After that, I was taken to Arthur's house.

Back then, Arthur was like a big brother to me, comforting and caring for me, even giving me his most beloved toy.

Later, Arthur's father, Oscar Hastings, passed away, and the two of us were left to rely on each other.

When I fell ill with a high fever and talked nonsense in my dreams, calling for my parents, he stayed by my bedside day and night, taking care of me.

Later on, his first love, Mia, appeared, and he started to distance himself from me.

Then, when Mia moved in, she had an asthma attack as soon as she entered the house.

Arthur immediately blamed me and my cat.

I couldn't understand how twenty years of affection and trust could shatter instantly because of someone he had just met.

He questioned me, asking why I had treated Mia that way.

No matter how many times I explained, he wouldn't listen.

He was convinced that I was the cause of Mia's relapse.

We had initially planned to get married at the end of this year, but after that incident, he never mentioned it again.

The last time we spoke was when I was trying on wedding dresses. He said he was too busy to come.

"Check under her fingernails for DNA," Arthur said, placing my fingers in a bag and sending them to the lab.

I wanted to tell him.

"There is! There is! I left some behind!"

But no matter how many times I appeared in front of him, he passed right through me.

I drifted helplessly, tears soaking my cheeks once again. It turned out that even after death, people could still feel sadness and cry.

"Keep an eye on recent missing persons reports, especially those involving young women.

"Also, the blood samples have been sent to the city. Our equipment here is slower, but the results should be back in two days. Let Caleb know when he gets back. I have other matters to attend to, gotta go."

With that, Arthur took off his uniform and rushed into the pouring rain, heading towards the hospital.

"Arthur, has Claire been by to see you? Cookie's running out of cat food, and she usually brings some over," Amanda Morris called out.

Ever since Arthur wouldn't let me keep a cat at home, I've been keeping Cookie at Amanda's place.

Every week, I make sure to deliver cat food to Amanda's house on time.

Arthur's face darkened at Amanda's words. "I don't know, she hasn't come to find me!"

"Arthur, are you two having a fight? Claire usually answers her phone, and Cookie is her baby. Maybe you should give her a call and ask," Amanda suggested.

Amanda also lived in the police station dormitory.

She was a retired police officer and had watched Arthur and me grow up in this neighborhood.

She was like family to us.

I had actually bought a lot of cat food, but I couldn't deliver it anymore.

Cookie seemed to sense something was wrong and meowed at Arthur on the other end of the phone.

Arthur's expression grew more displeased, but he restrained himself because it was Amanda calling. "Claire and I have broken up," he said patiently. "I don't want to hear anything about her anymore."

"Was it because of Mia?"

Amanda had heard me mention her once before.

"What did Claire tell you?" Arthur's face darkened, his expression growing even uglier.

"Forget it, it doesn't matter what she said anymore, Amanda. I have something to do, goodbye."

With that, he hung up the phone and ran to a nearby flower shop.

He had carefully chosen a bouquet of exceptionally bright and beautiful flowers, instructing the clerk to wrap it like a piece of art.

I floated beside him, watching as a rare smile spread across his face, brimming with happiness.

It was the same smile he had on the night he proposed to me.

Entering the hospital room filled with the smell of disinfectant, he placed the bouquet beside the bed. Mia, seeing him arrive, coughed twice, her complexion growing even paler.

"I can take care of myself. Have you finished all your work?" she asked.

As she spoke, she covered her face and coughed violently again.

Arthur gently brushed away the stray hairs from Mia's forehead and said softly, "How could I leave you like this? As soon as I finished, I rushed here."

"Have they caught the serial killer?" Mia asked.

Arthur frowned. "How did you know?"

A flash of panic crossed Mia's eyes, then she composed herself and said, "It's all around. The cleaning lady mentioned it to me today."

Indeed, the news had already spread throughout the city; it was hardly a secret.

"Did they catch the killer?" Mia pressed on.

"Are you that curious?"

"After all, it's such a big case. I'm a bit scared, too, just hoping the police will catch the killer soon."

Arthur chuckled and affectionately ruffled Mia's hair. "Your main task is to focus on getting better."

Whenever I felt unwell in the past, he would comfort me with the same tenderness.

I stared intently at Mia.

Arthur had no idea who he was really dealing with!

Mia obediently closed her eyes and lay down.

Arthur's phone began to ring; it was a call from the station.

He stepped outside the hospital room to answer it.

"Arthur, your cake has been delivered. Is it your birthday today?"

"It was addressed to dear Mr. Hastings." The officers at the station teased him. "Could it be from Claire?"

At this, Arthur's face turned ashen. "Today isn't my birthday. You guys go ahead and eat it!"

As soon as the call ended, he muttered to himself, "I hate cream, and she knows it!"

Immediately, he dialed my number but only got a busy signal, with no response.

Frustrated, he called three more times, still unable to get through.

They took my phone away.

Initially, they planned to use me to extort some money. After the last call, they saw how few contacts I had and abandoned the idea.

They turned on my phone's camera and recorded everything.

Arthur was running out of patience.

Even if we argued, I would never ignore his calls, let alone not respond after several attempts.

He sent me several voice messages on WhatsApp. "Claire, stop bugging me! Can't we just let each other go?

"Also, your cat is nearly starving. If you can really be so heartless, then even if it dies, I won't help you deal with it.

"Don't think that hiding will make me soften and forgive you. As long as Mia isn't well, I won't forgive you!"

My heart felt like needles were piercing it, the pain making my whole body tremble.

Focused on venting his dissatisfaction on WhatsApp, Arthur didn't notice that Mia, as if nothing was wrong, was climbing off the bed with a fierce and sinister look in her eyes.

"Arthur, where are you?" Caleb's call came through. "There's a major discovery. Hurry back!"