Chapter 1

Chapter 1

In an online beauty contest, I won first place with a single candid, unedited photo. That victory bruised the fragile ego of Gemma Crawford, an entitled heiress and rising star.

That very night, Gemma had my mother kidnapped.

Seven days later, the police found my mother in a suburban safehouse. Her limbs were broken, and she had bled to death.

Consumed by grief, I dragged the arrogant socialite straight to criminal court.

Now, inside the crowded courtroom, the judge adjusted his glasses and reviewed the autopsy report.

"According to the official forensic report, the victim's physical features are unrecognizable due to severe decomposition, and all ten fingerprints are missing," the judge declared calmly.

"The court finds insufficient evidence to confirm the body belongs to the mother of Ms. Clara Hayes," he continued. "The defendant, Gemma Crawford, is acquitted of all charges."

The gavel slammed down. I jerked my head up, staring at the judge in utter disbelief.

I turned toward the stretcher beside the prosecution table, where a white sheet covered a body.

"No… That's impossible!" I screamed. "My mother's body was perfectly preserved yesterday! How could it decompose in a single day?!"

I lunged forward and tore back a corner of the sheet.

My blood turned to ice.

The flesh on her fingertips had been cruelly ground down to raw, mangled bone.

Her kind, familiar face had been melted away by industrial acid, leaving behind an unrecognizable horror.

I froze as if struck by lightning.

How could this happen?

Yesterday, she was still whole.

Then, a sickening realization slithered into my mind, stealing the air from my lungs.

Last night, my mother's body had been placed under the personal care of my husband, Chief Medical Examiner Zachary Cole.

Under heavy security, no one else had the skill or authority to destroy every identifying feature so professionally.

A sudden rustle broke the silence from the defense bench.

Gemma stood up lazily, smoothing down the folds of her designer dress.

She looked at my devastated face, a smirk playing on her lips.

"Did you really think you could touch me, Clara?" she mocked, stepping closer. "I know you're jealous of my family and my fame, but framing me with your mother's death is just pathetic."

Flanked by her lawyers and bodyguards, she strutted out of the courtroom like a pampered peacock.

"Gemma Crawford! Don't you dare walk away! You murderer!"

I lost all control and lunged after her, but a powerful arm locked around my waist.

It was Zachary.

He stood beside me, his handsome face stripped of the righteousness he usually wore.

Leaning close, he whispered into my ear with chilling cruelty:

"Stop wasting your breath. I will never let Gemma go to prison."

Those words pierced through my final shred of sanity.

My body trembled violently as my heart shattered into pieces.

I stared at the man before me.

This was the same Zachary Cole who once worked seventy-two hours straight on an autopsy table to bring justice to an abused orphan.

This was the same man who defied powerful elites, coldly declaring that no one stood above the law.

Now, that noble image shattered completely on the floor.

"Why…?" My voice shook, bleeding with agony. "Where are your principles now?! Where is that devotion to justice you always bragged about?! Did you feed it to the dogs?!"

"You couldn't stand by when strangers suffered, yet you helped the monster who murdered my mother? You destroyed her final dignity just to save your precious Gemma?!"

Zachary looked at my unraveling state, and something flickered deep in his eyes.

Yet, he turned his face away, refusing to meet my gaze.

"For Gemma," he muttered coldly, "I can abandon my principles."

The world fell dead silent.

I let out a broken laugh, tears streaming down my cheeks.

So that was it. All these years, he had never truly let go of Gemma Crawford.

Three years ago, the three of us attended the same elite university.

Everyone knew Zachary, the golden boy of the forensics department, had followed Gemma's footsteps since childhood.

He loved the glamorous heiress openly and unapologetically.

I was merely a quiet shadow behind him, nursing a hopeless, secret crush.

I thought my love would forever remain unspoken.

Until the day Gemma received an offer from an Ivy League school abroad and left without looking back.

That night, Zachary got blackout drunk at our usual hangout.

When I rushed to the bar, he was slumped over the counter, whispering Gemma's name in his stupor.

I dragged his heavy frame back to a hotel room.

There, in his drunken haze, he pinned me against the wall.

He kissed me fiercely, leaving scorching marks while murmuring another woman's name.

When he woke up, he promised to take responsibility.

We started dating, and marriage naturally followed.

After our wedding, he was gentle, attentive, and dutiful.

I foolishly believed my warmth had finally melted his icy heart, and that I had replaced Gemma.

Three months ago, Gemma returned from abroad and quickly used family connections to become a top celebrity.

From that moment on, Zachary changed.

He came home later and later, constantly texting his phone with a tender smile I had never seen before.

I noticed the signs, but I lied to myself, trusting that he knew his boundaries.

Now, in this solemn courtroom, looking at my mother's acid-ruined remains, the illusion of my three-year marriage completely crumbled.

For Gemma, he discarded his sacred oath and ruined my mother's body.

What was I to him?

What were our three years together?

Was my happiness just stolen time, paid for with my mother's life?

I looked at his sharp profile, a face I had once adored, and felt only disgust.

Before I could speak, Zachary's phone buzzed loudly in his pocket.

The moment he saw the caller ID, his expression shifted to genuine panic and concern.

"There's an emergency at the coroner's office. I have to go," he said quickly.

Without meeting my eyes, he turned and hurried away.

I watched his retreating back and laughed bitterly.

I had clearly seen the name flashing on his screen: Gemma.

A profound exhaustion washed over me.

I went home and opened the safe in our bedroom.

Inside lay a signed divorce agreement.

Zachary had signed it right after our wedding, claiming it was to give me security. He said I could leave anytime if I ever felt unhappy.

Back then, I thought it was devotion.

Now I realized he had merely prepared an exit strategy for Gemma all along.

I took the paper and immediately called a lawyer.

After reviewing the document, the lawyer confirmed everything:

"Ms. Hayes, this agreement is fully valid. Since it has his unconditional signature, you can file it unilaterally. The divorce will be finalized in exactly seven days."

"Seven days…" I murmured with a pale smile. "Seven days is enough."

In seven days, Zachary, we are over forever.

Holding the filing receipt, I stepped out onto the sidewalk, my chest aching.

Suddenly, my phone rang.

I answered numbly.

My agent Brenda's panicked voice screamed through the speaker:

"Clara! It's bad! Someone started a smear campaign claiming you framed Gemma out of jealousy! Her toxic fans have gone crazy!"

"One of her stalker fans broke into your family home and set it on fire! Your brother Leo… he was trapped inside! He was burned alive!"