The Tree’s Bones Hold His Sweetheart’s Crime

Chapter 2

Rosalie's POV:

"We've already notified the police, Professor Henderson," one of the graduate students reported, his face still pale as he hovered near Kaden.

Unable to contain his agitation, he blurted out, "Professor Henderson, do you think this was murder? Could the poachers have done this?

"Those monsters have absolutely no respect for nature. There is no line they won't cross! Smugglers like that deserve a firing squad!"

Kaden's hand trembled violently at the words.

Seeing this, another student quickly clamped a hand over the speaker's mouth. "Lower your voice! This is his first time in the Ginkgo Reserve, Professor Henderson. He doesn't know any better."

"No, he is right," Kaden said, his voice dropping into a cold, bitter sneer. "Those poachers deserve to rot."

Turning back, he refused to look at the cavity any longer and began examining a neighboring tree.

Behind him, the two students began to whisper frantically.

"Are you out of your mind? Didn't I warn you before we got here never to mention poachers in front of Professor Henderson? Don't you know that his favorite student teamed up with a smuggling ring three years ago to steal the mutated ginkgo sapling we discovered?"

"I... I forgot. But if she was such a monster, why does the Professor still seem so haunted by her?"

"Just remember it for the future. Never bring her up around him. She is the ultimate disgrace of the Ancient Tree Preservation Association."

When I heard their hushed gossip, a violent ringing erupted in my ears.

So the student they were talking about... was me?

But I never worked with those criminals. I died trying to protect the golden ginkgo sapling from them!

A wave of profound grief and injustice crashed over me, and heavy tears fell silently into the dirt.

A short while later, a flock of police officers arrived at the scene.

Walking just behind them was a middle-aged man with silver hair. It was Dominik Morley, my father.

Walking right beside him was an elegant, refined man. That was Jerold Harper, my fiancé.

My father was the president of the Ancient Tree Preservation Association, and the last three years had aged him terribly.

Jerold, meanwhile, had fully matured into a poised man.

Staring into the dark hollow of the tree, my father knit his brows. "How long has this body been here?"

"Based on the moisture levels inside the cavity and the extensive ant damage, our preliminary estimate is roughly three to four years," an officer replied. "It looks like the handiwork of the poaching ring."

My father stiffened for a brief moment. Then, his expression returned to normal.

"Thank you for your hard work. We will take it from here."

"Of course, sir."

One of the graduate students stepped forward to greet my father, casting a warm smile toward Jerold. "Mr. Morley, your son-in-law is incredibly devoted to you. Did he come here specifically to accompany you?"

Hearing his words, I froze.

My father only ever had one daughter, and that was me.

If I had been dead for three years, how could Jerold possibly be his son-in-law?

"Yes," my father replied, his stern expression softening into a gentle warmth. "Once we wrap things up here, I am heading out to dinner with Judith and Jerold."

Jerold smiled politely in agreement.

I stared at them in utter disbelief, a phantom pain piercing through my chest like a thousand needles.

So, my fiancé had married someone else, and my father had taken in another woman to replace his daughter.

And the person who had stolen my life, my love, and my family was the very monster who had murdered me.