He said he was a forensic expert, someone who could prove my parents’ innocence.

I believed and saw him as my only salvation in a world full of darkness.

Even after five years passed with no new leads in the case, I still believed he was doing his best.

I even felt sorry for how much he had sacrificed.

But in the end, it was all a lie.

The love was fake. The affection was fake.

Only the pain and lies were real.

As tears brimmed in my eyes, Martin appeared before me, his eyes instantly reddening with worry.

"Why are you squatting on the ground? Are you feeling unwell? Let me take you to the hospital."

I stopped his hand as he tried to help me up, staggered to my feet and barely managed to steady myself.

"Martin, is there still no lead in my parents’ case?"

He froze for two seconds, then replied without hesitation, "I’m sorry. I’ve been pursuing it this whole time, but… there’s still no new lead. Don’t worry, I won’t give up. I promised you an answer. You just need to wait for me."

He added, "Look at you, you’ve grown so thin from all this stress. Stop thinking about these things, okay? It hurts me to see you like this."

He pulled me into his arms, gently patting my back over and over, trying to comfort me.

But I didn’t miss the flicker of panic that flashed through his eyes. In that moment, the last bit of hope inside me completely shattered.

I couldn’t help but curl my lips into a bitter smile. ‘Martin… you’ve lied to me so cruelly these past five years.’

Just like always, I brought him a glass of warm milk to help him sleep. But this time, I had added sleeping pills to it.

Martin didn’t suspect a thing. He drank it all in one gulp.

Soon, he fell into a deep sleep.

I turned around and walked out, heading straight for the door he never allowed me to enter; his study.

The next second, I froze in place.

The walls of the study were covered with autopsy photos.

In the center were the bodies of my parents.

Their eyes were wide open, blood tears spilling from their hollow eyes.

They died unwillingly, unable to rest in peace.

They had fallen from the 28th floor and their bodies were beyond recognition.

But even so, I could still make out the fatal wounds on their chests. It was the clear mark of a dagger piercing through their hearts.

The killer’s strike had been swift, precise and ruthless. No ordinary hostage could have done that.

The flaws in the autopsy were marked by Martin, each one highlighted in red pen, line by line.

The case files were pinned to the wall, ten full pages, all marked with Rachel’s name. Her identity, her presence at the crime scene, the lone fingerprint on the dagger—everything pointed to her. The evidence was laid out plainly, undeniable.

But on the paper, Martin had neatly written two bold characters: "Cold Case."

How laughable.

I took photos of all the evidence on the wall, too afraid to look any longer.

I turned and walked toward the direction of the safe.

I had seen Rachel’s hostage information five years ago. At the time, I had already grown suspicious, so I had written down her details.

After inputting her birthday, the safe door immediately unlocked.

What greeted my eyes was an album dedicated to Rachel. As I flipped through the pages, I finally understood. Rachel had known Martin and Mark for over ten years.

Thousands of photos documented their happy past.

The three of them were always together, with Rachel always protected between the two brothers. Even her wedding photos were carefully kept in the album.

But in those photos, there were three people.

I gave a self-deprecating smile and didn’t continue looking. I took out my phone and bought a flight ticket for three days later, to leave the country.

I also applied to cancel all my domestic identification documents.

This place, filled with lies and betrayal, no longer had a reason for me to stay.

I didn’t want to stay there for even a minute longer.

I hadn’t slept all night. Memories kept flashing through my mind.

As dawn broke, Martin woke up as usual, preparing breakfast for me.

His tone was a little puzzled. “Last night, I didn’t sleep well. I feel weak all over this morning, not sure why.”

I ate my sandwich and simply smiled at his words. “Maybe you’re just too tired from the case. Martin, about my parents’ case… maybe we should just let it go. It’s been five years already. I don’t want you to keep exhausting yourself. Maybe it’s time to give up.”

I saw the flicker of surprise in his eyes and he visibly relaxed.

But he still forced a comforting expression, trying to act like he cared. “Jessy, don’t worry. I will keep my promise and finish what I’ve started. I won’t get tired of doing things for you. Thank you for understanding, honey.”

Just as he was about to kiss me, a wave of nausea hit me.

I rushed to the bathroom, vomiting uncontrollably.

As if sensing something, Martin hurried after me, his eyes filled with excitement. “Jessy, are… you pregnant?”

I froze for a moment.

Martin was overjoyed, lifting me up and spinning around in place. “Great, great! I’m going to be a father! We’re going to have our own child!”

“If my parents knew about this, they’d be so happy. It’s been a while since we’ve visited them. How about we go home in the next couple of days and share this good news with them? We should also let them know. I’ll buy some gifts and come pick you up.”

Before I could say anything, he was already on his phone, selecting maternity and baby products to order.

I keenly noticed that there were quite a few similar items in the cart. They were all placed at the bottom, looking like they’d been prepared for quite a while.

With me expecting, it seemed like Martin had naturally gone ahead and placed the order.

But he had bought everything in pairs.

After paying, he finally remembered that I was still standing beside him.

His expression darkened slightly. After a long pause, he reluctantly spoke, "Going back home, we’re bound to run into Rachel. It wouldn’t be right to go empty-handed. How about I buy a small gift in your name to give her? Sweetheart, it’s been five years. Rachel is also a victim. Please don’t blame her for taking Mark away. We’re so happy now and it’s time to let go of the past..."

I splashed some cold water on my face and responded casually.

"Okay, you’re right. Rachel was just a hostage. Five years have passed without any new leads, which is enough to prove her innocence. Let’s do it your way and I’ll apologize to her."

For the past five years, I’d been tormented by the cause of my parents’ death. I could never bring myself to be kind to Rachel during the family dinners. For that reason, Martin often argued with his family. He even bought a new house outside to protect me. I once thought this was his way of showing love for me. Now, I understood that it was just to avoid embarrassing his beloved Rachel.

He would stop at nothing to protect her.

This five-year-long deception needed to come to an end.

The moment he left, I followed suit. I went straight to the law firm to print out a divorce agreement. While there, I also inquired about the case from five years ago.

The lawyer said that the only evidence I had were photos and it would be almost impossible to reopen the case. Plus, with the public opinion from back then, no one would believe the daughter of a traitor.

I walked down the street, lost in thought. When I came to my senses, I realized I was already standing in front of Martin’s workplace.

As I entered, his colleagues excitedly gathered together, gossiping.

"Was that just now Martin's wife—the guy from the forensics department? She’s so beautiful, though she looks a bit familiar... Oh, wasn’t she the hostage in that international case five years ago?”

"Now that you mention it, I remember too. Martin never used to go to crime scenes, but that time, he actually applied to go with the director, insisting on going with his brother. And when they got there, he immediately started asking about Rachel’s whereabouts."

"Is she probably someone they knew? I mean, it must have been something serious if it scared both of the brothers so much. They were almost uncontrollable. I've never seen the detective and the forensic doctor lose their composure like that. They almost shot the suspect on the spot!"

"Stop talking about it! Back then, someone pointed to Rachel as the murderer and the brothers nearly overturned the entire department. You shouldn’t be discussing her."

The nails dug deeply into the palm of my hand.

I walked numbly to the office door, hearing familiar voices inside.

"How have you been these five years?"

"You still don’t understand your own brother, do you? He almost went so far as to try and pluck the stars from the sky for me. I only agreed to try for a baby and he dragged me into our room and kept me there for three days and nights. I almost couldn’t get out of bed."

Martin forced a wry smile, his voice was full of bitterness. "Yes, Mark has always liked you. I should have seen that.

“Martin, thank you. If you hadn’t intentionally guided the public opinion back then, releasing the news of the Sward Family's betrayal, I would have definitely ended up in prison by now."

"I just don't know if Jessie will think too much about it. She didn't notice, did she? If you two end up arguing because of me, I'd never be able to forgive myself..."

Martin waved his hand dismissively, his tone condescending. "Don't worry about her. The reputation of two dead people isn’t that important. As long as you're fine, everything I’ve done is worth it."

My heart felt as if something was tightening around it. The pain was so intense that I couldn’t breathe.

I had thought Martin was just unwilling to uncover the truth about the case, that he only wanted to protect Rachel.

But I never imagined that even the false accusations against my parents came from his own mouth.

My parents had fought for justice their entire lives. Even in death, they had plunged into the fray to catch the killer. Why should they meet such an unjust end?

Before I could come up with an answer, I heard from inside the office that Martin handed Rachel the gift.

"I heard you’re pregnant too. Here’s a little toy, just consider it a gift for the baby."

The divorce agreement in my hand suddenly slipped to the floor. The sound of paper flipping caught both of their attention.

Martin hurried out, his face ashen. "Jessie? When did you arrive? Why didn’t you tell me?"

I picked up the agreement from the ground and stood up. The emotions that had surged just moments ago had completely subsided.

"No, it's fine. I was just passing by and thought I’d stop by," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "I just arrived."

"You don’t have to worry. Rachel was just stopping by to check on Mark. He happened to be out on a mission, so we just chatted for a bit."

Rachel smiled and stood up to wave at me. Her expression was completely devoid of guilt. "Jessie, what a coincidence."

I didn’t want to face her any longer, so I turned to leave.

However, Martin followed me closely, matching my pace.

"Are you mad?" he asked softly. "Rachel is my sister-in-law. There’s nothing between us. Please don’t overreact, okay? She’s pregnant too. I was just asking about pregnancy precautions, thinking of taking care of you better."

His hand gripped my arm tightly and I caught a glimpse of it from the corner of my eye.

I suddenly laughed.

In order to protect Rachel, he had already sent my whole family into the abyss. He had ruined my parents' reputation and destroyed my five years of youth.

Now that Rachel was innocent, who was he pretending for?

"Didn't you say Rachel is just a hostage? So why should I overthink it? Why should I suspect? Are you hiding something from me?"