The brutal murder and dismemberment case quickly caught the attention of the city's top officials.

Since it took time to piece together the remains and the victim's head hadn't been found, identification was still pending.

They could only extract DNA from the body and match it against the database.

The official autopsy report hadn't been released yet, but the forensic pathologist indicated that the victim had endured inhuman torture and mutilation before death. Judging by the wound's cross-sections and blood traces, it seemed the dismemberment had been done while the victim was still alive—an extraordinarily heinous act.

The blood at the scene, however, was confirmed to be from a sheep. The sheep's head was discovered in a nearby forest, but there were no clues about the missing human head.

During a meeting, Matthew calmly outlined the details of the case.

"The victim was a young woman aged between 25 and 30. Death occurred within the last 24 hours. We have no background information, and the head is missing. It appears she was dissected alive.

"There have been no reports of missing persons that match her description. Her identity remains unknown."

The room was filled with frowns and concerned murmurs.

The city officials immediately issued a directive: all available police resources were to be mobilized to support Matthew, with a firm deadline to solve the case within a week.

"We cannot let a monster like this threaten our citizens' safety again!"

After the meeting, Matthew, weighed down with thoughts, headed to a cemetery on the outskirts of town.

When he arrived, he found Halle standing by a gravestone, her face buried in her hands, crying. Her eyes were red, but she forced a smile upon seeing Matthew.

In front of the gravestone was a bouquet of gardenias—his mother's favorite flower.

The tombstone featured a photograph of a happy couple: a man and a woman, both beaming. The man was my father, and the woman was Halle's mother.

Indeed, Halle was my stepmother's daughter, making us part of a blended family.

After paying their respects for a while, Matthew spoke up, "Let's go."

Halle hesitated. "Just a bit longer. On a day like today, she won't miss this."

I saw a flash of intense revulsion in Matthew's eyes as he coldly replied, "She doesn't deserve to be here!

"No murderer deserves to stand before their victim!

"She's nothing but a heartless menace—a real disaster!"

Halle looked down, sniffing as she spoke, "That was just an accident. Besides, we were all so young back then…"

Matthew cut her off sharply, "Don't mention her again. The only family I have now is you."

With that, Matthew led Halle away.

I found myself, as a ghost, curled up in front of my father's grave, crying uncontrollably. "Dad, I suddenly don't want him to keep looking into this anymore!"

For reasons unknown, my spirit could only follow Matthew.

He and Halle still lived in the same house, which I hadn't visited in ages.

When I was alive, Matthew never allowed me to come back.

Seeing him now, busy in the kitchen making dinner for Halle, I couldn't help but give a wry smile.

Who would have thought that someone so cold could cook such a delicious meal?

When the food was ready, Matthew called out, "Sis, dinner's ready!"

Halle walked into the room, her face showing signs of distress as if she had just had a nightmare. Matthew, concerned, asked, "Sis, what's wrong?"

Halle, with a slight quiver in her voice and a strained smile, replied, "I just miss Mom and Dad."

Halle's emotional finesse was truly impressive, hitting all the right notes, even in her distress. Matthew paused for a moment, then assured her, "Sis, you still have me."

As I watched them naturally lean into each other, I was taken aback.

I could clearly see the shyness in Halle's eyes—definitely not the kind of look a sister would give her brother.

At that moment, a wave of terror surged within me, as intense as the fear I felt before my death. I thought, Matthew, you can't fall into this trap!

The Halle in front of you is no innocent lamb. She watched me being dismembered and even hid my head.

"Matthew, it's been a while since we've heard from Cate. Maybe give her a call? It's not easy for her out there alone."

Matthew stiffened, his muscles tensing as he abruptly pulled away from Halle. His face was a mask of cold indifference. "Why bring her up? What happens to her out there is none of my concern. Don't mention her in front of me again.

"Let's eat, Sis."

Halle lowered her head, a satisfied and slightly smug smile on her pretty face.

It was the same expression she had when she watched me being dissected.

I had sensed something off about her long ago.

The first time I noticed that look in her eyes was eight years ago when my beloved kitten died under mysterious circumstances.