When I was being violated and murdered, my husband, Arthur Clark, was busy making dinner for his childhood sweetheart, Amanda Wills.

Before dying, I struggled to call him, but he hung up on me.

"Get lost, stop playing games! Don't tell me you're dying this time. If you must die, die far away! Don't pollute my eyes!"

That night, he was called to the Criminal Investigation Department to crack a gruesome dismemberment case.

No case lasted more than three days in his hands.

Yet, a whole week passed, and he hadn't recognized that the victim of the dismemberment was his most despised wife.

——

After the murderer dismembered me and packed my remains into three bags, then the murderer dumped the bags in the garbage bin next to the police station.

The medical examiner, Jackson Mason, pieced together my body all night.

Only the left leg was missing.

Jackson looked on with pity.

"She was doused with concentrated sulfuric acid before death. There was not a single piece of flesh was intact..."

"It's too cruel..."

The young police officer, Louise Norris, stood behind Jackson and couldn't help but run outside to retch.

My husband, Arthur, also furrowed his brow.

He was the most outstanding captain of the Criminal Investigation Department.

There was no case he couldn't crack in three days.

Jackson handed over the organized files to them.

"The victim is a female, aged 23 or 24, died in pain. The head was struck multiple times with a blunt object, the skull shattered, and she was splashed with concentrated sulfuric acid before dying. Plus, there were wounds on her abdomen. She died in agonizing pain."

Chris cursed softly, "Monster!"

"To dare dump a body right in front of the police station, this is a blatant provocation!"

Arthur glanced at the incomplete body on the dissection table, his tone filled with regret.

"She was under 25, such a young age."

Yes, I was only 24, still very young, barely a third into my life.

Arthur's gloved hand touched the space where my left leg should have been.

"Her left leg?"

I was so nervous.

Could he discover this clue?

My left leg bone was deformed.

It was injured years ago while saving Arthur, causing me to limp ever since.

Jackson shook his head. "We haven't found the victim's left leg."

Just then, a police officer walked in carrying a plastic bag.

"This should be the victim's left leg! We just found it! It was in the trash bin downstairs at Arthur's place!"

Jackson attached the left leg to the body.

It was clear that the left and right legs were asymmetrical, with the left leg's bones angling abnormally.

Jackson exclaimed, "This is a clue! The victim had suffered an injury to this leg before, impairing their walking!"

Chris looked uneasy and cast a worried glance at Arthur.

"It was found in the trash bin beneath your apartment... and the leg had been injured. Maybe you should call Chloe?"

Arthur's face turned ashen.

"It couldn't be her. Chloe Kade called me late last night to vent, sounding very much alive and kicking!"

I couldn't help feeling disappointed. He had missed the clue again.

Indeed, I had called him at dawn.

But I hadn't spoken a word.

After all, by that time, I was in too much pain to speak.

Seeing Arthur mention me with undisguised disgust, I felt a sigh of relief.

He would probably be happy to know I was dead.

Chris hesitated repeatedly before finally speaking up.

"Arthur, why don't you head home and check in? It's mealtime already, and Chloe hasn't called you. Plus, the crime scene is so close to your house. Typically, we'd canvass the neighborhood.

"Just now, Louise and the others checked around your area. No one's missing except... they knocked on your door, and no one answered..."

Arthur didn't retort immediately as usual.

After a moment, he relaxed his furrowed brows and snorted lightly.

"She's made a scene before. She pretended to disappear to make me worry and only to come back obediently. Who knows where she's off gallivanting this time? She is cunning! Don't let her usual demeanor fool you!

"Enough, let's not bring up things unrelated to the case!"

His determination was evident.

Seeing this, Chris and the others held back their words, finally ceasing to mention me.

I was growing anxious.

But I was the victim.

How could they solve the case without mentioning me?

I watched as Arthur was consumed with the case, spinning his wheels with no progress for days.

All the nearby missing persons had been checked, yet none of the clues pointed to me.

Arthur looked exhausted.

Chris and the others brought me up again.

This time, Arthur didn't refuse.

He went home.

Upon entering, he seemed to have steeled himself before calling out my name.

The room was empty, and no one responded.

He glanced around the room with disdain.

"Enough, I'll count to three, and if you don't show up, don't expect to see me ever again!"

I desperately wanted to respond to him.

But he couldn't hear me.

Impatiently, he scoffed, "Fine, Chloe, you've really learned some tricks, playing hard to get now. Even if you die out there, I won't come back for you!"

With that, he stormed out.

I rushed forward to stop him, wanting to tell him that I really wasn't throwing a tantrum.

He walked right through me, his eyes cold.

I froze.

Arthur really hated me...

Even though I wasn't at home, he found even the places I'd been unbearable...

Just as he neared the door, he suddenly stopped, his gaze falling on a voice recorder on the entryway cabinet.

Excited, I floated in front of him.

Please, just play it!