors wheeled the cart out, they nearly bumped the cabinet. “Be careful.” Adrian steadied the cabinet. “Sorry, Mr. Bennett.” The doctor hurried away in panic. Only Adrian and Melissa, who hadn’t yet recovered, remained in the room. Adrian looked at Melissa’s glowing face, and something like disgust seemed to flash in his eyes-almost imperceptible. “Smells nice.” He leaned close to Melissa and sniffed. “Really?” Melissa laughed coquettishly. “That’s the smell of money.” Adrian smiled. “Yeah, smells like… embalming fluid.” He said it very softly. Even I had to strain to hear it. Melissa didn’t catch it. “What did you say?” “I said, it’s an intoxicating smell.” Adrian straightened and walked to the window, hands in his pockets. I floated beside him, looking at his reflection in the glass. His eyes were cold as ice. In that moment, my hatred wavered slightly. What exactly was he trying to do? If he’d really sold himself to the Lincoln family, why plant a listening device? Could it be… No. I couldn’t trust him so easily. Maybe he was just digging up dirt on them to get a bigger cut later. After all, he was greedy now. Lustful. He even stabbed my brother. Who knew what kind of game he was playing.
Natalie’s POV That evening, Melissa brought Adrian to a private dinner party. Everyone present was a “business partner” of the Lincoln family. Partners-really just a pack of wolves in human skin. That smuggler Mr. Wallace, and that underground casino owner Mr. Reed, both had been on wanted lists. Adrian fit right in among them. He lit cigarettes for this one, poured drinks for that one, calling everyone “bro” with such warmth. Who would have thought that half a month ago, he’d been the detective captain who wanted nothing more than to throw all these people in jail. After several rounds of drinks, the conversation turned to women. Melissa was drunk, leaning on Adrian, pointing at his nose and bragging to everyone. “You all said he used to be a hard case, that’s just because no one knew the right approach. Look at him now-doesn’t he obediently play my dog?” Everyone laughed. Mr. Wallace teased, “Adrian, I heard your ex-wife just died a few days ago. You got together with Miss Lincoln this quickly?” Adrian held his wine glass, a standard fake smile on his face. “You’re joking, Mr. Wallace. People climb up, water flows down. Besides, how can a dead woman compare to a living one?” “Well said!” Melissa seemed excited. She sat up straight, looking at Adrian through drunken eyes. “Tell them about the night that bitch died.” I floated in midair, my body going rigid. That night. It was the nightmare I could never forget in this life… no, even as a ghost. “That night…” Adrian swirled his wine glass, his tone as casual as discussing the weather. “That night she had a heart attack, right there in the bedroom. I was in the living room.” “She pounded on the door, begging for help. Even through the door, you could hear it crystal clear.” Melissa laughed viciously. “So why didn’t you go in and save her?” Adrian took a sip of wine. “I was busy picking out a gift for you then. How could I be bothered with her?” Roaring laughter filled the room. “Damn, Adrian! Your wife was dying in there and you were out here picking gifts for Melissa!” Melissa laughed until tears came, slapping Adrian’s face. “Adrian, I love this ruthless streak in you.” I stared hard at Adrian’s face. I wanted to find a trace of guilt on his face, a hint of reluctance. Even a flash of pain would do. But there was nothing. He laughed with those people, laughed until crow’s feet appeared at the corners of his eyes. “Her life, how could it compare to Melissa’s smile?” he said. I felt a chill rise from my feet straight to the top of my head. Even as a ghost, I felt that heart-wrenching pain. That night, I desperately pounded on the door inside, my fingernails breaking. I’d called out, “Adrian, save me… the medicine… the medicine’s outside…” I heard his footsteps outside the door. He stood right there. I could even see his slippers through the crack under the door. I thought he’d rush in. But he didn’t. He just stood there. Stood there for a full ten minutes. Until I had no strength left. Until my heart stopped beating. He stood just one door away, listening to me die bit by bit. So that’s what he was doing then-picking out gifts for Melissa. “Adrian! I’m going to kill you!” I screamed and lunged at him, hands wrapping around his throat. I wanted to strangle this heartless man, this murderer. But my hands passed through his neck. He felt nothing, still laughing, still clinking glasses with the person next to him. Suddenly, Adrian’s expression changed. He set down his glass and covered his mouth. “Sorry, had too much to drink. I need to use the restroom.” He stood up and walked away quickly, his steps somewhat unsteady. I followed. As soon as he entered the bathroom, he rushed into a stall and vomited into the toilet. Vomited violently, almost bringing up bile. He buried his head in the toilet, his body shaking violently. I stood beside him, watching coldly. Serves you right. Getting your karma, aren’t you? After a long time, he finally stopped.He pressed the flush button and slumped to the floor, leaning against the partition and gasping for breath. He closed his eyes. A tear slid down from the corner. I froze. A tear? He was crying? Just then, the scene before my eyes suddenly flickered. Like a memory playback. I saw the night I died again. But this time the perspective wasn’t from inside the bedroom-it was from the living room. I saw Adrian standing at the bedroom door, his hand gripping the doorknob. His whole body was trembling, veins bulging on the back of his hand, almost crushing the doorknob. In his other hand he clutched his phone tightly. The phone screen was lit, showing a call interface. No sound, but I saw a picture message on his phone. It was Kyle. Kyle was tied to a chair, mouth gagged with cloth, a gun pressed to his temple. And from the bedroom came my weak cries for help. Adrian’s face was twisted in agony. He tried to open the door. His hand moved slightly, then something seemed to come through the phone. His whole body went rigid. He stood there in that extreme torment, turning himself into a statue. One second, two seconds… ten minutes. Until there was no more sound from the bedroom. He slowly slid down to sit on the floor, burying his head in his knees, letting out a suppressed whimper. Like a severely wounded beast that didn’t dare cry out. The vision disappeared. I returned to reality. In the bathroom, Adrian wiped the tears from his eyes and stood up, walking to the sink to rinse his mouth. He looked at himself in the mirror, forcing out a smile uglier than crying. “Adrian, you’re doing great.” He said to himself in the mirror. “Just hold on a little longer.” I floated behind him, looking at that pale, bloodless face in the mirror. What I just saw… was it real? Kyle had been kidnapped that night? Kyle’s life traded for mine? If he’d saved me, Kyle would have died? My mind was in chaos. If that was true, then what he’d said at dinner just now… “Her life, how could it compare to your smile?” Was it to make Melissa believe him? Was it for the mission? I wasn’t sure. Maybe I was just making excuses for him. But that tear…it burned hot enough to make my soul tremble.
Natalie’s POV On the sixth day, Adrian ransacked the house. Melissa sat on the couch doing her nails. “Haven’t found it yet? That bitch definitely left insurance. My dad said she dug up a lot of dirt. If it gets out, we’re all finished.” “Still looking.” Adrian was drenched in sweat. Finally, his gaze locked on the safe in the bedroom. That was my private safe, where I usually kept important documents and my journalism earnings bank cards. “Open it.” Melissa ordered. Adrian walked over and entered the password. “Incorrect.” He’d entered our wedding anniversary. I sneered from the side. “Changed it long ago.” Ever since I’d noticed something wrong with him, I’d changed the password. “What? Can’t open it?” Melissa walked over impatiently. “She changed the password.” Adrian frowned. “Try my birthday.” Melissa said casually. I looked at her like she was an idiot. My safe, using her birthday? Dream on. Adrian hesitated, then pressed several numbers on the keypad. Beep. Green light. The door popped open. I was completely stunned. How was that possible? I clearly remembered changing it to… to my parents’ death anniversary! When had it become Melissa’s birthday? Unless… I looked at Adrian. Unless he’d secretly changed it when I wasn’t paying attention. Melissa burst out laughing and threw her arms around Adrian’s neck. “Adrian, you fell for me that early? You even changed her safe password to my birthday?” Adrian laughed dryly. “Wanted to surprise you.” Melissa couldn’t wait to dump everything out of the safe. Several bank cards, property deed, and some jewelry. “That’s it?” Melissa rummaged through them. “Where’s that notebook? Or a USB drive?” “Nothing.” Adrian shrugged. “Impossible! That bitch must have hidden it here!” Melissa turned the safe inside out, even reaching in to feel the interior walls. “There really isn’t anything, Melissa. Maybe she didn’t actually find any solid evidence. We were worrying for nothing.” Adrian tried to persuade her. Melissa reluctantly kicked the safe. “Fine. Since there’s nothing, let’s go. There’s a party tonight.” Melissa turned to change clothes. But Adrian didn’t move. He crouched in front of the safe, his back to the doorway. I saw his hand quickly reach into a tiny crevice deep inside the safe. That was a maintenance access left by the manufacturer. Most people wouldn’t know about it. But he knew. Because he’d gone with me to buy this safe. He’d read me the instruction manual. From that crevice, he extracted a black SD card. Only as big as a fingernail. That was my backup. I knew paper notes weren’t safe, so I’d deliberately stored the core evidence here. He knew after all. He got the SD card but didn’t hide it in his pocket. He was afraid of being searched. The next second, I witnessed something that shook my soul. He put the SD card in his mouth. No water. He just dry-swallowed it. The pain of the hard plastic card scraping down his esophagus made his whole face turn red, veins bulging in his neck. He clutched his throat, dry-heaving twice, then forcibly covered his mouth and swallowed it down. Tears streamed from the corners of his eyes. “Adrian? You done yet?” Melissa called from outside. Adrian took a deep breath, wiped away the tears, and stood up. “Coming.” When he turned around, he’d restored that carefree smile. “See, even the password is your birthday. I fell for you long ago.” He walked out and put his arm around Melissa’s waist. I floated in place, staring at the empty safe. So he’d changed the password. All so he could open the safe right under Melissa’s nose and take the evidence. He’d swallowed it. That was his only way to survive and also his only path to death. If it didn’t pass. If the card got stuck. If it perforated his stomach… Adrian. What exactly are you planning?
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