Farewell, My Beloved

My husband and his first love were both diagnosed with cancer.

Hers was fake; mine was real. Yet, my husband refused to believe me.

Later, I was kidnapped, and the kidnapper told me, “Call your husband. If he comes, you’ll live.”

But my husband only responded, “If you want to come back, come back yourself. Don’t expect me to pick you up.”

With that, he pushed me toward my death.

When my skinless body lay in the morgue, he didn’t realize that the one lying there, never to cause trouble again, was his wife.

——

“Captain Parker, we’ve found a female corpse, and the method matches the one used in that case three years ago.”

Marcus Parker’s grip tightened around his phone as the urgent voice of one of his officers came through.

He remained serious, though seated beside him, Madeline, his childhood sweetheart, sensed something off and tugged on his sleeve. “Marcus, what’s going on?”

“A body’s been discovered, Madeline. If you’re feeling unwell, you don’t need to come with me.” He turned to her, his touch tender as he brushed a stray hair away, his concern evident in his gaze.

Madeline, however, shook her head with determination. “No, I’m coming with you. As a forensic pathologist, this is my job.”

I floated above them, watching this exchange, feeling a faint, bitter pang in my heart.

Upon arriving at the scene, Madeline immediately dove into her work, her attention focused and brows furrowed in concentration.

I observed her closely, emotions swirling inside me.

Madeline raised her head to speak to Marcus. “The time of death seems to be over three days ago. The method is almost identical to the case from three years back.”

Marcus’ expression grew more solemn upon hearing this.

His eyes swept over the body, and for a brief moment, I thought he might recognize something.

When his gaze lingered on the missing chunk of flesh on the calf, I tensed.

But then, I shook my head and smiled bitterly to myself.

Of course, I was a skinned, unrecognizable figure now. There was no way he could know this was his wife, missing for three days.

“Captain, did you find something?” an officer asked, curious.

Marcus collected himself. “Nothing,” he replied.

I snickered softly. As expected, he didn’t notice. The woman lying here wasn’t just any victim; it was his wife.

His wife, who had disappeared for three days, meant so little in his eyes that he failed to connect the dots.

“Take the body to the lab for further examination,” Marcus said, and then he gently guided Madeline back to the station.

In the car ride back, Madeline suddenly brought me up. “Marcus, I haven’t seen Caroline in a few days.”

Marcus’s eyes flickered with something briefly before returning to normal. “Don’t worry. Last time I saw her, she was threatening to leave.”

A subtle smirk played on Madeline’s lips. “You should at least call her,” she suggested.

Marcus hesitated, visibly unsure.

Seeing his reluctance, Madeline offered, “Let me call her.”

She dialed, only to be greeted by the tone of a disconnected line. Frowning, she said, “Maybe she blocked me.”

Marcus scowled at that, his irritation creeping into his voice. “Forget about her. She’s always being paranoid.”