Chapter 1

My best friend and I were dismembered and sealed inside a concrete wall.

At the time, my husband was busy helping his precious "mistress" look for her missing cat.

Right before I died, I had called him—the Captain of the Major Crimes Unit. All I got was a harsh rebuke.

"Enough of your ridiculous games, for God's sake! Vanessa's cat is missing near her apartment building, and God knows if it's hurt. I don't have time for your little dramas right now."

Two weeks later, the police discovered two female corpses encased in concrete at a construction site. After the bodies were brought to the morgue, my brother-in-law, the medical examiner, spent a full day and night piecing us back together. They analyzed every shred of evidence on our remains.

Yet neither of them realized the victims were their most despised family members—me, and my best friend.

But let's go back to where this nightmare began.

Marcus showed up late to the crime scene after receiving the call, still holding a cat teaser from the pet clinic. It looked utterly ridiculous amidst the stench and horror of the site.

His gaze fell on the two bodies, and he frowned. "Two victims this time?"

My brother-in-law, Lucas, looked up with a grave expression. "Initial assessment suggests two females, aged between twenty and thirty. Based on the state of decomposition, the time of death was likely around two weeks ago. The bodies are severely mutilated, and the bones are shattered. Identifying them precisely will depend on reconstruction and further analysis."

The bodies were transported back to the station. Lucas and his colleagues worked for over ten hours before they finally managed to reconstruct our shattered remains.

"The victims' bones were extensively fractured, indicating significant torture before death," Lucas reported. "Traces of corrosive acid were found in the intestines, and almost every bone was broken. The fatal injury appears to be ligature marks from a guitar string around the neck. Most notably, the eyes are missing."

He continued working without pause, right up until he extracted something resembling infant bones and a placenta from one of the bodies.

Everyone in the room instantly paled.

Lucas, usually so unflappable, finally broke and vomited into a nearby trash can.

I watched his distress from above, a bitter taste rising in my throat.

Does it turn your stomach? That was your nephew—your own flesh and blood.

"He was several months along," Lucas said, his voice strained. "He had a full skeleton. But he never got to see this world."

Marcus added grimly, "One of the victims was pregnant."

Lucas pushed himself upright. His eyes were bloodshot behind his mask, and his fists were clenched. Shaking with rage, he muttered, "The bastard who did this deserves hell. I hope the families never find out. How could they ever recover from this?"

Hearing that, I desperately hoped Marcus and Lucas would never learn it was us lying there. At least they could feel grief for strangers. If they knew the truth, they'd probably just feel disgusted.

"I'll expedite the tests and notify you as soon as I have results," Lucas said.

Marcus glanced at his watch. "I'll come with you. We need to check nearby hospitals for missing pregnant women."

Just then, a colleague stopped Marcus, handing him a small, delicate box.

"Captain, I heard Elena's pregnant. My wife insisted I give you this. It's just some little things for the baby, hope you don't mind."

Marcus froze. "Who said she's pregnant?"

The colleague looked bewildered and scratched his head. "It's all over the station spouses' chat. Isn't it true?"

At the mention of the spouses' chat, Marcus sneered. "She's always pulling these stunts, thinking it'll make me forgive her. It just makes me sick."

The colleague looked awkward, venturing hesitantly, "But what if it is true? Who would joke about something like that?"

Marcus cut him off, his tone ironclad. "Impossible. I'd know if she were pregnant. I don't want to hear any more of these rumors. Understood?"

"Understood, sir!"

Yeah. I laughed at myself softly.

It suddenly hit me—he really didn't know.

I remembered the day I found out I was pregnant. I had waited up late for him, and when he finally came home exhausted, he smelled of alcohol. But underneath it lingered the faint, sweet scent of jasmine perfume.

I was hurt. I was angry.

We had a huge fight, and all I got in return was his venom.

"Elena Vance, you don't deserve to mention her name. She cries when she sees a dead flower on the sidewalk. But you? You're a killer. I'll never forgive you."

But honey, this time I wasn't lying.

I really was pregnant. It's just... now you'll never hear it from me.