"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?"

When our eyes met, my mocking gaze made Martin’s expression slowly lower.

"I didn’t mean it like that, I just didn’t want you to be angry..."

"Don’t worry, I’m not going to be jealous of my sister-in-law. You guys chat, I’ll head home first."

He, feeling guilty, didn’t dare to continue the conversation with me.

Just a moment ago, his colleagues who had been gossiping together now recognized my face.

They pointed and whispered openly without any hesitation.

"So, this is the daughter of those two traitors from the Sward Family? Does she still have the face to come to the police station? If it weren't for her parents betraying us, we wouldn't have lost so many colleagues. She sure has thick skin."

The words of his colleagues echoed in my ears as I stumbled away, barely aware of how I got out of there.

When I came to my senses, I was already sitting in the car, my palms marked with deep indentations from where I had gripped the steering wheel.

Blood stained my skirt and the anger inside me surged uncontrollably.

Back home, I couldn’t contain myself any longer. I took everything he had given me over the past five years and set it on fire, watching it burn to the ground.

The last flicker of the flame died out and just then, a message popped up on my phone.

It was from Martin.

[Come downstairs, I’ll pick you up for dinner.]

At his family’s house, as Martin was busy parking downstairs, I went up first.

As soon as I entered the door, a heavy ashtray was thrown at me.

My mother-in-law greeted me with a mocking smile.

“Oh, isn’t this our dear victim, Miss Sward? Not working on a case today? How come you have time to grace our humble abode? Aren’t you afraid the place where the murderer lives will soil your feet?”

The relatives quickly joined in, their disdainful eyes scanning my face. “Don’t argue with your daughter-in-law, she’s really good at solving cases. The police couldn’t find the killer, but she was able to determine the culprit just by her instincts. You definitely don’t want to get on her bad side.”

“Your parents have been dead for five years and you still can’t let it go. Every family gathering, all you do is bring up the two dead bodies, always causing bad luck! Just mentioning them once feels like it shortens your life by years!”

I trembled uncontrollably. The spot on my forehead where the ashtray had struck was now bleeding.

I was about to speak when Rachel entered, carrying a bunch of gifts.

The relatives instantly changed their faces, their attitude now dripping with flattery.

They crowded around Rachel, showering her with praise. Occasionally, they couldn't resist throwing in a few more insults at me.

Not wanting to stay any longer, I simply retreated upstairs and locked myself in the room.

When Martin appeared, my mother-in-law immediately rushed to complain.

“Your wife is something else! She comes in without even greeting anyone, just goes straight to her room. Those who know might call me her mother-in-law, but others would think she’s the queen of the house! Maybe I should just kneel and apologize to her!”

Rachel quickly smiled and linked arms with my mother-in-law. “Mom, today’s a good day. Don’t be mad at my sister-in-law. She’s feeling down, so don’t blame her.”

“She’s upset, but it’s not because of me! What does it have to do with my family? Who owes her anything? She walks in with that dead look on her face! She’s drained all the luck from this house!”

Rachel quickly changed the subject, making the relatives burst into laughter.

The earlier drama was swiftly forgotten and the sounds of laughter downstairs were so loud that they nearly shook the roof.

Unable to tolerate any longer, I was about to head downstairs to leave when Rachel suddenly appeared and blocked my way.

“Jessie, long time no see, I hope all is well with you.”

The corner of the staircase hid us from everyone’s view.

Rachel dropped all pretense, her face turning cold and malicious. “What’s wrong? Don’t recognize me? You haven’t forgotten about the case from five years ago, have you?”

I became alert and cautiously spoke, "Of course I haven't forgotten. Aren't you a hostage?"

Rachel laughed so hard that she had tears in her eyes, like she'd just heard the funniest joke in the world.

"Hostage? Do you really believe that? It was just a play my dad put on to protect me. I didn’t expect everyone to believe it. Speaking of which, the biggest contributor is your husband. Without the forged autopsy report he made, I really might not have gotten away."

"Fortunately, I took care of your parents before the police showed up. One clean stab, they died without much pain. What a pity though, they left behind a ticking time bomb like you. But don’t worry, after today, you’ll be able to reunite with them."

Before I could react, Rachel pulled my hand and dragged me down the stairs.

We tumbled continuously down the steps and in the end, we both fell into a pool of blood.

Everyone's expressions changed instantly.

Martin was the first to react and rushed forward.

But he held Rachel in his arms. "Rachel, are you okay? How did you fall?"

Rachel lay weakly in his arms, blood spilling from her mouth. "It was Jessie… who pushed me… she said I had to pay for the murder case five years ago… Martin, don’t blame her. It was my fault. I shouldn’t have come to the family dinner.”

A sharp pain came from beneath me, cold sweat breaking out on my forehead. “No… don’t believe her. She’s the real culprit…”

My mother-in-law’s eyes turned red with rage. She rushed forward and kicked me hard in the stomach twice.

“You bitch! Are you still trying to slander Rachel at this point? What the hell do you think you are? I say your parents deserved to die! Traitors like them dying was too good for them! Everyone knows what kind of people your parents were. No wonder their daughter is trash too! Rachel’s pregnant and you still dared to lay hands on her. I must’ve been blind to let you marry into this family!”

“Martin, don’t bother with her. Take Rachel to the hospital first!”

Martin gave me a deep, long look. "Jessie, you’ve really disappointed me."

Leaving those words behind, he walked out of the house with Rachel in his arms, without even looking back.

The relatives all rushed after him.

The room was left cold and empty, with only me lying in a pool of blood.

With the last of my strength, I dialed the emergency number.

But I still couldn't save the baby.

After the surgery, I ignored the doctor’s advice and insisted on being discharged.

I took a taxi to the airport.

On the way, Martin sent a message, every word laced with pathetic humility.

[Jessy, I promised you I would find out who the real culprit was, but you shouldn’t have laid hands on Rachel. She’s a victim too. She’s innocent. I’ve already apologized to her on your behalf. She said she won’t hold it against you.]

[Please don’t be mad anymore. Once everything’s settled, I’ll take you on a trip to unwind, okay? Didn’t you say you always wanted to see the sea? I’ve already booked the tickets. Let’s take it as a gift to our child.]

So, he still remembered our child.

I didn’t reply. I simply blocked all his contact. Then I scheduled the divorce agreement to be sent to his email.

The photographed case file and the evidence I had kept was also reported to the provincial authorities under my real name.

After everything was done, the boarding announcement echoed through the airport.

I snapped the SIM card in half and tossed it into the trash.

Without a backward glance, I walked away.

At that very moment, in the hospital, Rachel had just opened her eyes after escaping danger.

Martin stared at his phone, still with no reply from me. A growing unease kept settling in his chest.

He thought, ‘This trip was something Jessie had been looking forward to for five years. With a little getaway, she’d let go of the past afterward. She wouldn’t cause any more trouble for Rachel.’

But just as he submitted his leave request, a colleague called with panic in his voice.

“Martin, you need to get to the station right away! Someone reported the Sward Family case from five years ago and everyone’s looking for you! Your wife’s in trouble!”