The place was a complete mess.

My dad, Richard Marshall, sat in his wheelchair, grief written all over his face.

His voice trembled as he said, "Noah, why won't you believe us? Vic is dead. There wasn't even a body left to bury."

Noah spat on the ground.

"Nonsense! Do you really think you can fool me with a story like that? Victoria loved me too much to die and leave me behind!"

With a single glance from him, two of the men behind him yanked my dad out of the wheelchair and beat him without mercy.

My dad had been paralyzed for years. He couldn't even lift a hand to defend himself. Soon, he was covered in bruises and blood.

My mom tried to stop them, but Noah kicked her aside. She fell hard to the floor.

"You old woman! Tell me where Victoria is, or I'll beat him to death!"

I hovered near them, helpless and frantic.

"Noah! Stop it!" I shouted in vain. I wanted to stop it all, but there was nothing I could do.

My hands passed right through them. I couldn't even stir the air.

Cries of pain and the sounds of fists landing echoed through the house. Every sound was a stab to my heart.

Oliver woke up from all the noise. He rubbed his eyes and stumbled out of his room. The moment he saw his grandparents getting beaten, he burst into terrified sobs.

Noah's eyes lit up when he saw Oliver.

"Where's your mom?"

Oliver had never been close to him. After Amelia returned to the country, Noah barely came home anymore. To Oliver, he was just a stranger.

Choking on his sobs, Oliver whispered, "Grandma said Mommy went far away. She said I'll see her again when I grow up."

Noah kicked Oliver in a fury.

I rushed to shield him, but I couldn't touch anything.

"Lying at your age? You're bound to grow up into a menace! I was right not to want you. Look at what your mom turned you into!"

Oliver cried in pain.

Watching him cry ripped me apart.

How could he do this? That was his own son! How could he not even have a shred of love or trust for him?

My mom's voice cracked as she screamed, "Noah! Vic is dead. She's dead, do you hear me? How dare you come back here looking for her? You cheated on her behind her back! Do you think you deserve anything after that?"

Noah let out a mocking laugh.

"So what? Amelia saved my life. I was dying from acute liver failure, and she didn't hesitate to give me part of her liver! And where was Victoria? She didn't even show up! The only woman I ever loved was Amelia. She's disfigured now and needs a skin graft. I have to help her!"

His liver?

Did he say Amelia gave it to him?

I laughed bitterly, touching my abdomen. Even as a ghost, I could still feel the pain from that operation. The scar where they took my liver still ached faintly.

My dad let out a heavy sigh.

"Noah, I'm telling you one last time. My daughter is dead. Believe it or not. Now get out of my house, or I'm calling the police!"

Noah sneered. "So, you're all saying Victoria's dead, huh? Then where's her grave?"

He was brought to my grave.

A small mound rose from the flat earth. My name was carved into the tombstone.

"Dig it up," Noah ordered coldly.

I let out a bitter laugh. Did he hate me that much?

After we married, I gave him everything. I cared for him down to the smallest detail. I truly believed he'd come to see my worth and love me back one day.

However, not only did he ignore everything we once had, he even wanted to destroy my final resting place.

My mom threw herself in front of the grave.

"Stop! Don't touch it! Noah, please, let her rest in peace! I'm begging you…"

"Get out of the way, you old woman!"

The men he brought with him dragged her aside and started digging.

They pinned my dad to the ground. His voice cracked with pain as he roared, "Noah, you bastard! You heartless monster! You'll get what's coming to you!"

Noah found him annoying and shoved a handful of dirt straight into his mouth. "Shut up."

It didn't take long before they broke through my grave. The moment they lifted the lid of my coffin, everyone froze.

There wasn't a complete body inside my coffin. Only broken, scattered limb bones were there.

Noah burst into laughter. He then kicked my remains across the dirt.

"This is what you're trying to fool me with? A couple of broken bones?"

My mom sobbed uncontrollably, shaking her head.

"Noah, please stop! Vic is gone. We couldn't even find her full body. This was all we could recover…"

My memories dragged me back to the day I was murdered a year ago.

Amelia stabbed me a hundred times.

After I died, she mutilated my body. My limbs were stuffed into suitcases and tossed into the sea.

When Christmas came and I still hadn't called home, my dad started to worry. He called the police as he couldn't reach me at all.

They opened an investigation.

They searched for weeks. It wasn't until two months later that a fisherman hauled up a suitcase during a routine catch. When he opened it and saw a severed hand, he panicked and called the police.

DNA testing confirmed it was mine.

After that, the police combed through that stretch of ocean for three days. Eventually, they recovered my arms and legs. They never found my torso.

However, Noah was growing impatient.

"Tell Victoria to cut it out. She's wrong if she thinks playing hard to get will work. I came all the way here to bring her back. She should be grateful. As long as she agrees to donate skin for Amelia, I'll remarry her."

Noah ransacked my house the entire day but still didn't find me.

Just then, Amelia called him.

After he hung up, he left two burly men behind to keep watch. He then got into his car and drove off.

Before driving off, he gave one last order.

"Remember, if you see Victoria, bring her back to me no matter what it takes. I'm going to peel off her skin and give it to Amelia for the transplant."

With that, he sped away.

I didn't want to follow Noah. Yet, for some reason, I couldn't leave him. It felt like some invisible force had tied me to him, dragging me along whether I wanted to.

I ended up going with him to Amelia's ward.

She was lying in bed, visibly annoyed. Her once beautiful face was now twisted and frightening from the acid burns.

Noah handed her a plate of washed fruit. He then poured her a cup of warm water, wiped her face, and tended to her with meticulous care.

I could only shake my head with a bitter smile. He had never done any of this for me.

Back then, I was the one looking after him, and all I got in return was coldness and disdain.

His love, or the lack of it, was painfully obvious.

Amelia was his first love, his unreachable dream girl from the past. Thinking back on everything, I couldn't help but sigh.

When Amelia finished eating, Noah instinctively took the pits she spat out.

She frowned and snapped, "Noah, I'm getting fed up! What's going on with the face transplant? How much longer do I have to wait? Just looking at myself makes me sick!"

Noah shook his head.

"I went to Victoria's parents' place today. I searched everywhere, but she vanished without a trace. Her parents even tried to fool me by taking me to some grave and claiming it was hers.

"I didn't buy it, so I told the guys to dig it up. And guess what? There were only a few bones in the coffin, probably from some stray dog. Did they really think I'd fall for that?"

I saw a flicker of panic flash across Amelia's face.

"Darling, stop looking for her, okay? We'll figure something out."

She reached out and gently stroked his cheek. Her voice was soft, almost hypnotic.

"You know how much I care about appearances. Look at me now. I can't live like this. I saved your life, remember? You owe me. Please help me…"

There was something chilling about her at that moment. It made Noah shudder.

I let out a cold laugh.

Everyone else might be in the dark, but Amelia knew full well I was already dead. All she wanted was to trick Noah into giving her his skin.

Noah gave her a slight nod.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure you get a new face."

The next morning, after feeding Amelia breakfast, Noah headed back to my house.

The two burly men from yesterday rushed over when they saw him. They said they hadn't seen me, but they found a document that might be important.

Noah took the file with a doubtful expression.

The moment he opened it, he froze in shock. It was my death certificate.