Just two seconds later, Mark lowered his head defeatedly, looking very pitiful.

"If Caleb didn't want Mandy to attend Keith's parent-teacher meeting, he could've just said so. How could he make up such wretched lies about his own child?

"At worst, we'll just let the other classmates continue to mock Ketih for not having a mother in his life…"

Mark clutched his heart, as if it were giving him pain.

That was the final spark for Amanda's fury. She roared at Lara, "Tell Caleb that if he pulls another one of these dirty tricks, I'll divorce him! Look at the way he's behaving now!

"What happened to the guy who was once a distinguished graduate from the police academy? If he continues to throw a tantrum like this, he can get the hell out of my life!"

Without sparing Lara another glance, she took Keith's hand and supported Mark with her other hand before walking without hesitation.

I thought that since I was dead, I wouldn't feel much. But when I heard her mention the fact that I'd been a distinguished graduate of the police academy, I felt a little dazed still.

Many people had looked up to me back then. I had a bright future ahead of me.

But after falling in love with Amanda, I came to know of her ambition. I knew she didn't want to be bound to the house and forced to look after the family. To let Evan grow up in a loving home with at least one parent present, I volunteered to step back from my career.

I chose to support Amanda's career instead, and I even willingly gave her the credit I'd earned by risking my life. I watched her rise through the ranks, basking in the glory.

It was so foolish of me to lose myself for a woman like her.

At the kindergarten, Amanda proudly watched as Keith stood on the stage. Just then, she got a call from the hospital.

"Hello, is this Ms. Amanda Stone, mother of Evan Johnson? I'm calling to inform you that Evan is no longer in critical condition, but he needs his family to take care of him. Please come to the hospital immediately."

Frowning, Amanda dropped the call without saying a single word.

She didn't believe it. She didn't believe for a second that Evan had been hospitalized and that I was dead.

My heart burned with hatred as I watched her cold, indifferent face. I was so blind to think I had to sacrifice everything without reservation just because I loved someone.

I deserved to end up like this, but Evan was Amanda's son, too. How could she be this cruel toward him?

Amanda's phone rang again. This time, it was a call from Simon Thompson, a member of her team.

"Captain Stone," Simon said, his voice hoarse and solemn. "The medical examiner is… piecing together the last of Caleb's… scattered remains. His body will be cremated after this. Do you want to come over and see him one last time?"

Amanda snorted and replied mockingly, "If you're going to come up with a lie, can you at least make it sound more believable? He's just a desk jockey who hasn't set foot outside the police station for three years. He hasn't even cracked a single case worth mentioning.

"Even if he's dead, why would the medical examiner be brought in to deal with his body? He's not even worthy of that. And don't forget that he even tortures stray cats behind our backs. Scum like him would only be sullying the earth with his dead body!"

My soul shuddered.

Six months ago, I had caught Keith using a slingshot to blind a stray cat. He had even stomped on it. I stepped in to stop him, only to be shoved aside by Mark when he arrived. Mark then falsely accused me of abusing the cat.

Amanda didn't even bother investigating the matter. She blindly bought into Mark and Keith's claims, condemning me as guilty outright.

I even got an official reprimand at work because of that, and my chances of promotion had been completely destroyed.

Simon blew up after hearing what Amanda said.

"I won't let you disparage a fallen hero like that, Amanda! Caleb had already broken free from the kidnappers. He only ran back toward them with a grenade in his hand to save the child the kidnappers were using as a human shield! He died saving lives! How can you talk about him like that? Are you even human?"

Even so, Amanda didn't believe a single word he said. She yelled right back, "Have all of you lost your minds? How dare you try to jinx my husband and my child like that! I'm commanding you to return to the field support team at once! I don't want to see you on my team again!"

"Don't even bother transferring me. I'll submit the application to transfer out of your team myself. I don't want to work under a cold and ruthless monster like you either!" Simon roared before ending the call.

Amanda gripped her phone tightly, her chest heaving. For a moment, there was a flicker of panic in her eyes.

"Mandy, Keith accidentally cut his hand just now…"

Mark's voice rang out at that very moment. He was holding Keith in his arms. Although his expression seemed calm, his eyes held a helpless, pleading look.

"Is Caleb still upset? Maybe you should go back and try to coax him first. Keith and I are used to being ourselves. We'll be fine."

She took Keith into her arms and said urgently to Mark, "Come. I'll take you guys to the hospital!"

The anxious look on her face drew praise from the surrounding parents, who praised her for being a good mother.

Meanwhile, her biological son was lying alone on a hospital bed, his life still hanging in the balance.

When they got to the hospital, Amanda single-handedly dealt with everything from registering Keith to securing a doctor and settling the hospital fees.

I never got that sort of treatment from her whenever I needed to see a doctor at the hospital.

After the wound was treated, she carried Keith past the pediatric ward. A young boy came hopping past her, and his back reminded her of Evan's.

Amanda stopped in her tracks. Seeming to have thought of something, she passed Keith back to Mark.

"Take Keith home. I-I'm going to get Evan a birthday gift," she said before hurrying off.

So she remembered that it was Evan's birthday tomorrow, huh?

Amanda ran into Lara at the hospital entrance. Lara's eyes were completely swollen. She was startled to see Amanda, but soon, she gritted her teeth and said, "I guess you still have a heart after all. At least you came to see Evan. The doctor said that he would wake soon. You should check on him."

Amanda's face darkened, and she gave Lara a hard slap. "I'm warning you. You shouldn't cross the line with these practical jokes of yours!"

Then, she sidestepped the dumbfounded Lara and marched to the parking lot.

All I could do was scoff. Even now, she still thought that everyone else was lying to her.

Feeling exhausted myself, I drifted into the front passenger seat and followed her to the mall. She bought Evan a nice jacket and the latest Lego set. Then, she stopped by the cakery to buy Evan's favorite strawberry cake.

When Amanda arrived home, she found the house empty. She pulled out her phone and texted me.

"Stop kicking up a fuss, sweetheart. Now that I've used you and Evan to exchange for Mark and Keith, I've finally repaid Rachel for saving my life. It's Evan's birthday tomorrow. Let's give him a proper celebration, okay?"

In the past, my heart would've softened at the way she was giving in and compromising. After all, Evan was still so young. I didn't want him to be traumatized from growing up with parents who didn't get along with each other.

But now, I just wanted to grab a vase and crack her skull open with it. I wanted to see whether she had a functioning brain at all.

Alas, my hand drifted right through the vase, which seemed to be mocking me for how useless I was.

I felt a surge of helplessness and despair.

Why was I being bound to her even in death, unable to get any peace?

Somehow, some divine power seemed to have heard my ranting. At the very next moment, my soul drifted into Evan's room, as if it'd been yanked over by some invisible force.

Evan's tiny body lay on the hospital bed, his face as pale as a sheet. Suddenly, his eyelids fluttered slightly.

He was waking up! Evan, my precious son, was stirring!

I was so excited that I wanted to press the call button to summon a doctor, but my hand passed through the air again and again.

Just then, someone carefully opened the door. Mark entered, with Keith following right behind.

Mark walked up to the bed and looked down at the unconscious Evan. His usually pleasant expression was replaced with a look of pure malice.

"Why is it so hard to kill you, you little bastard? I had specifically instructed the kidnappers to kill you alongside your bastard of a father, but you ended up surviving. But it's fine. I'll just send you down to hell now so that you can keep your father company."

He pulled a syringe filled with an unknown liquid from his pocket and poked it into Evan's IV drip.

"No!" I screamed like a madman, trying to push the evil Mark away, to no avail. All I could do was watch as the liquid was slowly injected into Evan's body.

Evan began to convulse violently. The heartbeat monitor went haywire, and a piercing alarm blared.

"Beep—Beep—Beep—"

Hearing the sound, the medical team rushed into the room.

I desperately wanted to hold Evan, but my soul was once again yanked away by some powerful force, instantly pulling me back to Amanda's side.

I felt like I was about to go crazy. I threw punches and kicks at her, screaming at her to check on Evan and save him. But alas, my limbs simply flailed in the air, never hitting anything.

With my soul hovering less than three feet away from Amanda, I continued to thrash about in a state of absolute anxiety and despair.

However, she was completely absorbed in making a cardboard house. It was the craft project Evan had to complete for school. He had happily asked Amanda to help him, but she had impatiently refused.

Well, the due date for that project had long passed, yet here she was, pretending to be a dutiful mother.

Suddenly, the door flew open.

Mark came in with Keith in his arms. He ran up to Amanda, looking absolutely terrified, his voice shaking as he cried, "Mandy! Please check on Keith. I… I just saw Lara sneaking out of a hospital ward with Caleb and Evan…

"I just wanted to go over to them and check on them, but Caleb… suddenly lost his mind. He used a knife to stab Keith! My heart is hurting like mad, but I'm too scared to go to the hospital…"

Amanda clenched her fists in rage when she saw the faintest streak of blood on Keith's arm. She immediately destroyed the cardboard house she was building.

After calling a doctor she knew to come to the house to treat Mark and Keith, she began spamming my phone with calls. When none of them went through, she called Lara's phone instead.

However, Lara had dropped her phone outside the resuscitation room when she followed the doctors who'd taken Evan there. She was unreachable as well.

"I see how it is!" Amanda scoffed in anger before throwing the cake and the gifts she bought to the floor.

She stomped on the items, destroying them all in a fit of anger.

"Tomorrow, I'm going to host a grand birthday party for Keith's birthday! I'm ordering every single person on the squad to attend!" Amanda roared into her phone before sending the voice message to the group chat.

Over at the hospital, following a two-hour rescue attempt, Evan's heart stopped beating.

The doctors repeatedly tried calling Amanda, but their calls went unanswered. Mark, who had stayed by Amanda's side, had secretly declined them all.

Our colleagues from the police squad who'd gone to the hospital all fell into a heavy silence.

In the end, Lara said hoarsely, "It's Evan's birthday tomorrow. Let's celebrate with him one last time before putting him to rest."

…

The next day, the house that Amanda and I shared was all decked out with colorful decorations. The place looked festive and lively.

A massive cake stood in the center of the living room, and Keith stood in front of it, his smile smug.

Mark stood beside Amanda with a pleasant, gentlemanly smile on his face. All the people on Amanda's squad showed up, but none of them were smiling.

"It's time to blow out the candles, Keith. Let's all wish a happy birthday to my wonderful godson!" Amanda declared as she tried to lead everyone in a happy birthday serenade.

Keith puffed out his cheeks. He was just about to blow out the candle when the front door was kicked open.

Lara and a few other colleagues entered. They were all dressed in black, their expressions somber. Two teammates behind her were holding funeral portraits draped in black cloth.

"Amanda, we're here to bring a fallen hero and his son home."

Amanda's smile froze. Looking rather flustered, she questioned, "What fallen hero? What kind of stunt are you guys trying to pull this time?"

The moment she said that, a gust of wind blew in through the front of the door, lifting the black cloth off the funeral portraits of Evan and me.