Chapter 1

In the second year after I died, the psychopath who killed me was finally caught.

The courtroom was packed on the day of the trial.

Leo Mercer stood at the defense table in his orange jail uniform, humming to himself as if he didn't have a care in the world.

The families of his seven known victims, grief-stricken and furious, demanded that prosecutors pursue an exception that would allow a death sentence.

Leo's defense attorney, Nathan Reese, spoke evenly. "The purpose of the law is rehabilitation. Forgiveness is more powerful than killing. I oppose a death sentence for my client."

Nathan's wife, Ada Reese, was also a prominent attorney. From the gallery, she declared, "Even criminals have human rights. How can we take someone's life just because he made a mistake? Besides, weren't the victims at least partly to blame? If they were decent women, why would he have chosen them?"

Leo suddenly clapped his hands and burst out laughing. "Couldn't have said it better! To thank you, let me confess something. I didn't kill seven people. I killed eight."

His eyes gleamed with excitement as he looked at the Reeses, his voice thick with amusement. "The eighth victim was your daughter. So remember what you just said, both of you. No death penalty for me."

Chapter 1

The courtroom went dead silent for a heartbeat, then erupted into chaos.

Someone gasped. "Is he serious? Get an investigation going! This is a matter of life and death!"

The judge slammed the gavel. "Order!"

His expression was grim as he addressed the defendant. "Mr. Mercer, is your statement true? Is there an eighth victim?"

"Of course it's true." Leo drummed his fingers on the defense table and grinned. "What would I gain by lying?"

Nathan's face showed no panic, only the cold anger of a man who'd been insulted. "Impossible. My daughter kissed us goodbye this morning. She's on campus right now, in class. Nothing has happened to her."

Ada's face went white with rage. "Leo, my husband just defended you with everything he had, fighting to spare you from the death penalty. And this is how you repay us? Making sick jokes about our daughter? You ungrateful bastard!"

"A joke?" Leo drawled. "Since you don't believe me, let me spell it out for you.

"One night about a year ago, might've even been her birthday. She went out alone to that abandoned factory on the edge of town, looking for something, and walked right in on me handling my prey." His voice took on a sickening note of ecstasy. "She fought so hard. Her eyes, full of sheer terror... absolutely intoxicating. I just couldn't help myself. Finished her off right then and there."

"Enough!" Nathan cut in. "This is utter nonsense! My wife and I hosted our daughter's eighteenth-birthday party at home that night. She was there the entire evening and never set foot outside."

He fixed Leo with a piercing stare, his eyes like ice. "What did I ever do to you that you'd fabricate these lies in a courtroom just to scare me? What are you after?"

Leo gave a scornful laugh and looked at Nathan as if he were a joke. "Who says I'm making anything up?"

"Besides, when did I ever say the girl I killed was your adopted daughter, Vera Reese?" He stretched out every syllable, each word dropping like a hammer on every heart in the room. "The one I killed was your biological daughter, Mia Reese."

Murmurs rippled through the gallery.

"Since when do the Reeses have a biological daughter?"

"Everyone knows how much they spoil Vera. And she's only their adopted daughter?"

"So this Mia... is she real?"

Every curious gaze in the room landed squarely on the Reeses.

Chapter 2

Leo smirked and added, "Mia was switched at birth. Her adoptive parents died when she was young, and she spent more than a decade in foster care before the Reeses found her. But instead of caring about what she'd been through, they looked down on her for being unrefined and not fitting into their social circle. They didn't even dare acknowledge her in public. Am I right, Counselor Reese?"

Nathan scoffed. "What right does a murderer have to discuss my family's private affairs? If you ask me, Mia put you up to this little performance in court, just to humiliate us in public."

Leo sneered. "Please. I don't take orders from some girl."

He let out a long sigh. "Poor thing. Dead for a whole year, and her own family doesn't even know. Worse, they suspect her of conspiring with her own killer."

The murmurs in the courtroom grew louder.

"He sounds so certain. You don't think it's actually true?"

"Their own daughter vanishes for a year and they don't go looking for her? That's cold-blooded."

"If she's really dead, these parents are beyond negligent..."

Even hearing all this, the Reeses didn't lose their composure.

Nathan's tone was mocking. "You say Mia's been dead for a year? Then how did she post on Instagram just two weeks ago?"

Leo tilted his head, grinning wider. "Those photos were all pulled from the internet. They didn't even bother removing the watermarks. And you actually thought she posted them herself?"

Ada couldn't hide her disdain. "She grew up running wild out there. Putting on airs is nothing new for her. Using stock photos and claiming they're hers? That's exactly the kind of thing she'd do."

Her voice turned weary, as though she'd been hurt one too many times. "From the moment we brought her home, she had it out for Vera. She even accused Vera of stealing from her. Then, a year ago, she went too far. We scolded her, and she ran away. We haven't heard a word from her since.

"We didn't look for her because we refused to indulge her habit of disappearing the moment things don't go her way, just to threaten us." Ada looked up at Leo. "Now she's roped you into this little act just for the attention. She's played this card too many times."

I hovered above the gallery, and a sudden ache pierced my chest.

Accused Vera of stealing?

It was Mom's first birthday after I'd been brought home.

I'd spent more than six months washing dishes at a restaurant, saving every penny to buy her a bracelet. I even carved her name inside it myself, one letter at a time.

I thought she'd be happy to get it.

But at the party, Vera walked up carrying an identical gift box. The wrapping paper, the ribbon, even the crooked engraving on the inside of the bracelet, all exactly the same.

She smiled at Mom. "Happy birthday, Mom."

I lost it. I rushed up and grabbed her. "That bracelet is mine! You stole it from me!"

The answer came as Dad's palm cracked across my face.

The condemnation in his eyes was cold enough to burn. "Mia, are you done making a scene? Vera would never steal anything. Using a trick this low to frame her, aren't you ashamed?"

I cried and tried to explain. I told them I'd carved the letters myself.

But Mom only frowned. "It's okay if you didn't get me anything, sweetheart. I won't blame you. But you can't take credit for Vera's gift, and you certainly can't lie about it."

So even with the evidence right in front of them, it didn't matter.

Their hearts had already chosen sides. Everything I said was wrong.

Now I was dead, and they still didn't believe me. They still thought this was just another one of my schemes for attention.

Leo spoke up from the defense table, mockery written all over his face. "She wasn't playing some disappearing act. She reached out to you before she died. It was you two, her own parents, who pushed her straight to her death.

"That night, I was even kind enough to give her two chances to call for help. The first call, nobody picked up. The second one, well, Counselor Reese, you answered that one..."

Chapter 3

Leo deliberately lowered his voice, mimicking Dad's stern, impatient tone. "Mia, you'd go so far as making up a story about someone trying to kill you, just for attention? Today is Vera's birthday party, and we don't have time for your drama. If you want to die, go die somewhere else. Stop bothering us."

I floated in the air above, tears welling in my eyes.

That day had been my eighteenth birthday too.

Vera had come to me, pretending to be concerned. She said Mom had lost her bracelet near the abandoned factory while meeting a client. Mom had been upset about it all day.

"If you find it and bring it back, Mom and Dad will know you're a good kid."

I believed her.

Even though they'd just misunderstood me and yelled at me that very day, I still clung to that sliver of hope and ran to the abandoned factory in the dead of night.

I wanted to find the bracelet, explain everything, and finally have a real birthday celebration.

But what waited for me there wasn't a lost bracelet. I walked straight into a crime scene.

There was a blood-soaked body. Leo stood right beside it, smiling at me like something out of a nightmare.

The courtroom fell deathly silent.

Then the whispers surged like a rising tide.

"They ignored a call for help from their own daughter? How heartless can you be?"

"Some top attorney he is. He looks so polished, but he doesn't even trust his own child. What a fraud."

"If what Leo's saying is true, that poor girl never stood a chance."

The gazes that fell on the Reeses were loaded with contempt, curiosity, and the unmistakable relish of watching someone fall.

Dad's usual arrogant composure finally cracked. He shot to his feet, his voice trembling with barely contained fury. "What do any of you know? Do you have any idea what she did before she ran away?"

"Fine, I've got nothing to hide anymore. She was still so young, yet she'd already gotten hooked on drugs. She owed loan sharks a fortune just to feed her habit. They came to our home demanding payment and cost us both money and every shred of dignity we had. A girl that out of control could make up any story she wanted."

Mom's eyes were rimmed with red, her voice choked. "What parent doesn't love their own child? But she went too far. We didn't look for her because we couldn't bear the humiliation!"

A bitter ache spread through my chest.

I had never touched drugs. I had never owed anyone a cent.

It was Vera. She was the one with the addiction. When she couldn't pay, she bought drugs on credit under my name.

In front of our parents, Vera was always the sweet, well-behaved daughter. The moment she turned to me, she became someone else entirely.

She would have kids from outside school corner me and threaten me. She poured cold water on my bed, shredded my clothes, and put insects in my food.

Once, when our parents were away on business, she locked me in the pitch-dark basement for three full days.

No light. No water. No food.

I'd been afraid of the dark since I was little. I huddled in a corner, shaking and screaming until I lost my voice. No one came.

By the time she let me out, I was so weak I could barely stand.

When our parents came home, she told them drugs had left me in that condition.

That same day, the drug dealers showed up at the house, demanding that Mia Reese pay what she owed.

Dad paid them off, his face dark, then struck me hard across the back with a golf club. The blow left my ears ringing.

Mom stood to the side, calling me a disgrace for throwing my life away.

No matter how much I cried and tried to explain, they wouldn't believe me.

That night, when I went to the abandoned factory, all I wanted was to find the bracelet. I thought if I brought it back, maybe they'd finally listen to me.

After Leo caught me, he pressed the tip of his knife against my throat, tracing it slowly. "You weren't supposed to be my target," he said, "but you walked in on my work. I can't just let you go."

I dropped to my knees and begged him. I promised I wouldn't tell anyone and pleaded with him to let me go.

His eyes lit up, and he paced back and forth with excitement. "Tell you what. I'll let you make two phone calls for help. If someone comes to save you, I'll have you hypnotized so you forget everything you saw tonight. Then I'll let you go."

I called Mom. No answer.

He grinned. "Only one chance left."

My whole body was shaking. Gritting my teeth, I dialed Dad with trembling fingers.

My heart pounded harder with every ring. Then the line connected.

I sobbed into the phone, calling out to him, telling him I was scared, that someone was going to kill me, begging him to come save me. All I got from him was "Go die somewhere else" before he hung up.

Leo watched me with his arms folded, pity in his voice. "How tragic. Your own parents don't care about you. Since nobody wants you, I'll put you out of your misery. Don't worry. It'll be quick."

I closed my eyes in despair and stopped fighting.

Someone in the gallery spoke up, hesitant. "What if... what if he's telling the truth?"

The words were quiet, but they carried across the entire courtroom.

"What if Mia got yelled at and ran away, and she really did run into this killer, and then..."

The sentence trailed off, but everyone understood.

Dad's face went white for a second. For the first time, something wavered in his eyes.

But Mom let out a cold laugh, her voice absolute. "Impossible. Leo was arrested three months ago, but Mia came home just last month. There is no way he killed her."

Chapter 4

Dad whipped around to face Mom. "She came back? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was afraid you'd get upset, so I didn't." Mom took a deep breath, the words tumbling out fast. "Last month, I drank a glass of water at home and passed out. By the time I came to, I was in the hospital. Vera noticed something was wrong and called 911.

"I broke out in a rash all over my body and could barely breathe. The doctors found a sleep medication in my system. You know I'm severely allergic to it." Her voice shook with barely suppressed fury. "When I woke up, I found the biometric safe at home had been tampered with. The jewelry and gold bars inside were all gone. The front-door camera caught a girl bundled up head to toe, punching in our gate code like she knew the place by heart. Who else could it have been but Mia?

"She knew perfectly well that I'm allergic to that medication, and she drugged me anyway just to steal from us. She didn't care if I lived or died! If Vera hadn't come home when she did, I might be dead." Mom grew more worked up with every word, her chest heaving.

"We're both respected attorneys, yet we somehow raised someone with no respect for the law. If she weren't our own flesh and blood, I would've had her arrested long ago! An ungrateful wretch like her, dead? She's probably living it up somewhere with our jewelry!"

The tide of public opinion shifted again in an instant.

"Drugs, debts, robbery, and she even tried to kill her own mother? That's pure evil."

"No wonder the Reeses disowned her. I'd do the same."

"Born rotten. What a curse on the family."

The accusations and insults came one after another, all heaped onto me, a girl who had been dead for a year.

Dad turned back to Leo. "Anything else to say? Still going to insist you killed Mia?"

There wasn't a shred of alarm on Leo's face, as though his lie hadn't been exposed at all. He sighed leisurely. "How pathetic. The girl's been dead for nearly a year, and her own mother is still dragging her name through the mud."

A sardonic smile tugged at his lips. "Mrs. Reese, are you so certain the person who drugged you and robbed you was your biological daughter, Mia? Why couldn't it have been your precious adopted daughter, Vera?"

"Impossible!" Ada shot back without a second's thought. "We raised Vera ourselves. I know exactly what kind of person she is. She's kind and timid. She wouldn't hurt a fly, let alone do something like this!

"Leo, I don't know what you're trying to accomplish with these lies, but Mia is absolutely not dead. So stop trying to drive a wedge between me and Vera."

"Is that so?" Leo raised his eyebrows. "Since you still don't believe me, I'll tell you where Mia's body is. Have the police search the place, and you'll see if I'm lying."

His gaze settled on Dad again. "But in exchange, Counselor Reese, you'll have to ask that 'noble-minded' mentor of yours to take over my defense. Once you're confirmed as a victim's father, the conflict will force you off my case. What do you say? Fair deal, isn't it?"

Dad's rage hit its peak. He ground out each word through clenched teeth. "Fine. You have a deal! If they really find her body, I'll personally ask my mentor to defend you and keep you off death row. But if you're lying to me, I will make you pay!"

Leo smiled, satisfied. He drew out the words, keeping the entire courtroom in suspense. "Mia's body is at..."

Before he could finish, the courtroom doors burst open.

Several uniformed officers strode in. At their head was Detective Marcus Harris, his expression grave, tension radiating from him.

He walked straight to Dad. "Based on Leo's earlier statements in court, we conducted a full investigation of the abandoned factory district on the outskirts of town. In the wall cavities and the soil, we recovered biological traces and large quantities of blood belonging to an eighth victim."

He paused, holding Dad's gaze as his pupils shrank, and spoke every word with absolute clarity.

"The forensic team ran an emergency analysis and compared the results with the DNA sample you submitted three years ago, when you were searching for your biological daughter—

"The victim. Female. Eighteen years old.

"The same biological daughter you keep insisting came home last month to steal from you. The same daughter you said was out living it up somewhere. Mia."