Chapter 1

Six years ago, I saved a girl named Scarlett in a remote mountain village.

I sponsored her education, and we became the best of friends.

Yet, because she fell in love with my husband, Ethan Miller, she drove a car and ran me over.

To escape responsibility and prevent my body from being identified, she crushed my head with the tires.

She framed me as a fugitive wanted for highway robbery.

Ethan Miller, the city's top forensic expert, protected Scarlett.

He personally fabricated the scene, intending for me to take the fall for her.

The police launched a massive manhunt, determined to apprehend me.

But no one knew.

My body lay right there, before all of them.

After I died, Scarlett immediately called Ethan.

He rushed over.

Upon seeing the death scene, he instinctively frowned.

"How did it end up like this?"

Even a seasoned forensic expert rarely encountered such a gruesome scene.

The body lay twisted there.

The entire head was gone.

The road was covered in bloodstains and bone fragments.

Faced with Ethan's question, Scarlett chose to answer with tears.

She sobbed, throwing herself into his arms, and after a long moment, managed to say, "I'm scared..."

That one sentence melted Ethan's resolve.

He sighed softly.

While comforting Scarlett, he began examining the crime scene.

My death was truly hideous.

Ethan had to first collect my bone fragments.

He put on gloves and, with tweezers, painstakingly pieced together what remained of my skull.

He frowned, examining it closely.

"The victim's head was run over multiple times, and her limbs are twisted."

"Her fingernails are torn from extreme force; she must have endured immense pain before death."

Based on his professional forensic skills, Ethan immediately sensed something was wrong.

His frown deepened.

"This death wasn't just an accident."

I nodded frantically, wanting to scream and tell him.

Scarlett deliberately ran me over.

She was jealous of my happy life and tortured me brutally before I died.

She then crushed my head to prevent my body from being identified.

Alas, the dead cannot speak.

But Scarlett's tears easily won Ethan's trust.

She looked up, sobbing and gasping for air.

"I didn't mean to, it was this robber. Lily paid him to threaten me."

"I was so scared, I accidentally stepped on the gas instead of the brake."

Ethan silently watched the bone fragments in his hands, speaking in a calm tone.

"Involuntary manslaughter usually carries a sentence of three to seven years in prison."

"Given the victim's initial aggression, it could be argued as self-defense, potentially reducing the sentence to around three years."

Scarlett's body trembled, and she shook her head vigorously.

"No, I don't want to go to jail, I don't want to be separated from you."

"Ethan, please help me, won't you?"

"Don't let my unborn child lose its mother!"

Ethan's frown deepened further, as if in contemplation.

Scarlett started crying again.

Her hands tightly gripped him, her last hope.

Her flowing tears ultimately pierced Ethan's heart.

He remained silent for a long moment.

Then, he gave my body a profound glance.

"I'll reconstruct the scene and make Lily take the blame for you."

"From now on, you need to remember every word I tell you."

I was stunned.

Years ago, when Ethan and I first started dating, I accidentally took a photo of a crime scene.

Usually composed, Ethan had a furious outburst at me.

He said it was a desecration of the deceased, a disrespect for the body.

"Lily, you're a doctor, you should understand my professional ethics."

"These poor victims deserve respect, just like anyone who puts their trust in a medical professional."

"I won't allow anyone to challenge my professional boundaries, not even you."

It took me a long time to calm Ethan down.

From then on, I was cautious, never daring to cross that line.

But now, he had met Scarlett.

He not only abandoned all his professional ethics for her but was also willing to risk his entire future.

Scarlett lowered her head, desperately trying to hide the smirk on her lips.

Her voice was still so innocent.

"But wouldn't that be unfair to Lily?"

Under the moonlight, a surgical scalpel glinted with a cold, menacing light.

Ethan changed gloves.

He took a scalpel from his car.

"There's nothing unfair about it. Lily is different from you."

"She has a successful career and a loving family."

"She can still live a good life after getting out of prison."

"You've come so far from that mountain village, it hasn't been easy. I absolutely won't let you fall back into the struggles you escaped."

"Lily... let's just say I owe her. I'll do my best to make it up to her when she gets out."

My shattered heart, though long ceased to beat, still felt an agonizing pang.

A tear slipped in the night.

I closed my eyes and silently said,

Ethan, I admit you have the cunning to pull off such a deception.

But this time, things won't go your way.

I won't take the blame for Scarlett, as you wish.

Because I'm already dead.