I called my wife, a forensic specialist, after learning that my in-laws were involved in a car accident.

It was on the 80th call that she finally answered, "I'm just trying to celebrate Justin's birthday for him. What's wrong with you? Can you not get jealous over just about anything?"

I informed her that Mom, Dad, and sister had died in a car accident, and that she should hurry back to arrange for their funeral.

To my surprise, she scoffed at my suggestion and replied, "What does your family's death have to do with me?"

She was not involved in the funeral arrangements at all. On top of that, she even falsified evidence for her love interest—the culprit who killed her family—in court as a forensics specialist.

Eventually, on the day I informed her of my intention to divorce, she threw a fit.

"Patrick, it's just the death of a few of your family members. Justin didn't do it on purpose. It was just an accident.

"Moreover, it's because of your parents' and sister's carelessness on the road that led to the accident. Why are you making things difficult for me and insisting on divorce? I've truly misjudged you…"

Noticing the indignance in her response, I finally understood.

It seemed she had no idea that it was her family that died in the accident all this while.

My father-in-law, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law were all hit by a car and sent several feet away.

A second later, flames shot into the sky, and the sound of the explosion tore through my eardrums.

I stood frozen in place, my limbs numb and cold. It took a long moment before I could react.

Even my fingers trembled as I called the police.

Once I calmed down slightly, I immediately called Jennifer Novak, but she did not pick up.

It was not until the 80th call that she finally answered.

Before I could even speak, her impatient voice came through the phone.

"Didn't I tell you not to bother me today? It's Justin's first birthday after coming back to the country. I just want to spend it with him. Can you not ruin this for me?"

The mention of Justin Miller made my fingers clench instinctively.

When I was looking back at the blood-soaked bodies of my wife's family behind me, the words I wanted to shout were forced back down my throat.

My voice shook with urgency and desperation.

"Dad, Mom, and Sis were in a car accident. It's serious. They're being rushed to the hospital. You need to come. I'll send you the address—"

Before I could finish, Jennifer suddenly gave a cold, detached laugh.

"What does your family getting in a car crash have to do with me? I'm not their daughter. Whether they live or die, that's not my concern. Don't bother me with this."

With this, the line went dead.

I stared at my phone, stunned. For the first time, Jennifer felt like a complete stranger to me.

A nearby police officer saw my dazed look and gently patted my shoulder, telling me to follow the ambulance to the hospital.

As my in-laws were lifted onto stretchers, my hands trembled uncontrollably. I was still shaking from the lingering fear.

Just minutes before the crash, my father-in-law said he was thirsty, so I got out of the car to buy water from a nearby convenience store.

Who would have thought that by the time I came back, I would witness them being launched over 30 feet through the air; Their bodies an unrecognizable mess.

I did not know whether to feel lucky for avoiding the disaster or devastated by what happened to my in-laws.

As I tried to piece the accident together in my mind, a notification popped up on my phone: A purchase of 30 thousand dollars.

It was from a luxury tie store I frequented.

Jennifer made the purchase, and I knew it was not for me. She never even spared me a glance, let alone bought me anything.

This morning, to celebrate Justin's return and birthday, she got up early, did her makeup meticulously, and put on a dress she once thought was too precious to wear.

Even back when we were dating, she never treated me this attentively. All she used to do was mock me.

"We've been married for years. Seeing your face every day is tiring enough. Why should I waste time putting on makeup?"

Then another notification buzzed in—this time from a restaurant we used to frequent.

I tried calling her again, but now her phone was turned off.

All I could see was her freshly updated social media post.

[Spending a birthday with the one you love—even the cake tastes sweeter.]

In the picture, Jennifer was feeding Justin a bite of cake, their pose intimate and affectionate.

Rage surged through me, engulfing my whole body.

And just then, the light outside the operating room went out.

The doctor walked out, shook his head at me, and said, "I'm sorry for your loss."

My heart sank.

I prepared myself mentally, but these were still people I lived with for years. To say I was not heartbroken would be a lie.

I looked at my phone one more time—their daughter was still out enjoying herself.

I let out a cold laugh, then called the bank and had Jennifer's cards frozen.

After finishing my statement, the police came to inform me that they retrieved surveillance footage from the accident scene.

I followed the squad car to the police station.

The moment I saw the footage, my eyes widened instinctively.

I quickly scrubbed the video back a few seconds and paused on the car that caused the crash.

Even though the image was blurry, I recognized it immediately! That was Justin Miller, who just returned from overseas.

In that instant, all the emotions I held back erupted. From beginning to end, I was nothing but a joke.

So, the one who killed Jennifer's family was her first love.

A scoff escaped my lips.

I wondered—if Jennifer knew this, would she still be in the mood to celebrate her first love's birthday?

The police, thinking I was overwhelmed by grief, patted my shoulder to comfort me.

I wiped my face and spoke calmly.

"I know this person. Officer, I'd like to request an autopsy."

I spoke fast. To others, I probably looked like a good son-in-law, unable to accept the tragic death of his wife's family.

The officers exchanged glances, but they did not deny my request.

As a family member, I had the legal right to request an autopsy.

"Mr. Gibson, we understand how you feel, but the surveillance footage is incomplete. We can't yet conclude that Justin intentionally committed murder. This case still needs further investigation. However, you may proceed with the autopsy procedures."

I nodded, indicating my willingness to cooperate with the investigation.

As soon as I left the police station and turned my phone back on, Jennifer's calls started flooding in.

The moment I answered, her voice was ice cold.

"You froze my cards? Patrick, are you out of your mind? Who gave you the right to freeze my cards?"

"The fact that they're my salary cards, Jennifer. Do I need to remind you that everything you're spending is my money?"

She fell silent for a moment. When she spoke again, her tone softened slightly.

"We're married. Why are you making a distinction between yours and mine? Today is Justin's birthday. It's been so long since I've seen him. Do you know how humiliating it was to make him pay for his own birthday?"

Her whining on the phone only made me more irritable.

I could not take it anymore and asked angrily, "Are you done?"

Maybe she did not expect me to raise my voice—she was stunned for a second.

"Patrick, did you just raise your voice at me?"

Her voice turned aggrieved. Before long, she started sobbing.

That was always how Jennifer was—spoiled like a princess without ever having the life of one. Say a single harsh word to her and she would break down on the spot.

Back then, whenever she acted like this, I would immediately try to make her happy again. I never hesitated to buy her designer bags or gifts.

But now? Just thinking of her celebrating a birthday with a man who killed her whole family.

It made me feel like my past sincerity was trampled on, worthless.

"Mom and Dad are dead. Make sure you come back for the funeral."

My tone was ice cold.

What I did not expect was for her to say something even more shocking.

"People die all the time. If three people died together, that's kind of a reunion, isn't it? You handle the funeral. There are a lot of corpses I need to dissect lately."

With that, she hung up.

My eyes widened slightly. That was when I realized—she did not even know it was her own parents who died.

I pressed my lips together and turned to consult the police again.

"May I choose the forensic specialist for the autopsy? Consider it my final request."

After leaving the police station and returning home, I had my lawyer draft a lawsuit.

Just as I finished mailing it out, Jennifer, who claimed she had many autopsies to do, unexpectedly came home early. She burst through the door with fury and hurled a glass cup at me.

The glass shattered against the wall.

Her chest heaved with rage as she pointed angrily at me and shouted, "Patrick, have you no shame? Justin didn’t mean to kill your family! You can’t just take your anger out on an innocent person just because your family died!"

"So, Justin told you everything, huh?"

Jennifer sneered. "I just finished celebrating his birthday when the police arrested him. On the way to the station, he told me everything. It wasn’t on purpose—he was just in a rush to see me."

"Besides, if your parents weren’t so old and careless crossing the street, none of this would’ve happened. They even got your sister killed in the process.”

She paused when she noticed my expression shift slightly and softened her tone a bit.

"Patrick, don’t be so upset. What’s done is done—let it go. Don’t make this ugly. Justin and I talked about it. We’ll give you 300 thousand dollars and settle this privately."

I laughed, my eyes fixed on her.

“So my parents’ and sister’s lives are worth 100,000 each?”

Her expression darkened.

She shoved me, her voice low and laced with warning, “Don’t push your luck. 100,000 is already considered generous. Your parents were old anyway. Now that they’re gone, you’re free from all that responsibility. Getting 300,000 is free money.”

Her tone made it clear; No matter what, she would take Justin’s side. Whatever he said, she would believe without question.

My chest ached slightly as I smiled at her. “I believe the legal process will reveal the truth.”

Seeing my resolve, Jennifer scoffed. “It seems my kindness is wasted on you. Don’t come crying when you lose the case!”

She slammed the door and left.

It was on the day of the trial that I realized where her confidence stemmed from.

…

The courtroom was solemn, packed wall-to-wall with people.

I walked to the stand and, without hesitation, played the surveillance video of Justin running down my family.

Faced with the judge’s questioning, Justin stammered, “I- I-”

Seeing him flounder, Jennifer stepped up to testify.

“As the medical examiner who performed the autopsy, I can provide evidence that all three victims died from pre-existing health conditions, not from a traffic collision."

“A single surveillance clip proves nothing. Either bring real evidence, or this could be considered slander!”

She was full of confidence.

She even submitted the autopsy report. To help Justin avoid responsibility, she went to great lengths.

Seeing me remain silent, Jennifer’s eyes glinted with smugness and provocation.

“I told you. You should’ve just settled this quietly. With the weak evidence you’ve got, what do you think you can do? Now you’re just making a fool of yourself.”

Justin, standing beside her, added gently, “Don’t be too upset, Jen. Don’t let him come between us.”

Then he looked at me with a show of guilt.

“Patrick, I do want to apologize. What happened to your parents, I didn’t mean it. Jen said 300 thousand dollars would be fair, but I personally think we should offer more.”

Then, in open court, he offered me an apology and proposed a settlement.

I replied flatly, “No problem. I’ve moved on. I’ll send you my bank details—just transfer the money there. I won’t ask for much. 600 thousand dollars is fine. My parents’ and sister’s lives deserve at least 200 thousand dollars each. They're not that cheap.”

Jennifer looked genuinely surprised by my sudden shift. Justin did not look pleased at the number, but eventually agreed.

When the 600 thousand dollars was transferred to my account, I smiled with satisfaction.

Then, I turned to Jennifer and said, “I’ve prepared the divorce papers. Let’s go to the marriage registrar's office before it closes.”

She froze for a second, then snatched the papers.

With a cold laugh, she snapped, “You’d divorce me over something this petty? You call yourself a man?”

She threw the papers on the ground and stomped on them, then turned and walked off with Justin without even glancing at me.

As she left, she tossed out one last sentence, “Take your money and enjoy it. That’s all your parents and sister’s lives were worth.”

I raised my eyebrows slightly, saying nothing. She still thought it was my parents who died.

I replied calmly, “Still, we were once family. As their daughter-in-law, the least you can do is come and say goodbye to them one last time. Just think of it as us sending them off.”

“You’re crazy!”

She called me crazy—but still followed me to the morgue.

She saw those mangled bodies multiple times during the autopsies. It was nothing new.

She walked in looking bored.

And that’s when I pulled out their official death certificates and quietly said, “Dad, Mom, Jane—Jennifer's to see you.”

When she saw the names on those certificates, she froze. Her eyes widened, turning bloodshot in an instant.