Chapter 3

3.

Although he didn't believe it was me, Julian wasn't one to leave a job half-finished.

He worked until his back was soaked with sweat before calling it a day.

My limbs had been reattached, and my torn skin had been perfectly sutured.

Watching his extraordinary skill, I couldn't help but smile, but then my smile froze as I looked at my shattered face.

If he reconstructs my face, what will he think…

"Daddy!"

A child's voice sounded from the doorway.

I instinctively tried to block the entrance, but Lily walked right through me.

"Lily! Don't come in!"

I tried to grab her.

There was a dead body in here, a child shouldn't see this…

"Lily?"

Julian stopped her just in time. "Haven't I told you not to come into Daddy's lab?"

"It's your fault for not coming home! Mommy Clara and I have been waiting forever, hmph!"

Julian chuckled and pinched her nose.

"Alright, alright, Daddy will take you home now. It's dangerous in here, don't run in here again."

"Lily's not scared! Lily wants to be an FBI agent when she grows up!"

Both Julian and I froze.

That sounded exactly like something I would have said as a child.

Sighing, Julian picked her up.

"Daddy."

Lily rested her head on Julian's shoulder and glanced toward the autopsy room.

"Who's in there?"

"Daddy doesn't know."

"Is that bad mommy in there?"

"Don't be silly. Your mommy is at home."

Lily then realized her mistake. "No, no! I mean that bad woman."

Julian's steps faltered.

"Daddy, I feel like the person inside is a little familiar."

I was surprised.

She had never met me, so how could she think that?

They say children can see things adults can't. Could she sense my presence?

I cautiously reached out my hand.

"That's not possible."

Julian squeezed her little cheek.

"Mom―, uh, that woman is living just fine, very far away from us."

Lily's small fists slowly tightened, and she hugged her father's neck, avoiding my hand.

"Lily doesn't like that bad woman. Lily hates her."

My hand froze in mid-air.

Julian gently patted her back.

"Daddy does too."

"But Daddy hates who he was back then even more."

The body reconstruction was extremely difficult. After two days of work, Julian had only completed fifty percent.

At that moment, someone else came to the door.

"How's the reconstruction coming along?"

That was the first thing Shane Carter said after closing the door.

After I left, Julian had cut off all contact with my supposed "lover."

He was surprised to see him now.

Then he scoffed.

"Agent Carter, why are you so concerned about this body? It's not like it's your old flame."

Shane held back his anger.

"It was Ian's personal request. As his colleague and old friend, I should show some concern."

The next second, a heavy punch landed squarely on his face, sending Shane stumbling back.

The veins on the back of Julian's hand bulged.

"Why don't you just admit you're her man?"

"Shane Carter, this whole story about Ava running off with the mob was just a lie you two cooked up to save face!"

"Everyone in the FBI knows she hooked up with you, a big shot, and betrayed the Bureau just to protect your reputation!"

I closed my eyes in agony.

No, no, Julian, that's not it!

Shane wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, looked at the blood on his fingertips, and sneered.

"Julian, I did have contact with her, but the one who lived with her, married her, and had a child with her was you, not me!"

Julian frowned. "So what?"

Shane stood up.

"You didn't notice anything wrong with her at all?"

"Wrong with her?" Julian laughed.

"The only thing wrong with her was that after giving birth to Lily, she suddenly abandoned us. And that was all thanks to you, Agent Carter."

"You're a fucking bastard!"

Shane grabbed him by the collar.

"Do you have any idea what she…"

"Don't!"

I rushed forward like a madwoman, trying in vain to pull Shane back.

"Don't tell him, please, Shane! He has a new family now. Just let him hate me for the rest of his life, I'm begging you!"

Julian stared at him, his brow furrowed. "Go on, cat got your tongue?"

Shane's fist trembled, and he shoved Julian hard.

"What if I told you that body is her?"

Julian let out a cold laugh. "Then that's two reasons to celebrate."

"You!"

Shane ground his teeth. "You're going to regret this."

"I won't."

He smirked. "I'll just send a case of champagne to whoever killed her."

Smack!

Another punch landed hard on his face.

Shane straightened his collar.

"If I had known you were this kind of person, I would have fought for her when she chose you back then."

With that, he turned and walked away.

Julian wiped his mouth, glancing at the call log on his phone.

He sneered.

"They'll really stoop to anything."

"Julian!"

A gasp came from nearby.

Clara rushed forward in surprise, pulling out a first-aid kit. "What happened? Who hit you?"

He pushed her hand away, his tone flat.

"It's nothing. I'm going to the lab. You and Lily wait for me at home."

He left without another word. Clara's hand remained frozen in mid-air, and she let out a helpless sigh as she watched him go.

Today's reconstruction work was nearing its end.

He began suturing the skin on my face.

But the more he stitched, the stranger his expression became.

Halfway through, he suddenly stopped and stared at the half-finished face.

After a moment's hesitation, he stepped out and made a call.

"Yes, I sent you the number. Have you identified the body yet?"

"Still nothing? What about the DNA comparison?"

"Got it, thanks."

I smiled bitterly from my spot in the air.

You won't find anything, Julian. At least, not yet.

Returning to the autopsy room, he stared intently at that half-reconstructed face.

His skills were renowned throughout the country; he was top-tier in both autopsies and reconstructions.

A body he repaired could look seventy or eighty percent like the person did in life.

But now, he was starting to doubt his own abilities.

Clenching his fists, he took a deep breath and picked up the suture needle again.

A few hours later, he struggled to support himself, staring at the fully stitched face, his voice trembling.

"Impossible… You…"