Phillip and Maria only slipped when they reached a restricted area.

They had always used the hiking map Noah provided. No one else touched it. So, the real culprit behind their deaths could only be Noah.

When I heard this, I couldn't help but laugh.

The person Stella had been blindly protecting all this time was the one who had killed her parents.

The search and rescue team was supposed to prepare the bodies for viewing, so the family had to be there.

When I arrived at the site, however, the bodies were left outside the entrance, unattended.

Not only had the bodies not been cleaned, but their branded clothes had been replaced with patched-up rags.

Even though I disliked Phillip and Maria, they were dead. They didn't deserve this kind of disrespect.

Following the sounds of laughter, I found Stella and her team celebrating Noah's dog's birthday.

The clothes Phillip and Maria had been wearing were now being used to wipe the dog's urine!

When Stella saw me, she wasn't even a little ashamed. "The bodies have been cleaned up. Just sign, and you can leave. Oh, and we ran out of paper, so we used your parents' clothes to clean up after the dog."

Listening to them sing to the dog, I couldn't help but smirk.

If Stella didn't care, why should I? They were her parents, after all.

I handed her the divorce agreement. "Do whatever you want, but sign this first."

Stella grabbed the document and immediately snapped. "You're divorcing me over something so trivial? Are you serious? So what if I didn't lead the rescue team in time? Your parents fell off a cliff. They were dead either way. Heading out there would have just been a waste of resources!"

I remained calm. "I'm serious. Just sign it."

Looking at her now—negligent yet full of excuses—I felt like she was a total stranger.

This was the same woman who once single-handedly saved a family of five and earned a government commendation.

But since Noah joined the team, her dereliction of duty had become the new normal.

When Noah twisted his ankle, she'd call off the mission early to take him to the hospital.

When he cut his hand, she'd abandon her task to buy him medicine.

Just because Noah wanted a birthday celebration, she ignored a mission to set off fireworks with him.

She had clearly forgotten why she joined the search and rescue team in the first place.

Stella frowned and softened her tone. "I didn't expect your parents' situation either. I had other matters to attend to. That's why I turned down the mission. I know you're upset, but can we not make a scene over this?"

I smiled bitterly. "No need for explanations. Just sign."

Noah put on a show of playing the peacemaker. "Wade, it's all my fault. I told Stella I had never celebrated my birthday before, so I begged her to set off fireworks with me. I'll kneel if I have to. Just don't divorce her!"

He started sobbing, his knees buckling as if he were about to collapse to the ground. He appeared pathetic, but his eyes were full of provocation.

Stella held him up and coldly said, "I don't even want a man who's this unreasonable! You want a divorce? Fine, let's get a divorce!"

Without hesitation, she signed the divorce agreement and threw it at me. "Without me, you wouldn't even be able to see your parents' bodies! Don't you regret this, Wade!"

…

As I packed my things, Noah sent me a taunting message. "Stella said that men as dull and boring as you make her skin crawl. She can't even stand the thought of you touching her.

"Thanks to your parents, we unlocked a new experience. They were watching me and Stella going at it. It was so thrilling!"

The message was accompanied by a photo of Noah and Stella being intimate in the morgue.

I felt my stomach turn.

Not long after, the police called, asking me to bring the bodies to the station.

I wasn't planning to see Stella, but because of the police's request, I had to head to the search and rescue team.

Noah had already mangled Phillip's and Maria's bodies beyond recognition.

Broken body parts were carelessly folded, as if he didn't even see them as human.

When he saw me, he grinned. "Wade, thanks for your parents' contribution! With this experience, I think I'll make a great coroner."

Stella eagerly handed him a knife, and I found it utterly ridiculous.

He wanted to provoke me, but I remained calm. "Stella has handed the bodies over to you. Do whatever you want with them. But I have to remind you of this. When the cops show up, you better not deny that you're the one who ruined these bodies."

Stella frowned, her expression dark with anger. "Noah's a coroner intern. He's doing the autopsy to get his certification. Stop using the police to threaten him! Your parents should be honored to be autopsied by him!"

Honored?

Anyone with a brain could tell that Noah was just using the autopsy as an excuse to desecrate the bodies.

But Stella was determined to defend him, and since those were her parents, I naturally had nothing left to say.

"I don't care about your excuses. Just get the autopsy over with. I need to take the bodies."

Noah suddenly had an idea. He said maliciously, "You can't take the bodies. This is a critical evaluation period for the team. What do you think would happen if people found out we failed to save them?

"Stella, I have a suggestion. Let's just cremate them. We can save resources."

Stella clung to him and immediately agreed without hesitation. "That's a great idea! Wade, you should thank Noah. He's saving you money!"

Noah winked at me. "No need to thank me. Just show up tonight at the team meeting to present me with a commemorative banner."

I crossed my arms and scoffed. "Stella, the day I called for help, I only mentioned Dad and Mom. I didn't say whether they were your parents or mine. Are you so sure these bodies are my parents and not yours?"

Stella sneered. "Only your parents would make the stupid mistake of entering a restricted area. My parents would never do something like that! Move! I need to help Noah with the task!"

Without another word, she tossed the bodies into the cremation furnace.

Just then, a watch fell from Phillip's body. I immediately recognized it as the one Dad had chosen for me as my wedding gift.

I'd been looking for it for half a month. It turned out that Phillip had taken it away.

That was the watch Dad had custom-ordered for me. He had said, "Wade, a watch is the baseline for starting a family. This watch is for you to always know you have my support, no matter what."

I'd worn it every day since my wedding. It was priceless to me.

Noah grabbed the watch first and deliberately said, "This watch looks familiar. I think I saw Mr. Covington wearing it a while ago. Did Wade's dad steal it?"

Stella cast a fleeting glance at it. Her face contorted with pure disgust as she yelled, "Wade Yeager! Your dad actually stole from mine? This is unbelievable! No wonder he's been coming over so often. He must've been coming to steal things!"

I could barely keep my anger in check. "My dad custom-ordered this watch for me! How is it suddenly your dad's? Give it back!"

But Noah threw the watch into the furnace. "Then it's definitely not going anywhere. I'm doing you a favor, Wade. Wearing something from the dead brings bad luck."

I punched him in the face. "Noah Reid! Don't think I don't know what you did! The police are on their way. You won't get away with this!"

Stella watched as a thin trail of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Her anger rose to its peak.

She stepped in front of Noah protectively and slapped me before saying coldly, "Apologize to Noah."

"He started it!" I yelled.

Stella let out a chilling sneer and spat, "Fine. You forced my hand."

She swiftly moved to the furnace, grabbed the ashes carelessly, and shoved them into a box.

Then, she went to the bathroom, opened the toilet lid, and dumped the ashes into it.

"Will you apologize now?" she asked.

I froze, but she was already pressing the flush button. The ashes slowly swirled down the drain.

At the same time, the police entered the station. "Mr. Noah Reid, we have evidence linking you to the deaths of Mr. Phillip Covington and his wife. You need to come with us."

Stella froze for a moment, then grabbed the officer's arm in a panic. "Are you sure? Phillip Covington is my dad! How can the bodies be my parents?"

The police handed her the death certificates. "According to our confirmation, the deceased are indeed your parents, Mr. Phillip Covington and Ms. Maria Stone."