Two years ago,my best friend and I married into the Parker family on the same day,and luckily,we both got pregnant almost simultaneously.I was married to the calm and brilliant forensic doctor,Ethan Parker,while she had gotten married to his brother,Evan Parker-an upright lawyer,or so we thought.

However,on the night of our second wedding anniversary,everything changed.

In the middle of a storm,both men rushed out of the house in a hurry,determined to rescue someone they cherished more than anything—Vera,their first love.

They braved the pouring rain and disappeared into the night.Hours later,Evan unearthed two bodies,both female,in an abandoned chemical factory on the outskirts of the city.The women's faces were disfigured,and their abdomen was slightly swollen.

Ethan,with his gloves on and scalpel in hand,worked with unnerving precision,removing any fingerprint from the body of the corpses and using sulfuric acid to obliterate any evidence left behind.When they finished,they removed two small,decomposing embryos,one from each of the corpses.Evan wrapped them up without a second thought and discarded them into a nearby sewer.

The two brothers,who worked seamlessly as a team,sighed in relief when they were done,believing they had successfully covered their tracks.What they didn’t realize,however,was that the bodies they had destroyed were none other than their wives—my best friend and me.

The truth would drive them mad.

——

Lightning cracked across the dark sky,briefly illuminating the grim scene at the abandoned factory.Two disfigured corpses lay uncovered in the muddy open space.Evan and Evan worked silently,their faces grim as they carried out their ghastly task.

Ethan,after putting on his gloves,took out his scalpel and paused,his gaze lingering on one of the bodies for a moment longer than usual.His sharp,handsome features furrowed in thought.

"What's wrong?Vera is waiting for us—we need to hurry,"Evan urged,clearly impatient.

Ethan blinked and shook his head,pushing his doubt aside.As a professional forensic scientist,he quickly returned to work,easily eliminating the fingerprints.Evan handed him a glass bottle filled with sulfuric acid,prepared to destroy all evidence.

Just as Ethan was about to pour the acid,Evan’s voice stopped him.Bending down to examine the other female corpse,Evan's eyes widened as he noticed a small red mark near her collarbone.He quickly pushed aside the woman's tattered clothing to reveal a large wound,already rotting,with no intact flesh left.

Evan shook his head."It's fine.Go ahead."

Meanwhile,my best friend and I hovered above them,our souls bound in a state of disbelief,watching as our husbands worked in sync,destroying what was left of our remains.We exchanged bitter smiles.How could this be happening?

They hadn’t come to this abandoned chemical factory in the dead of night just for any ordinary case.They were here because of a distressing video Vera had sent them an hour earlier—the woman they adored,their"white moonlight."

In the video,Vera was bound,her face pale with fear as she trembled and cried,surrounded by masked kidnappers who held sharp knives to her skin.Their sinister grins grew more menacing in the background,the sound of the rain amplifying the horror.

"Big-shot lawyer,big-time doctor,your sweetheart is quite the delicate flower,"one of the kidnappers sneered,running the blade down Vera’s cheek.

"Evan,Ethan,please save me,"Vera whimpered,her voice barely above a whisper,tears streaming down her face.

"How much do you want?I’ll pay it,just release Vera,"Evan snarled,his icy demeanour cracking as rage flashed in his eyes.For someone known as the city’s most emotionally controlled lawyer,it took only a few of Vera's tears to break him.

Despite his anger though,Evan held back.He couldn’t risk further provoking the kidnappers.

"Do exactly as I say.Go to the address I sent you and destroy all the evidence tied to the corpses you’ll see there,or your precious Vera will meet a gruesome end.Perhaps I'll dump her body in the sewers or the trash—who knows,she might be the next one Ethan finds on his autopsy table."

The kidnapper's words hung in the air like a curse.

"Please,Evan,Ethan,don’t let them kill me.I’m so scared,"Vera's voice trembled with despair,her broken plea echoing through the room as the video abruptly cut off.

Moments later,a message followed with instructions.The kidnappers demanded that every trace of evidence tied to my best friend and me be eliminated.If they failed,Vera’s limbs would be cut off.

My best friend and I watched in silence as our husbands,with cold precision,erased every trace of the horrifying crime from our bodies.They destroyed the DNA of the criminals,using their skills.Ethan,a seasoned forensic pathologist,had seen it all—inhumane,mutilated corpses—but the gaping wounds on our bodies made even him frown.Yet,it was only a brief frown.To him,we were nothing more than discarded meat.Compared to Vera,we were irrelevant.

Tears streamed down my best friend’s face,and I held her,biting my lip to stop my silent cries.I thought I had reached the peak of pain.But when I saw the child we had longed for,ripped from our mutilated bodies,my heart shattered.The child—our baby—had died from the kidnappers’brutal assault and was further disfigured by the sulfuric acid.The membrane had dissolved,revealing raw,twisted flesh.

Ethan’s breathing grew heavier,but he remained calm,bundling the tiny remains of our children and handing them to Evan.Evan,unlike his brother,couldn’t hold it together.He turned away,retching,before running into the pouring rain to dispose of the bodies.My best friend and I screamed,rushing after him,our hands passing helplessly through the lifeless children as they were flung into a filthy ditch,sinking into the black water below.

My best friend collapsed in tears."Why?How could they do this to us?"

Yes,why?Today was supposed to be our second wedding anniversary.Just a month ago,Ethan and I had a bitter fight—yet again—over Vera,his precious"White Moonlight."After weeks of cold silence,he extended an olive branch,sending me a picture of our favourite restaurant,Starry Sky.This was where we first met,where he proposed,the place had a special place in our hearts.

I softened instantly.After all,my name is Star,and once,I was the brightest star in his life.Back then,he was awkward and unsure of romance.He would carefully release fireflies from glass jars,lighting up the night with his eyes only for me.He told me I was the star he would guard across mountains and seas.It wasn’t perfect,but it was enough to heal the wounds of my childhood,where I was always second to my brother in our patriarchal household.

Ethan had rescued me from that misery.He promised to love our daughter,a little girl with dimples just like mine.But today,our daughter was reduced to a pile of acid-corroded flesh by the very hands that once promised to protect her.My heart clenched,the pain unbearable.Ethan—how could you do this?

Once their work was complete,the two brothers looked at each other,relieved.Ethan removed his gloves and contacted the kidnappers.Only after confirming Vera’s safe return did he finally prepare to leave.As an afterthought,he opened his phone and scrolled through our messages.

My inbox was filled with brief,emotionless replies:"Uh,""Oh."The last message he had sent was that photo of Starry Sky Restaurant.But even that hadn’t come from him.Vera had sent it using his phone.That morning,while I was hurrying to meet Ethan,eager to celebrate our anniversary,I saw her post on social media.Under the starry sky,Vera smiled as Ethan held her in his arms.Evan stood nearby,dotting cream on her nose while they all laughed.Even Ethan,who never smiled,looked full of warmth and affection.

Her caption had read,"True favouritism isn’t something you have to say out loud,"followed by a playful wink emoji.She had mastered the art of cruelty,killing me with her seemingly carefree post.

But she never saw the chaos her post caused.My car turned off its path,and I was kidnapped.My best friend had called just before,having seen the post as well.Her husband’s lies were weighing heavily on her,worst because of her pregnancy,and she had wanted to vent to me.The kidnappers,however,intercepted my phone and,imitating my voice,lured her into their trap.

The rain poured outside,mirroring the frustration in the air.Ethan's face twisted in impatience as he tapped furiously on his phone,messaging me:

"I've already told you,Vera is our god-sister.Today’s her birthday,and we’ve always celebrated it together,just the three of us—me,my brother,and her.It’s our tradition."

Bitterness welled up inside me as I read his messages,finding them sickeningly ironic.He probably didn't realize there was still a bright lipstick stain on the collar of the white shirt he wore.

"She doesn’t have any friends in this country.She needs me more than you do,stop being unreasonable!"

He was defending her again,brushing aside my feelings as though they didn’t matter.

"You should learn from Vera.She even invited you to celebrate her birthday.But what did you do?Instead of being considerate,you’re just been selfish and stubborn.You upset her,and now she feels guilty because of you."

His words cut deep.

"You’re not a child anymore,stop sulking like one.You’re pregnant and yet,you’re out on a night like this?Are you even fit to be a mother?"

I clenched my fists as another message came in.

"Tomorrow,apologize to Vera in person."

Ethan waited for a response.I left the message unanswered.His last message was what landed a punch to my gut:

"Star,do you think I can't live without you?Without me,you are nothing."

Years of love reduced to nothing in his mind.His words echoed in my head,but my tears wouldn’t fall.My best friend,still beside me,tried to calm me down.But I was numb.

The next morning,our battered bodies were found by scavengers,washed away by the heavy rain.A crowd had gathered by the time Ethan arrived with his team.He was expressionless,squatting beside the body,performing his job with chilling detachment.As if he were a stranger.

"Age between 25 and 30…very young…"

His voice was steady as he examined the body,but his hand faltered as he turned me over.Something about my form—my proportions—was too familiar.He hastily lifted my left hand,brushing the dirt from my fingers,and examining them closely.His fingers stopped at my pinky,the one that had been injured when I was a child.Ethan knew it well,but he didn’t know that before my death,each finger had been broken—cracked at every joint.

I screamed until my voice gave out,as the kidnappers showed me the photo of Vera wrapped in Ethan’s arms.Her teasing voice had taunted me,

"The famous forensic expert,huh?A loyal husband at home and a lover outside.What a lucky woman you are.”

I had kicked one of the men in his groin with my last bit of strength,but my defiance only earned me brutal beatings.My best friend had tried to protect me,sacrificing herself to buy me time,pushing her bloodied phone into my hands before a shovel hit her head repeatedly.I watched helplessly as her skull cracked open.

Fighting through the pain,I dialled Ethan’s number,praying for a miracle.The call connected,but what I heard broke my heart all over again.

"Ethan,zip up my dress,I can't reach it."It was Vera’s voice,playful and carefree,as usual.

Desperation clawed at my chest,and I whispered into the phone,

"Help...please…"

His voice,cold and irritated,came through.

"What is it now?Another fake emergency?You’ve already sent hateful messages to Vera and cried wolf over a fever.What's the excuse this time?Help?"

I choked back sobs as he continued,

"I'm exhausted,Star.When you're dead,call me.I'll give you an autopsy myself."

In the background,Evan laughed as well,

"Tell my wife that if she keeps throwing tantrums about Vera,I’ll divorce her.There’s no love between us."

Then came the sound of their laughter,mingling with Vera’s voice,playful and carefree.And just like that,the phone line went dead.

I turned to my best friend’s lifeless body beside me.We exchanged a final,hollow smile,silently surrendering to the inevitable.

The kidnappers continued their assault,but neither of us was struggling anymore.

"Ethan,is there a problem?"The assistant's voice brought Ethan back from his thoughts.

"Nothing."He shook his head,lowering his gaze.A flicker of relief was evident in his eyes as he stated the results of his analysis with a serious tone."The deceased are two young women.Their faces are unrecognizable;they suffered severe violence before death.There are over two dozen stab wounds on their bodies,multiple burns,all of their limbs and ribs are broken,and their fingerprints have been intentionally destroyed.This was done by professional criminals..."

With each additional word,the faces of those around him darkened further.When Ethan finally dropped the last sentence,"There are traces of being cut open at the stomach..."

Someone who could no longer contain themselves,cursed."A beast worse than a pig or a dog!"

Several police officers joined in,cursing with righteous indignation.Ethan's hand trembled slightly,and his face turned a shade darker.

Seeing the embarrassment in his eyes made me want to laugh.Did he feel any shame?From the moment he assisted the criminal in destroying evidence for Vera,he became unworthy of that white coat.

Ethan stood up,removed his gloves,and handed them to his assistant."More detailed clues will have to wait for the autopsy results."

After explaining,he walked to the door,hurriedly pulled out his cell phone,and clicked on my chat page.There was still no reply.

He stared at the screen for a long time,his brow furrowing as he exited and re-entered the chat repeatedly,refreshing it over and over,only to find the same result.His brows knitted in confusion;he didn’t seem to expect that I,who had always shown weakness and compromise,would one day stand my ground.

The time I hadn’t replied was already the longest in our history.This feeling of losing control was unsettling him.

He quickly typed a message:"Still mad?"

"You're the one who did something wrong.What reason is there for you to be angry?"

"Vera doesn’t care.Is it that hard to just apologize?"

He took a deep breath as if enduring countless insults and demands."As long as you change your selfish,lying ways,I’ll consider making up for our wedding anniversary."

The chat page remained motionless—clear green boxes,without a single white box appearing.

It was ironic;it felt as though our roles had reversed.The chatter I once took for granted had faded away,and he was now the one growing anxious.

Frustrated,he typed one last message:"I’ll give you one last chance.If you don’t reply by the end of the day,we’ll get a divorce!"

The word"divorce"used to feel monumental to me.He put away his phone,seemingly victorious,expecting me to come running back out of fear.

I laughed silently and bitterly.Ethan,you don't need to wait.This time,I truly don’t want you.

He wouldn't know what it meant to me when he hung up after my last call.

Just then,Evan walked in with a briefcase.He had a meeting with the public office,pretending to briefly negotiate with Ethan before submitting the indefensible paperwork,claiming there was no evidence left by any criminal on the bodies.

Frustrated,he raked his fingers through his hair."Ethan,has Star replied to your messages?"

"I’ve called my wife more than ten times.None of them got through."

"It’s just a wedding anniversary.It’s not worth getting this angry.I sent her a message suggesting we make up in a more grand way,but it seems endless."

"Pregnant women can be troublesome;they’re just a headache!"

BFF muttered bitterly,"If you knew that these troublesome women were dead,lying less than two meters away from you,you should be happy to celebrate with fireworks."

I held my best friend's hand in silence.She blinked back tears,saying resignedly,"Star,we were both blind."

I sighed silently,watching as the two bodies,covered with white cloths,were carried away on a stretcher.I noticed Ethan suddenly clutching at his heart,perhaps disturbed by the word"pregnant."He pulled Evan aside to explain,"Now that we are about to know the identities of the deceased,we’ll need to provide their families with support."

Evan nodded and was about to leave when the phone in his pocket rang.It was a call from the hospital’s psychiatric department.