Chapter 2
571 Words
I listened to them talk, and my head rang as if something had exploded inside it. Even my soul trembled.
'The one who betrayed her beliefs, the disgrace of the forensic field... was that me? But I didn't betray anyone. I died protecting that evidence. So why? Why did it turn out like this?'
My thoughts fell into chaos. Grief and hatred surged like a black tide, swallowing me whole. Then something deep within my soul tightened, like invisible chains pulling me away from the cold autopsy room.
I found myself drifting after a tall, striking figure, unable to stop. It was Sean Shaw.
He carried a briefcase, a hint of exhaustion lingering between his brows. Even so, he was still striking in a way that drew the eye. Seven years had stripped away his youthful edge, leaving behind a man who was composed, steady, and undeniably compelling.
And beside him walked my father, once the pride of the police force. Now his straight back seemed slightly bent under the weight of time, his temples dusted with gray.
"Any update on the remains?" My father's voice was hoarse, worn with years of fatigue.
"We're still waiting on DNA," Dr. Shaw said. "Time of death, within seven years. Homicide. Dense cut marks on the ribs and skull. Signs of torture."
At that, my father stiffened, and Sean's eyes darkened.
But whatever flicker of emotion there was, my father forced it down quickly. He changed the subject in a stiff tone. "Enough of that. Your mom and Ana have dinner ready. The kids have been asking for you all day. Go on, get home."
"Okay," Sean answered simply.
And I felt as if I'd been struck by a silent bolt of lightning, my very soul on the verge of shattering.
"Got it, Dad. I'm heading back now," Sean said.
My consciousness followed his car, dragged along against my will, all the way back to the house I had grown up in.
The moment the door opened, two rosy-cheeked children rushed forward, laughing as they called out, "Daddy!" and "Grandpa!"
Sean's tightly drawn brows eased. A soft smile curved his lips, one I had never seen before. It was a warmth that belonged only to a father. He looked past me and asked gently, "Were Evan and Nina good at kindergarten today?"
Before I could react, a woman walked straight through my spirit and toward him. She smiled as she spoke. "Not really. Without you around, they don't listen to a word."
I stood there, staring blankly at the picture of their happiness.
It felt like an invisible hand had clenched around my heart, then hurled it into an endless frozen abyss. I couldn't even feel the pain anymore. There was only numbness, and a cold that spread from the deepest part of my soul.
My fiancé had built a family with someone else. My parents had accepted the woman who killed me. And they let the one who murdered me call them Mom and Dad.
Ana slipped her arm through Sean's, her smile gentle. "Mom's had dinner ready for a while. She kept asking me to go downstairs and wait for you."
My gaze locked onto her.
Her voice was soft, sweet, just like it had been seven years ago.
With that same innocent, fragile façade, she earned everyone's trust step by step, then dragged me into a pit with no way out.
- Writer
