Although I was pregnant, my husband locked me up in a deserted construction site, which was the crime scene of a brutal homicide, just because I spilled the tonic of his pregnant sweetheart.

I covered my belly and knelt down, apologizing, but he accused me coldly.

"Do you think no one can punish you because you come from a distinguished family? Aren't you afraid of ghosts? Then let the ghosts take you away."

That night, the murderer returned to the crime scene.

I desperately called my husband for help, but all I got was his scolding.

"You can't stand it on the first day? Ivy is taking a checkup at the hospital late at night because of you."

I was soaked in ice water by the murderer and stayed conscious, watching myself being cut into pieces slowly.

Seven days later, my husband's heart softened, and he decided to end the punishment.

However, he got three hundred and sixty pieces of badly decayed bones and a fully formed fetus.

——

"Did that vicious woman come to disturb Ivy recently? If she dares to play any dirty tricks, I'll send her to a mental hospital for a few days.

"It's ridiculous of her to think she can control me with the bastard baby."

In the hallway, Leo pushed up the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose with contempt in his eyes.

The assistant beside him paused and stammered, "Mr. Holt, Ms. Brooks is still at the construction site."

Leo paused and quickly sneered.

"She managed to survive in such a hellhole as the countryside, let alone a construction site with water and food. Don't worry about her. After she begs for my mercy, I'll consider releasing her."

The assistant looked anxious and took out his phone, clicking a piece of news.

"Mr. Holt, a large number of body parts were found in the park on North Street early this morning. It's only hundreds of yards from the construction site. Would you like to go and check on Ms. Brooks?"

Leo glanced at the blurred pictures and said impatiently, "Nina won't die. She's as tough as a rock.

"I hired you to keep an eye on Ivy. She's pregnant, and her husband died early. She was hurt by such a vicious woman as Nina. Don't worry about the wrong person.

"Lock Nina up for two more days before bringing her to see Ivy and asking her to kneel and apologize. If she doesn't do that, take her back until she does."

The assistant wanted to say something, but he was interrupted by shouting from the ward.

Hearing the familiar voice, Leo's eyes softened instantly, and he hurried inside.

Ivy Brooks looked ruddy and gentle. She didn't seem to be in poor health.

"I heard your voice. Didn't I ask you not to come?"

Leo took her extended hand and gently placed it on her slightly bulging belly.

"Of course, I'm here to watch over you. How's the baby?

"Don't worry, I punished Nina severely. She suffers from asthma and is afraid of ghosts. Locking her up in the construction site will definitely frighten her to death."

Leo hugged Ivy gently as if he was holding a fragile toy.

Ivy leaned in his arms and said softly, "Leo, don't be angry. I believe Nina didn't intentionally knock over my tonic. Please forgive her this time."

Forgive me?

Floating in the air, I laughed.

It was ridiculous of them to forgive a dead person mercifully.

I was tortured for ten hours, and my soul was finally torn out of my body after the icy water was completely stained with blood.

These days I had been floating around Leo, hoping he would find me sooner.

But he didn't.

He had been staying with Ivy, and their deep affection almost overwhelmed me.

Leo didn't say a word, and Ivy continued sweetly, "Don't be angry. Nina must have known she was wrong. Let her out. After all, she is pregnant with your baby."

Leo paused and pulled a long face.

He said sulkily, "Don't mention the baby. That bitch is pregnant with a bastard. Didn't I treat her well?"

Ivy was startled in his arms. Leo came back to his senses and said softly, "Don't plead for her, Ivy. You're so kind that Nina takes advantage of you.

"Besides, she's as tough as a rock. You should worry about your own health."

Hearing his harsh words, I cried with pain.

Leo suffered from asthenospermia, and I managed to get pregnant after being with him for six years.

However, when I showed him the pregnancy report, he asked me whose bastard I was pregnant with.

I explained with a broken heart, and Leo showed me a video.

In the video, a woman who looked like me was lying naked next to another man.

I was shocked and tried to explain, but Leo didn't believe me.

I was thinking of taking a paternity test when I was pregnant for six months, but when I packed up to leave, Ivy tried to frame me.

She cried pitifully and accused me of trying to kill her baby.

Leo flew into a rage. "You refused to apologize when you were found to be pregnant with a bastard, and now you even try to kill Ivy's baby."

He threw me into a deserted construction site where someone had just been murdered.

It was dark inside the dusty building, and there were nails everywhere. One could easily fall off and die.

Moreover, someone was murdered here not long ago.

I tried desperately to escape, but Leo broke one of my legs and locked me up.

"Do you think no one can punish you because you come from a distinguished family? When you spilled Ivy's tonic, you should be aware of the consequences."

When the murderer came, I called Leo for help, but he scolded me.

"You can't stand it on the first day? Ivy is taking a checkup at the hospital late at night because of you. Reflect on your mistake there. You can only come out after you admit your mistake."

He hung up on me. When I tried to call the police, it was too late.

Leo fed Ivy some chicken soup and instructed his assistant.

"Release Nina tomorrow. After all, she can't be absent from the party of the Brooks family. Clean her up before bringing her to see Ivy and asking her to apologize. That kind of filthy woman would do anything to survive. She is not to frighten Ivy."

The assistant nodded awkwardly and turned to leave.

Leo was alone with Ivy in the room. She bit her red lips, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Leo, if Nina tells Mom and Dad tomorrow that you locked her up, you must put all the blame on me. It's all my fault. If I had known this would happen, I would rather not get pregnant."

Leo anxiously stretched out his hand and pressed Ivy's lips.

"What nonsense are you talking about? She is vicious. It has nothing to do with you."

Ivy stuck out her pink tongue and licked Leo's fingers with tears in her guilty eyes.

"Don't blame Nina. I have taken her position as the daughter of the Brooks family for more than twenty years. Even if she wants me to die, I won't complain a bit.

"Soothe her tomorrow. After all, you're married to her. You can't hurt your feelings just because of me."

Leo kissed Ivy's forehead tenderly.

"She was so vicious that she spilled your tonic, but you spoke up for her. Nina takes advantage of you just because you are too kind."

Listening to their disgusting conversation, I found it extremely ironic.

On the day when I had a fight with Leo about my pregnancy, I went home to pack up, and Ivy came to provoke me.

She slapped me when we met.

"Bitch, how can you get pregnant with Leo's child?"

I came back to my senses and hit back.

"Mind your language."

Ivy grabbed my hair and pressed me against the wall with anger in her eyes.

"I lost my identity as the daughter of the Brooks family because of you. Now you even try to steal Leo from me. Bitch, I'll kill you."

Ivy strangled me fiercely with her hands like crazy.

"I thought the video forged by AI would make you divorce, but you didn't. Leo must divorce you."

I could hardly breathe and almost fainted.

In a trance, I heard someone coming up the stairs. The grip on my neck loosened, and I panted for air, coughing frantically.

Ivy picked up a bowl and smashed it on the ground, squatting and trying desperately to pick up the pieces.

"Nina, you're jealous of my pregnancy, but you can't break my tonic.

"The tonic is priceless. You are going to be a mother too. I don't want to take the risk of miscarriage. If anything happens to the baby, I'll..."

As she spoke, Ivy picked up the pieces on the ground regardless of the danger.

When I was about to refute, Leo carried Ivy with his arms and looked at me angrily.

"You're pregnant with a bastard, but you dare to act so recklessly at home. Do you think you can do whatever you want just because you're the real daughter of the Brooks family? Today I'm going to teach you a lesson. Don't even think about leaving if you don't admit your mistake."

We had been married for six years. Although we were not in love with each other, there was affection between us.

But I was wrong.

Until now, Leo still thought it was all my fault.

Fortunately, I was dead and annoyed him at last.

Leo watched Ivy fall asleep before he quietly opened the door and answered the call from his assistant.

"Mr. Holt, Ms. Brooks is missing..."

Leo was taken aback.

I saw a hint of panic flashing across his eyes. It was a fleeting moment, and I thought my eyes had deceived me.

Leo said calmly, "Missing? What do you mean? Did she run away with a man?"

The assistant said hesitantly, "Only you have the key to the building. We shouted on a loudspeaker for a long time, but we got no response."

His answer relaxed Leo.

"She must be inside. Have the lock broken. If she runs away with a man, find her and break her leg."

Even if I disappeared, Leo's first reaction was not anxiety but suspicion that I was cheating on him.

He was so smart. Hadn't it ever occurred to him that the video was forged by AI?

Without verifying, he thought I cheated on him.

He had never had a good opinion of me.

Leo hung up the phone coldly and drove to buy fruits for Ivy.

He received a call halfway through.

"Leo, I know you are no longer a forensic expert, but there is a very important case that you must handle."

I froze. Suddenly, I laughed.

Yeah. When I first met Leo, he was merely an insignificant forensic expert, not a CEO.

Fate had played tricks on us.

Leo's hands were broken by his father, who also ended his dream of being a forensic expert. Now he returned to that profession because of me.

Leo's hand was shaking as he held the phone. Within ten seconds, he turned the car around and drove toward the police station.

Everything seemed to have returned to the starting point.

Would Leo feel shocked, regretful, or guilty when he found out it was my body?

I suddenly looked forward to it.

Before I returned to the Brooks family, I was an ordinary nurse who managed to secure a job in the city after growing up in the countryside.

Leo was a forensic expert who concealed his identity as a rich second-generation.

We met and got to know each other in the hospital.

He said I gave him the courage to confront the disapproval of his family, and that I was his little sun.

When I learned that he was the heir to the Holt Group, I felt inferior and subconsciously kept my distance from him.

He held my hand tightly and said that he would never look down on me.

Later, I was recognized by the Brooks family, and it happened that the two families had a plan to ally by marriage. It was the first time that I believed there was such a thing as a destined marriage.

I'd been married to Leo for six years. I wholeheartedly supported his business and tried my best to look after and please him.

Leo would also respond to my love. He took me to the cake shop I had been craving for a long time, did shopping with me, and looked after me when I caught a cold.

I always thought we were in love.

It was not until Ivy appeared that I understood what true childhood sweethearts meant.

On the way to the police station, Leo did not forget to remind Ivy to take care of herself.

I vaguely remember that when I had the flu and went to hospital due to pneumonia, he never called me once.

Leo's love for Ivy defeated me utterly.

As soon as Leo entered the police station, the officer gave him a professional briefing.

"It's a female, about twenty-eight years old, identity unknown.

"The body parts have almost been salvaged. There are more than three hundred and fifty pieces..."

Leo was stunned.

Even though he didn't know who was the victim, he was shocked by the number.

How would he react if he knew it was me?

Although Leo had not worked as a forensic expert for a long time, he worked in a methodical, quick, and precise way with the aid of his muscle memory.

I stood next to him quietly and seemed to travel back to six years ago.

We were like this at that time. He was working hard, and I passed the tools to him.

Everyone said that we cooperated well and were meant for each other.

Who would have thought that Leo was not over Ivy at that time?

The work was hard, and the atmosphere was tense.

The assistant tried to lighten the atmosphere and asked, "Leo, you're as professional as before. You have a child with Nina, don't you? Only you can keep a good shape after being a father."

At the mention of my name, Leo wore a disgusted look in his eyes, his hand trembling a little.

He changed the subject.

"I heard that the body was found in North Street Park. There are a lot of surveillance cameras nearby. Why hasn't the murderer been caught yet?"

The assistant instantly got serious when it came to work.

"That's what we said to the public. Experts concluded that it was not a murder scene. We're searching for the area within a kilometer.

"Speaking of which, the last case was also nearby. A construction site was deserted because of the murder. It seems to be a building of your company..."

Bang!

The tweezers in Leo's hand fell to the ground.

My soul seemed to be lifted up.

Was he going to find out it was me?

"Is there any indication that the victim was pregnant?"

Leo picked up the tweezers in a panic and asked casually.

The assistant shook his head.

"The body is too badly damaged to know at this time."

I stared at Leo, who evidently breathed a sigh of relief.

Was he worried about me?

Impossible.

If he was worried about me, how could he lock me up in the deserted construction site without showing any concern?

Suddenly, Leo's cell phone rang. He looked at the screen and quickly picked up the phone.

"Ivy, you woke up?

"Something happened suddenly. I've asked my assistant to bring the fruits back. If you're hungry, eat first. I'll be back before ten o'clock."

The coldness in his eyes instantly turned into tenderness.

The assistant misheard the name and couldn't help but tease.

"Leo, you care so much about your wife."

With a smile in his eyes, Leo didn't correct the assistant and started to work faster, becoming more focused.

He wanted to see Ivy as soon as possible.

He was looking forward to it with joy and impatience.

I had done this before because I wanted to see him sooner.

Once the body parts were put together, Leo was needed for the rest.

My soul followed him closely. I couldn't help it.

Leo first went into a bakery and placed an order awkwardly. Following that, he went to a shop and compared the photo of the mystery box Ivy sent him with the products.

In fact, I also like these things.

But Leo always said the cakes were too sweet and the mystery boxes were too childish. They were for young girls, not for such an old woman as me.

But now, for Ivy, he overturned everything.

It turned out that he could change his preference depending on the person he was with.

Leo happily carried a few cakes and a large bag of mystery boxes and could hardly suppress the smile on his face. He looked like a lion who had returned triumphantly from a hunt for his children and wife.

As soon as he came out of the shop, he received a call from the assistant.

"Mr. Holt, please come over. Ms. Ivy somehow knew where Ms. Brooks was and went to pick her up."

Leo said coldly, "Since Ivy wants to go, let her. It's a good opportunity for Nina to kneel and apologize."

The assistant said anxiously, "Ms. Brooks didn't come out. Ms. Ivy is kneeling at the door."

Bang.

Leo dropped the cakes to the ground, and his trousers were dirtied. He flew into a rage.

"Tell Nina to drop the idea if she wants to threaten us with her disappearance.

"Ask her to come out right away. If she dares to make Ivy kneel to her, I will kill her."

I listened to his harsh words quietly, feeling sad and funny at the same time.

Ivy pretended to kneel to me, and Leo wanted to kill me.

I had been married to him for six years, but in the end, my love was wasted.