Chapter 1

1.

We were married for two years, and my husband, Julian, was just a junior medical examiner with an uncertain future.

I ignored his desperate pleas, abandoned our newborn daughter, Lily, and ran off with a mobster, disappearing without a trace.

Years later, he became the top medical examiner in the country and found a gentle, caring stepmother for our daughter.

At the party celebrating his promotion to Chief Medical Examiner, someone brought me up.

"When Ava Morrow ran off with that gangster, did she ever imagine Julian would be this successful?"

"Her? She's probably living it up in some mob boss's arms."

"If Ava came back now, would Julian even take her?"

Six-year-old Lily got anxious.

"Daddy can't have her! Lily only wants Mommy Clara!"

Julian picked her up and shot a cold glare at the gossips.

"On such a happy day, I don't want to hear that wretched name again."

He didn't know yet.

The unidentified female body from a gang shootout, the one he was about to autopsy, was me.

…

My soul floated in the air, watching my daughter run affectionately into another woman's arms as tears streamed down my face.

She was just a baby in swaddling clothes when I left.

In the blink of an eye, she had grown into a lovely little angel.

I reached out to touch her, but my hand passed uselessly through Lily's body.

"Don't worry, Mommy. If that bad woman comes back, Lily will help you chase her away!"

Bad woman…

A bitter smile crossed my lips.

In my daughter's heart, I had already become the "bad woman."

Clara smiled and pinched her little cheek.

"Don't be naughty. She is your birth mother, after all."

Lily pouted. "Hmph! I don't have a mother who would abandon Daddy and me!"

I floated in the air, sobbing uncontrollably.

"No, Lily, Mommy didn't abandon you. Mommy had no choice…"

The chatter from the others drifted into my ears.

"Ava Morrow just wasn't fated for a good life. If she had just stuck it out with Julian for a few more years, she would have everything now. It’s too late to come back. Julian must hate her guts, ha!"

"Serves her right. A woman like that is only good for being a mobster's mistress."

"It was Clara who supported Julian through his toughest times. If Ava came back now, she'd be a homewrecker."

"You think being a mob mistress isn't being a homewrecker? That kind of woman will hop into any man's bed for money."

Julian, the center of the conversation, gripped his wine glass so tightly his knuckles turned white.

"Shut up. All of you."

The laughter stopped abruptly, the smiles freezing on their faces.

Someone tried to smooth things over with a weak smile.

"Sorry, Julian. She was your ex-wife, after all. We shouldn't have said that."

"Right, right, our bad. We won't bring up Ava again."

Unexpectedly, Julian let out a cold laugh.

"Who said that's why I'm angry?"

Everyone froze.

He continued.

"I just don't want my wife to hear that wretched name on such a happy day."

"She's pregnant."

A wave of shock went through the crowd, followed by a chorus of congratulations.

"Congratulations! This is truly a match made in heaven!"

"I knew it! No way Julian was still protecting that woman!"

"For someone like her to get into the FBI was a disgrace to the Bureau. Good thing she fell from grace and became a mob mistress."

I floated silently, glancing over at Clara.

They said she was the one who stood by Julian during his darkest days.

I really had no right to say anything.

But a bitter feeling still rose in my heart.

I once told Julian that when he became the best medical examiner in the country, I would go with him to interviews everywhere, and we'd be the FBI's model couple.

He had achieved it now, but the woman standing by his side was no longer me.

That night, Julian was completely drunk when he left the party.

On the way home, my brother, Ian Morrow, blocked his car.

The window rolled down slowly, revealing Julian's hostile gaze.

Ever since I left, his hatred for me had extended to my brother, who also worked for the FBI.

Ian's face was pale, and for the first time, he spoke in a pleading tone.

"Julian, there's a body. Only you can reconstruct it."

"Doesn't your field team have its own MEs?"

"I don't trust them with this. Only your skills are good enough."

Julian sneered.

"What kind of body makes a famous agent like you come to me personally? Don't tell me it's your sister."

Ian's fists clenched tightly.

He fought back the urge to tell him the truth.

"I'm sorry, this is a personal request. As for payment, you can name your price."

"Do I look like I need the money?"

Julian's words were ice-cold.

It was as if he wasn't questioning Ian, but the broke, useless version of himself from years ago.

Ian's fist trembled slightly. "What if… what if it really is my sister?"

Julian paused for a moment.

Then he burst out laughing.

"That would be just perfect."

My brother snapped his head up, his eyes filled with disbelief.

The corners of Julian's eyes were red from the alcohol as he smirked.

"Did she send you? I hope everyone in the Morrow family stays the hell away from me from now on."

"My wife, my daughter, and I are very happy. We don't want any interruptions."

"Even if it really is your sister, I'm not taking the case."

The driver started the car. Ian scrambled to stop it, but Julian had already rolled up the window and driven off.

Ian was left standing alone, and he furiously threw his phone to the ground.

I watched from above, wanting to tell him not to go to Julian for my sake.

So many of my colleagues never even had their bodies recovered. I was just disfigured. I was already lucky.

But I couldn't touch him or make a sound, only watch helplessly as my brother wept.