I went to the law firm and had the divorce papers printed.

I canceled all my documents.

The case file had already been taken away by Caroline.

If I called the police now, without evidence, I wouldn’t stand a chance.

Leaving was my only option.

When I arrived at her workplace with the agreement in hand, I overheard her colleagues whispering in the hallway.

“Isn’t that Captain Carol’s husband? He looks familiar… Oh right, the Crow Family tragedy five years ago!”

“Shh, do you want to be punished during training? Don’t talk nonsense. Captain Carol has said time and again he wasn’t the killer. Don’t bring it up unless you want her to blow up. She even argued with the director over that case.”

“That suit looks custom—worth millions, I bet. I heard he had just come back from abroad. Someone like that wouldn’t need to kill anyone, right? And the way Captain Carol looks at him… If he really was the murderer, she’d have arrested him herself.”

My nails dug into my palm, the pain sharp but grounding.

I stood outside her office. Through the slightly ajar door, I heard voices—too familiar to mistake.

“Has she been treating you well these past years?” Caroline asked, her voice soft and strained, heavy with emotion.

Karl laughed lightly. “Don’t you know your sister? When she found out I was coming back, she bought me a private jet. No matter how I tried to talk her out of it, she wouldn’t listen. She’s still the same—so naive, even after five years of marriage.”

Caroline’s voice trembled slightly. “That’s good… Then I can rest easy.”

“Sis, I still owe you everything for what happened back then. If it weren’t for you, I’d probably be rotting in prison.”

“I think it’s best I don’t show up at the family dinner tomorrow,” he added with a sigh. “If Victor sees me, he’ll just be reminded of his parents. I don’t want to make trouble for you again…”

Karl—he’s always been like this. Playing the victim, twisting words.

And somehow, turning everyone against me.

Even now, I could still hear his mocking tone, his sneers behind a veneer of politeness.

Back when Caroline was still investigating the case, I read her notes in secret.

I knew—I knew—he was the only suspect.

At our wedding, I stood up and publicly named him as the murderer of my parents.

I tried to drag him to the police station myself.

But everyone turned on me.

They said I was ungrateful. They said I was ruining the day. They said I was insane.

Only Caroline stood by me, trying to explain away my outburst.

She used to be the only light in my life—the only salvation.

But now, it's her who pushed me into the abyss.

In the office, Caroline forced a bitter smile and pulled a small ceramic ornament from her drawer.

“I made this myself,” she said softly. “It’s not as expensive as the ones in stores, but it’s from the heart. I heard Doreen is pregnant… Consider it a gift for the baby.”

Karl accepted it with a grin, his eyes glowing with satisfaction and pride.

My hand trembled without me realizing. The slight shift made the door creak.

Caroline looked up and froze when she saw me through the glass. Her expression instantly tensed.

“Victor? Why are you here?”

“Don’t misunderstand,” she added quickly, walking toward me. “Karl just got back from abroad. He stopped by to say hi—and to talk about tomorrow night’s family dinner.”

“Victor, it’s been a while,” Karl greeted, rising to his feet. He wore a freshly tailored designer suit, polished down to the cufflinks.

Next to him, I looked like a street drifter.

I smiled faintly, suppressing everything boiling beneath the surface.

“It’s nothing,” I said. “I was just passing by and thought I’d check in. Since you’re busy, I’ll head back.”

Thinking I was upset, Caroline chased after me, her heels echoing in the hallway as she tried to explain.

“Victor, please don’t overthink it. Doreen is pregnant, and I just wanted to ask him for advice. To prepare.”

She looked up at me, eyes full of urgency. “Didn’t you always want a child of your own? I’m ready now. I agree.”

I stared at her—really stared. The woman I once loved so deeply. The woman who swore on her badge to uphold justice.

And now, here she was, compromising everything she stood for… just to shield Karl

Even her marriage.

Looking at her desperation—her need to reassure me—I almost laughed.

If she got everything she wanted in the end, who exactly was she still pretending for?

“Don’t worry, it’s all in the past,” I said with a faint smile. “Didn’t you once say it was all just a misunderstanding? I’m not that unreasonable.”

“You two keep chatting. I’ll wait for you at home.”

She let out a quiet sigh of relief and personally walked me to the car.

On the way, my colleagues at the bureau gave me looks filled with pity.

I ignored them, got into the car, and pulled out my phone. I started editing the divorce agreement.

When I got home, I began burning everything Caroline had given me over the past five years. Every letter, every trinket, every trace of what we once had.

When the final flame flickered out, I heard a knock on the door—the courier had arrived.

The sender was Caroline.

The recipient was Karl.

I signed for it anyway.

Curious, I opened the package.

Inside were premium maternity and baby products from all the top brands.

Then came her message, almost too quickly.

“Victor, I accidentally had a courier sent to the wrong address. It’s just office stuff. Please don’t open it. I’ll take it to the bureau when I’m back.”

I replied with a simple emoji.

Then resealed the box.

I had already made up my mind to leave.

Her lies weren’t even worth the effort of exposing anymore.

That night, she didn’t come home—said she was busy with a case.

Karl posted a status update for the first time in forever.

It was tagged at a luxury hotel in the city.

The photo was blurry but unmistakable. A woman in uniform, her shoulder epaulettes clearly visible.

Her wedding ring was gone, but the tan line it left behind lingered.

In the reflection of a wine glass, she smiled sweetly, and he looked at her like she was his whole world.

I gave it a like. Just as he would’ve wanted.

Then I quietly packed my bags.

The next afternoon, Caroline finally messaged me.

She asked me to come to the Baker Family’s old house.

The moment I stepped inside, her parents’ faces dropped when they noticed I came empty-handed.

“Caroline works day and night at the bureau. As her husband, can’t you at least bring something to show respect to us?” her father snapped. “What are you trying to prove by walking in here like that?”

The relatives sitting around cast me looks of thinly veiled contempt.

“You’ve been married five years and still think you’re the young master of the Crow Family?” someone scoffed. “The Crow Family’s been bankrupt for ages. If it weren’t for Caroline using all her savings to pay off your debts, you’d still be out there selling your pride to survive.”

“They’re your in-laws,” someone else chimed in. “Your own parents are long gone. Can’t you show some manners? From the way you act, it’s like Caroline forced you to marry her!”

Just then, Karl arrived at the door, carrying a full load of expensive health products.

The mood instantly changed.

“Karl, you’re here!” Caroline’s mother beamed, rushing over to greet him. “You must be tired from the flight. I’ll have your brother-in-law cook something special for you. Go rest upstairs, okay?”

“And why do you always bring so many things?” her father added with a chuckle. “We’re getting old—we can’t use all this. You two should just save your money for yourselves.”

I stood there in silence, invisible in my own marriage.

“Karl really knows how to behave—unlike someone who walks in like a debt collector,” Carol’s mother sneered. My parents have been dead for five years, and they still bring it up every time. It’s bad luck just hearing it!

Despite claiming she didn’t need the gifts, she didn’t hesitate to accept them, her hands busily tucking each item away.

Karl smiled proudly and slipped his arm around her in a familiar gesture.

“Mom, don’t say that. It’s been five years and they still haven’t caught the culprit behind the Crow Family case. It’s only natural that my brother-in-law is still grieving. He’s already carrying enough pain—let’s not rub salt in the wound. We’re all family, after all. You can’t write two Baker characters with one stroke.”

He chuckled lightly, then added, “By the way, Mom, Doreen is pregnant, and I heard my sister is starting to prepare too. Double blessings for the Baker Family!”

“And please, don’t make my brother-in-law cook—if my sister comes home to that, she’ll scold you for sure.”

At the mention of Caroline, her mother’s smile faltered for a split second before she recovered.

“A married daughter is like water thrown out,” she muttered under her breath, more to herself than anyone else. “That’s what being someone’s wife means.”

"I worry about her working so hard on the case every day, and in the end, showing concern for her makes me the villain!"

If this were before, I might have thought Caroline didn’t want to return to the old house just to protect me. But now, knowing the truth, I couldn’t feel anything at all.

She didn’t want to go home because she didn’t want to deal with Karl in the guise of being my sister. She didn’t want me to mention the murder case in front of everyone and risk embarrassing Karl.

A chorus of voices echoed, praising Karl for taking such good care of her. They marveled at how youthful she still looked, despite traveling the world and enduring all sorts of hardships.

I was left standing at the door, forgotten in the cold.

The wind swept past me just as Caroline arrived. She wrapped her arms around me and lovingly touched the tip of my nose.

"Why are you standing out here? Did your parents scold you again?"

When Caroline entered, my mother-in-law softened her tone immediately. "How could I scold the eldest son of the Crow Family? Your husband is too precious. Please, go upstairs and rest."

Karl, ever the actor, feigned concern. "Mom, I’ve booked dinner at the hotel. It should be here soon. You should rest, don’t worry about any of this."

Carol’s relatives surrounded him, praising his thoughtfulness, while I was left to fade into the background.

Caroline gently pushed me into the bedroom to rest.

I turned around to explain to my mother-in-law that I was feeling unwell, hoping she wouldn’t take my behavior the wrong way.

But Carol’s relatives couldn’t care less. They weren’t interested in me. They were too busy praising Karl for being such a good son-in-law. Every few moments, I could hear their laughter, each burst of sound making the air feel even more suffocating.

When I finally tried to leave and find some peace, Karl appeared out of nowhere, his smile growing more smug when he saw my pale face.

"Long time no see, old classmate," he said with a mocking tone.

"Five years have passed, and you still don’t recognize me?"

He paused for a moment before adding, "By the way, I have to thank you. If you hadn’t taken me home that night, I wouldn’t have found my enemy."

I clenched my fists, my entire body stiff with cold fury as I glared at him.

"Enemy?" I spat, my voice thick with rage. "What do you mean by that? What did my parents ever do to you that justified you going to such lengths to dismember them and kill them so cruelly?!"

In front of me, Karl dropped the pretense, his expression turning vicious.

"Sorry to you?" he sneered. "You should be asking them how they're sorry to me! If it weren't for them, my father's company wouldn't have gone bankrupt, and he wouldn't have been driven to jump off a building. You destroyed everything I had, and now I'm just taking revenge. Can't stand it?"

His words stabbed through me like daggers.

"Why," he continued, his voice dripping with malice, "are you so uncomfortable seeing the real murderer—the one who killed your parents—standing right in front of you, without retribution?"

He paused, a twisted grin spreading across his face.

"Speaking of which, I owe a lot to your fiancée and wife. If it weren't for them, I wouldn’t be living so well today."

The words hit like a freight train. Before I could process what he said, Karl added, "Before your father died, he was still thinking about you, his son. I even have a video of him begging for mercy. Want to see it? Kneel down and beg me."

The horrifying images of my parents’ tragic end flashed before my eyes. My heart raced, and a red-hot fury surged through me. Without thinking, I swung my fist at him.

The blow landed with a sickening thud.

But instead of anger, Karl only laughed—his laugh cold, detached. With the force of my punch, he staggered backward, falling hard to the ground.

Before I could even react, I felt a sharp pain in my chest.

Caroline, having rushed in, had kicked me squarely in the heart. The sheer force of her strike, honed by years of training, left me gasping and crumpling to the floor in humiliation.

She then crouched down, gathering Karl into her arms, her gaze full of fury as she glared at me.

"Victor, what the hell are you doing? Are you insane?" she shouted, her voice laced with venom. "Karl was just trying to call you to dinner, and you hit him?"

The sound of footsteps echoed, and Carol’s relatives appeared, eyes full of contempt as they glared at me, wishing they could stab me with their gazes.

Karl, weakly propped up in her arms, began to sob, playing his part perfectly.

"Caroline," he whined, "I'm sorry... I just wanted to apologize to Victor for the misunderstanding from five years ago... I never thought he'd suddenly... do this..."