The smile on Howard's face abruptly vanished the moment Sue mentioned me.

"Why bring her up? If she needed money, she could've just said so instead of staging a kidnapping stunt to extort me. And to drag you into this mess—unbelievable! She owes that principal dancer role to you! Stay at my place for now. I'll make sure she and Xander apologize to you and take good care of you."

He wrapped Sue into a protective embrace, his voice turning gentle. "Don't worry. I won't let you suffer in vain. I'll make sure Marlena and Xander pay for everything!"

With that, Howard took Sue home to confront us.

Upon finding that the house was empty, he complained, "Not only do they pull this nonsense, but now they don't even have the guts to come home!"

Just then, the shrill ring of his phone cut through his grumbling.

"Howard, I saw the news about a murder at the resort. The clothes they showed looked just like what Marlena was wearing when she left… She hasn't contacted me in three days. Do you think… something might've happened to her?"

Her cautious tone, strained like a taut wire, only provoked Howard further.

Already an impatient man, Howard barked into the phone, "What could possibly happen to a conniving woman like her? She'll outlive us all!"

Then, as if struck by a sudden realization, his voice grew colder, dripping with suspicion. "Wait. You're not calling to fish for information on Marlena's behalf, are you?"

Caught off guard, my mother stammered, trying to deny his accusation, but Howard didn't give her the chance. With a single motion, he hung up and blocked her number without hesitation.

Agitated, Howard paced around the house.

Sue followed behind him, gently tugging at his sleeve. "Maybe Marlena and Xander got upset because you only brought me along, so they asked Mrs. Anderson to check in. How about… I stop being a bother here and leave?"

Her tearful, pitiful expression tugged at Howard's heart. He immediately rushed around to prepare toiletries for her, even taking down the wedding photo to let Sue move into the master bedroom.

Suddenly, Howard's face flushed slightly.

"If I remember correctly, it's that time of the month for you. I've already made ginger tea and left it downstairs, and I bought your usual brand of sanitary pads. Don't touch cold water, and let me know if you need anything…"

Who would've thought Howard had such a gentle and thoughtful side?

How did he respond when I was in so much pain during my period that I couldn't get out of bed and begged him to make me a bowl of ginger tea just a while back?

"Can you stop already? Every time I'm about to see Sue, you come up with hundreds of excuses. You're not going to die from the pain. Just make the tea yourself later!"

After yelling, he slammed the door and left, taking a large bouquet of lilies to Sue's performance.

While he and Sue were taking intimate backstage photos, I fainted from the pain and was rushed to the hospital by Xander in the middle of the night.

As I was lost in those memories, a knock came at the door.

It was the police.

"A heinous murder case occurred in the city. The victims appear to be your wife and brother. Could you take a look at these photos?"

The officers held out several photos of bodies matching my and Xander's descriptions. The top photo clearly showed the butterfly tattoo on my arm.

I was confident that Howard would recognize us after seeing that.

I became frantic, floating around him, trying to give him hints. "It's me! Look closely at the photos of Xander and me!"

I wanted Howard to recognize us.

I wanted to know how Howard would feel if he realized it was his thoughtless decisions that led to the brutal murders of me and his brother.

Would he be devastated? Or would he just think there were two fewer people standing in the way of his everlasting happiness with Sue?

"Stop acting." Howard frowned and casually scattered the photos across the table without even glancing at them.

To him, our lives were utterly insignificant.

"Acting?" The police were bewildered by his reaction. "We're detectives from the city's Criminal Investigation Division. We've been trying to contact you but couldn't reach you, so we came to your house instead.

"This is a horrible case. The victims were wronged and died unjustly. We need the family's cooperation to solve the case—"

Howard impatiently interrupted, "If you were the police, why didn't you call me?"

They did. On the day the police found our bodies, they called him over a dozen times. But at that time, he was massaging Sue's feet and had turned off his phone.

"How much did Marlena pay you to pretend to be cops and go along with her act? If those were real kidnappers, how would Sue be perfectly fine right now?"

So, even now, Howard still believed I was faking everything…

The only reason Sue was unharmed was because he'd paid a ransom of ten million. As for Xander and I, two worthless people who couldn't bring in any money, we were tortured to death by the kidnappers as tools for venting their anger.

The excruciating pain of being mutilated still screamed in my soul.

The police, stunned, helplessly pulled out their badges to explain. "We really are detectives. The deaths of your wife and brother are tragic, but you can't avoid facing reality… Sir—"

The officer tried to say more, but Howard, his face dark, had already forced them out of the house.

Sue swept the photos into the trash before cautiously suggesting, "Howard, maybe you should go look for Marlena. What if something really happened to her…"

Sue was the one who hinted to Howard that everything was part of my plan, yet here she was, pretending to be innocent. "I think Marlena and Xander didn't mean to take me; they were just desperate… After all, you're Marlena's husband and Xander's brother. You should care a little."

Howard's expression softened at that. "Sue, you're so understanding." Then his expression shifted into one of frustration. "Marlena is such a drama queen! Your leg was injured so badly, and she still called me, asking me to apologize to her. She's definitely looking for a scolding!"

Sue feigned innocence. "Marlena just loves you so much. I'm not blaming her or Xander."

"You shouldn't always give in to her! She only teams up with Xander to bully you because she thinks you're easy to push around! That's what I hate most about her!"

I wanted to argue, but when I realized I was just a soul, my hand hung limply at my side.

I didn't like Sue.

I remembered the time a pervert appeared outside our dance studio. Not wanting Howard to worry, I kept telling Howard I had company with me.

Sue, however, called him late at night, saying she was scared alone in the studio.

Xander needed a guardian to go with him to see a psychologist, yet Sue always seemed to "coincidentally" meet him outside the hospital, chatting with him for hours, resulting in Howard missing Xander's appointment.

I wanted to clarify things with Sue at first, but she'd arrogantly laughed and said, "You're just a hag, and Xander's an idiot. How could you two possibly matter more to Howard than me? Don't talk about him just accompanying me—he'd even kill you for me without hesitation."

As she spoke, she ripped apart the teddy bears we had all bought and dressed up.

In a fit of anger, Xander pushed Sue.

Howard happened to witness it.

He slapped me twice. "Not only are you jealous, but you also dared to incite Xander to hit someone! Sue and I are history; stop trying to pick a fight!"

I wanted to explain, but Sue was on her knees, crying and saying it was her fault, that she shouldn't have come back to the country and caused trouble.

Howard, whose heart ached for her, said that I was vicious...

How I wanted to tell him that the vicious one was someone else. But I could only watch them both stay together in my wedding room.

Every day, Howard would stay up late chatting with Sue, wishing each other goodnight, as happy as if they were bees in a honey pot.

Meanwhile, when my mother was called to the police station, her face turned pale, and she couldn't believe that the disfigured body in the morgue was mine.

"This... This can't be my Marlena. My daughter was just invited by the Morsee Dance Troupe and was on vacation with her brother-in-law!"

The police, showing their sympathy, reluctantly pulled back the white cloth covering the body.

The tattoo on my arm was immediately visible.

With a scream, Mom lost consciousness. When she woke up, she immediately tried to contact Howard despite the heartache.

"You heartless beast! You lied to me, saying my daughter was still alive! You threw my daughter and your brother to a group of inhumane kidnappers while you went off to live it up with that skank. You might as well kill yourself!"

When Howard heard my mother accuse Sue, his face, once gentle, turned dark with anger. He sneered. "How much longer will you go on with this? Marlena already tried acting to get me two million to help your company, and you're still putting on an act with her? Pretending to be hurt isn't enough for her anymore, huh? She's even pretending to be dead!

"I'll tell you, Marlena is a malicious woman, and even if she's really dead, she deserves it!"

My mother, enraged, screamed incoherently over the phone.

Howard impatiently massaged his forehead and hung up the call, then turned smilingly at Sue as he explained, "Marlena's schemes are too much. She even got her mom to help her lie to me. For that tiny sum of money, her mom actually said Marlena was dead. It's disgusting!"

Sue's eyes lit up, "So... Are you going to stay with Marlena?"

Howard frowned and uttered in a conflicted voice, "Honestly, she treats me well. She's been with me all this time..."

Indeed, we were married for three years after dating for two. I had always been Howard's virtuous wife.

To make sure Howard could focus on work, I willingly took care of the autistic Xander and went everywhere in search of doctors for Xander. When his parents were unwell, I took care of them too.

His current hesitation probably wasn't out of love, but because he couldn't bear to lose me as a convenient caregiver.

When Sue heard this, her face darkened. She was about to say something more when Howard's phone rang.

It was his father, Frank Jenne.

"Howard! How could I have such a heartless son? Your brother and Marlena are dead, and you act like it's nothing!"

Howard was stunned for a moment, then smiled in disbelief. "Dad, are you also going along with Marlena's family's act?"

"'Act?'" Frank was speechless from anger. "Who would risk their life for an act?

"They're dead! Your wife! Your brother! They're dead because of you!"

Howard's expression turned rigid when he heard his father's words.

Frank's anger grew, and Sue, standing nearby, caught the shift in tone.

With a pale face, she asked, "Marlena couldn't really be in trouble, could she? If you want, I can go with you to confirm."

Howard hesitated and mumbled something vague, then tried to laugh it off with Frank. "Dad, stop letting Marlena fool you into putting on a show. How could she possibly—"

Frank, no longer wanting to waste time, snapped, "You'd better get to the police station right now!"

After hanging up, Howard sat motionless, his fingers tapping nervously on the table. I knew it was a habit he had when he was deep in thought.

Sue leaned against Howard and hugged him tightly. "Why don't we go together? I don't think Marlena's dead. She must've just gotten hurt while acting. Mr. and Mrs. Jenne have always liked Marlena. Maybe they're just trying to help you two get closer by speaking up for her."

Sue's words seemed to comfort Howard a little. He gently stroked her shoulder. "You make a good point. Marlena always liked to act all sweet and weak in front of the elders. My parents must be getting old and confused, so they helped her out.

"She and Xander must've been acting. Maybe she scraped herself to make me worry. There's no way she could be dead."

Hearing this, Xander, who had been hoping Howard would finally notice him, sank quietly into the corner of the couch.

I wanted to comfort him, but he said with a smile, "Marlena, Howard doesn't like you, and he doesn't like me either. With the way he is now, I don't want to love him anymore."

Seeing the bittersweetness in his smile, I couldn't help but sigh.

Xander was 17 years younger than Howard and had been raised almost entirely by him. They had shared a close bond, and there were countless times when Howard had postponed work to be with Xander—whether it was for medical appointments, drawing, or trips to the amusement park.

Xander used to consider his older brother his everything.

But everything changed after Sue returned.

When Xander was kidnapped, Sue's phone was filled with Howard's affectionate messages. Meanwhile, the last time Xander and I spoke to Howard had been two months ago.

The kidnappers treated Sue with extreme care, afraid of hurting the precious "cash cow" she was. Meanwhile, Xander and I were so brutally beaten our bodies were covered in wounds.

When Sue was ransomed, she had arranged for the kidnappers to provide us with new clothes.

"Mr. Jenne is a kind man who can't stand seeing blood... If you make him angry, he might send someone to..."

So, when Howard arrived to pay the ransom, he saw me and Xander neatly dressed, while Sue was there, dirty and disheveled. Without a second thought, Howard rushed straight to her.

"Howard, Marlena and Xander had me brought here... I'm so scared. I sprained my ankle. Will I never be able to dance again?"

She buried her face in Howard's chest and cried out loud before she fainted.

Howard trembled as he checked her ankle, ignoring the wounds on Xander and me and the blood soaking through our clothes.

Xander, in disbelief, murmured, and for the first time in a while, he called out Howard's name in his broken voice.

However, Howard seemed not to hear as he picked up Sue, walking away without a second glance at us.

As we were being beaten, we clung to the hope of being saved. But when Howard left, that hope, along with our lives, ran out of time.

We died in such an ignoble, agonizing way.

Yet, Howard still thought that Xander and I were faking everything to deceive him.

We followed Howard and Sue to the police station, where Frank was waiting outside. Without saying a word, he slapped Howard across the face.

"You idiot! You're truly despicable! I trusted you with your brother! And you threw him and your wife into the hands of kidnappers!" Frank turned to glare at Sue, his face turning bright red. "What kind of poison did you put in my son's mind?"

Sue visibly flinched at that. "Mr. Jenne, I've known you both since childhood. You know I'm not that kind of person… Did Marlena say something to cause a misunderstanding?"

Howard immediately stepped in to protect Sue when she was being scolded. "Dad! You're the ones who have been brainwashed by Marlena! How can you side with her in all this nonsense? She spends all her time with Xander, getting him to do bad things like hitting people and pretending to be something he's not. How can you not see that?

"Sue was kidnapped by them and even hurt her leg, but she never complained! If anyone should be blamed, it's Marlena!"

Frank froze, staring at his son as if he had never seen him before. He looked at Howard's confident, unyielding face, and a cold laugh escaped him. Without a word, he dragged Howard toward the police station, ignoring the officers who tried to intervene.

In the waiting room, Howard rubbed his face, filled with annoyance. "When is Marlena going to be done with all this? Isn't she tired of this needlessly long act she's somehow talked everyone into playing a part in? I'll let her off the hook if that's what it'll take for her to stop this. This whole thing is getting more dramatic… It's getting out of hand."

Frank, standing next to him, was seething with anger. He was too furious to speak.

Howard continued to complain until the police led him to a door.

"Mr. Jenne, please come inside to identify the bodies of your wife and brother."

Howard pursed his lips disgruntledly and started to turn away. But before he could move, Frank kicked him hard in the back, sending him stumbling and falling to his knees.

Howard's face flushed with rage as he looked up. He was ready to lash out when his gaze fell on the sign that read "Morgue" above the door.

I saw how his expression, once dripping with fury, twisted into something far worse.