At an auction, my wife spent 41 million dollars. She bought a relic bead to give to her secretary as a guarantee of safety.

She announced it to the world in front of reporters. “Four years ago, my ex-husband ran off with the money when I was at my lowest point. It was Eden who stayed by my side and helped me to rise again. Now, I am willing to repay his love a thousandfold.”

Once the interview was made public, I became a shameless scumbag, despised by everyone.

My parents called me a disgrace to the family. Even my sister, Anna, who loved me the most, disowned me.

The condemnation and abuse against me continued without ceasing for four years. Until one day, the police cracked a major dismemberment case.

My sister, a criminal police captain, finally discovered that the body with the most horrific death was mine.

——

After the severely decomposed body was exhumed, many people present vomited.

And I looked at the lush roses on the grave. Suddenly, I realized how quickly time had flown. Four years have passed.

Four years ago, my wife, Monica, went bankrupt after a failed investment. I took my three-year-old daughter with me and ran around to borrow money for her.

In the scorching summer heat, I knelt before my creditor for a whole day before finally begging him to relent.

Just as I was about to tell Monica the good news, her secretary, Eden, knocked me unconscious and took me to an abandoned hospital.

First, they burned my child to death in front of me. Then, they broke my limbs and smashed my skull. After removing all my organs, they buried me deep underground.

Monica came looking for me. Eden accused me of running off with my mistress and embezzling the company’s remaining funds.

Monica, who always claimed to love me, easily fell for a few words of instigation. From then on, she hated me.

She forbade anyone from mentioning my name. She forbade anyone from finding my whereabouts.

She left me to fend for myself outside. My soul was thus trapped in the burial ground, unable to leave and even more so, unable to reincarnate.

Until now, the dismemberment case was solved and my sister herself examined my body.

My fragmented soul finally saw the light of day. I could finally go home and visit.

I first floated to Anna’s side, hoping she would recognize me. But she was just wearing a mask and methodically examining my body.

“Like the previous bodies, all limbs intact, but internal organs missing.”

She paused. “No, something seems off. This body... is different!”

Her gaze fell on my hand and she frowned slightly. I thought she had discovered something.

But then she said, “The other bodies were given anesthesia and had their organs removed, but this one has almost every bone broken and every nail plucked out.”

She took my limp hand and her frown was deepening. Yet, she still spoke of the brutal ending—

“He was tortured to death.”

Everyone looked at each other, sympathy evident. Anna sighed softly.

“Such cruel methods are truly appalling. Have the forensic department focus on examining this body and carefully compare it to missing persons from the past year. We must identify the deceased as quickly as possible!”

After giving her instructions, Anna removed her protective suit and returned to the office to review the case.

Perhaps it was a tacit understanding between us, a connection shared by blood. Anna turned back and gazed at my body several times. But in the end, she didn’t recognize me.

I was heartbroken and about to leave when I saw Eden, holding Monica’s hand, approaching the police station.

Anna looked up. Her accusing tone was unable to conceal the fondness in her eyes. “Why are you here? This place is full of dirty, filthy things. You’re pregnant. What if you get bumped into something?”

Monica, who was standing behind him, leaned back into Eden’s arms.

She chuckled and said, “The doctor told me to move around more. I’m fine, so I came to see you.”

Anna smiled.

“That is not your reason, right? You’re just too concerned about Eden. Last time, you bought a 41 million dollars bead for him and now you’ve turned down a 1 million dollars contract for him. You’re a total overbearing CEO!” said Anna.

But she honestly brewed Eden’s favorite flower tea.

Monica didn’t explain and simply said, “If it weren’t for Eden back then, I wouldn’t have made it this far. Now that I have the means, of course, I want to give him the best in the world.”

The word “back then” made Anna ponder for a moment. She glanced in the direction of my corpse and suddenly spoke. “The team excavated a body today. He was only in his early twenties when he died, about the same age as Theodore…”

Anna was about to continue when Monica interrupted impatiently. Her brows furrowed, her eyes filled with deep-seated disgust.

“I don’t want to hear that name. Eden and I are getting married soon and only then will we be a family. Even if those irrelevant outsiders died outside, it has nothing to do with me!”

Such harsh words would have devastated me in the past. But now, I had no time to think about anything else.

I simply stared intently at the relic beads on Eden’s neck, letting the tears roll down my cheeks. Father and daughter were connected by heart. I sensed something was amiss the moment Eden walked in.

Now, I finally saw it clearly. That wasn’t a relic bead around his neck. It was a bone bead! It was my… my beloved child’s!

I floated in front of Monica and wanted to tell her loudly. I wanted to tell her it was Eden who killed me. Tell her the beads around Eden’s neck were her deceased flesh and blood.

It was the one I had longed for, the one she carried for eight months; burned alive before she even knew anything!

Unfortunately, the dead couldn’t make a sound. Monica couldn’t hear the cries of my soul, let alone the grievances deep within me. Her good mood was ruined by my name. With a cold face, she was about to take Eden back.

Four years passed. Any trace of me in the house was completely purged. In their place, there were pictures of Eden.

Monica, ever proud, was willing to dress Eden in childish cartoon pajamas. She was willing to bend down to change his shoes.

She gently massaged Eden’s shoulders and legs. Together, they envisioned the upcoming wedding, just like us back then.

I turned my back, unable to bear to look at the scene before me. My mind couldn’t help but recall the past.

When I first met Monica, she wasn’t the decisive CEO, just a little red-haired girl. She was arrogant and rebellious, a stark contrast to my strict, old-fashioned family.

But she also gave me the care and concern I’d never experienced before. She would take me for bike rides and give me roses.

She would look me in the eye when I failed an exam. Every word she spoke was gentle yet firm.

“Theodore, you still have me. I will protect you. You don’t have to be a puppet of the family. With me, you can live the life you want.”

Because of her words, I made the first rebellious decision in my life. I gave up my second attempt at the postgraduate entrance exam and started a business together.

After a long period of hard work, we founded our own flower company. We had a sea of roses all our own. At that time, we cuddled together and imagined a beautiful future.

“I’ll pave the entire road with roses. I’ll put the brightest ring on your hand and give you the best in the world!”

Sadly, this dreamlike wedding never came to pass.

Due to family opposition and a busy career, it didn’t happen.

While I felt regretful, I wasn’t sad. I thought there was still a long way to go and as long as we worked together, we would have endless good times.

But an unexpected event arrived before happiness. A major client suddenly terminated its contract, which disrupted the company’s funding chain.

Monica was utterly devastated and was unable to sleep. To help her, I ran around seeking help.

My parents stood by and watched and my busy sister felt heartbroken but helpless.

Our three-year-old child needed care. With nowhere else to turn, I took my child and knelt down to apologize to the client.

My forehead was red and my knees were bruised. After going through untold hardships to secure Monica’s chance of survival, I died at Eden’s hands.

To this day, I still shuddered when I thought of everything I experienced that day. Eden gathered a group of people to humiliate me relentlessly.

He sent a video clip to Monica as evidence of my infidelity. Then he stabbed me in the stomach. He sliced through my skin inch by inch and grinned at me.

“Don’t you love Monica dearly? Now she needs cash. How could you stand by and watch? I’ve found a good place for you and your offspring: you will... sacrifice your lives to help Monica and me be together!”

Eden partnered with the murderer. He burned my child to death and then shipped my organs around the world.

With the money the murderer gave him, he helped Monica achieve a remarkable comeback, becoming the highly regarded Secretary Clark.

Monica’s business grew and their relationship grew closer. Soon, they had a child. Now, Monica enjoyed a successful career and a happy family.

The only indelible shame in her life was her cheating ex-husband. But if she had taken a closer look, if she had watched the video carefully, she would have noticed that my hands and feet were strangely twisted.

There was unnatural blood at the corners of my mouth. Eden, worried I would struggle, had broken my bones bit by bit. He had pulled out my tongue and teeth.

But she didn’t. She believed Eden’s tears and believed my betrayal.

With just a quick glance at the video, she condemned me.

She left me in a corner, devoured and buried deep underground, hidden from the public eye.

Even that poor child was packaged as a priceless relic bead, being shipped abroad as merchandise.

At this moment, I couldn’t help but sigh. God was such a cruel screenwriter. He took my child’s life and mine, yet brought us together in this way.

That sweet, sensible child died filled with resentment and regret. After many years, we traveled across the world.