Chapter 1

The day of Ashley Reed's wedding, my mom got a call from the police department.

A dismembered female body had been pulled from the river.

The killer was already arrested, and the head had been identified, but no one knew who the body belonged to.

The media swarmed the police station, desperate to know whose body it was.

"Do you want to know? She's the daughter of your most brilliant forensic expert's acquaintance."

The killer licked his lips, a chilling smile spreading across his face.

"Someone paid me a million to kill her. She kept screaming 'Mom' and her fiancé's name when she died, but too bad neither of them loved her."

The media laughed at the killer's outrageous claim.

Everyone knew Dr. Eleanor Vance's daughter, Ashley Reed, had it all — love, family, everything. She'd never even cried, let alone died.

Only my mom and Liam Hayes, standing behind the cameras, had a profound look in their eyes.

They both thought of me, thrown out of the house two years ago.

"Mom, could it be her?"

Liam frowned, staring at the stitched-together female corpse. The head's owner had already been claimed; it was a head cut from another body. That girl's parents had cried hysterically, cursing the killer for not even sparing the dead.

But this killer's even more monstrous act was killing another girl, the owner of the body before them.

It had been a week. Even the killer had been caught and brought to justice, but the body's owner remained unclaimed.

The death was extremely brutal. Every bone was shattered, all ten fingernails ripped out, exposing raw, bloody flesh.

Moreover, a large amount of stimulants was found in the body. The victim had been killed while fully conscious.

"Impossible. Chloe is such a coward; she'd rather hide than die. Even if everyone else in the world died, she wouldn't."

Mom spoke calmly, a face flashing in her mind, filled with disgust.

But she didn't know I was standing right beside her.

"Mom, if this body really is me, would you feel even a tiny bit of heartache?"

Mom looked in my direction.

I stiffened, lost in her gentle, loving gaze.

"Mom... can you see me?"

"Ashley, why are you here? You're pregnant. You shouldn't be in places like this. It's not good for you or the baby."

Mom hurried over, walking right through me.

In front of her, whether I was dead or alive, I was no different from air.

"Mom, Liam, you've run into a tough case. You're not even coming home for dinner tonight, so of course I had to come see you. I brought food."

Ashley smiled, holding up the food. Mom quickly took it.

"Our Ashley is such a thoughtful girl."

"Ashley, once this case is over, I'll make it up to you with another wedding. You'll still be the most beautiful bride."

Liam looked apologetic, gently stroking Ashley's hand.

"We rushed off today. I didn't get a chance to properly apologize."

"We're a couple, why apologize?"

Ashley smiled sweetly, patting her belly, her face filled with happiness.

"For the baby's sake, I'll forgive you."

Liam and Mom laughed heartily. Their laughter, however, felt incredibly harsh to my eyes.

I turned my head away, hearing Mom say,

"Ashley, the vegetable cream soup you made today tastes different from before."

A flicker of nervousness crossed Ashley's face as she chuckled.

"Mom, maybe being pregnant has made me rusty in the kitchen. I'll practice more."

"You're pregnant. You should cook less. Let the housekeeper do it."

Mom said, smiling with concern.

I stood by, a chill running down my spine.

That vegetable cream soup was all made by me.

Ashley had kept me locked in a hidden cell in the basement of the villa for two whole years.