Thirteen murder cases had rocked the city, leaving everyone on edge.

The day I went out to buy groceries, my husband became the fourteenth victim.

He was stabbed ninety-nine times, mutilated beyond recognition.

When I rushed downstairs, my mother-in-law had just jumped from the thirtieth floor.

Her blood and brain matter splattered directly onto my face.

I cried so hard that I fainted several times.

Yet, the lead detective of the criminal police unit walked up to me and stated with certainty.

"You're the murderer!"

——

I was kneeling in front of my mother-in-law's corpse, crying my heart out.

No one could have known that upon hearing the detective's words.

I was actually smiling inside.

But the next moment, I suddenly looked up.

My eyes were swollen like walnuts, my voice hoarse and trembling.

"Captain Colson, what did you say?"

"How could I possibly be the killer?"

Detective Wyatt Colson's gaze locked onto mine.

His dark, piercing eyes seemed to see right through me.

I felt a pang of guilt and shifted my gaze, avoiding his stare.

Wyatt stared at me, his voice low and serious.

"Catherine Sandberg, this is the first time we've met, right?"

"Then how did you know my last name is Colson?"

A hint of arrogance flickered in his eyes, as if he'd already caught my first mistake.

Before my husband was murdered, Neveridge City had already seen thirteen consecutive homicides.

Wyatt was the head of this special investigation team.

It was likely that only the killer would pay such close attention to the team's movements.

For example, knowing that the detective in charge of the case was surnamed Colson.

Hearing Wyatt's words, I breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.

Then, I pretended to panic and burst into loud sobs.

"The special investigation team was featured in a news interview a few days ago and you were on screen for a few seconds."

"I just happened to have seen that news report."

"Captain Colson, I've just lost two family members. If the police can't catch the real killer, does that mean you can just randomly accuse the victim's family?"

Outside the yellow line, not far away, many neighbors were watching.

Seeing me crying so pitifully, Aunt Lily, who always likes to meddle in other people's business, spoke angrily.

"That's right! Young man, Catherine just lost her husband and her mother-in-law jumped off a building for no reason. She's already heartbroken."

"Why are you police questioning Catherine here instead of investigating the murderer?"

"I tell you, Catherine and her husband have a perfect relationship. They are inseparable. It is impossible for Catherine to kill her husband!"

This was an old neighborhood. Most of the neighbors knew our family well. Many people chimed in, agreeing with Aunt Lily.

"Yeah, I always saw the two of them holding hands on the way to buy groceries. They've been married for ten years and were still so in love."

"Catherine's mother-in-law, Georgia Schmidt, is also very kind. She always praises Catherine as a good daughter-in-law who cares for the family and is filial. Georgia always smiles when she mentions her daughter-in-law."

"Sigh, they were such a harmonious family. I don't know what evil they'd done to deserve having two people die like this."

Listening to their comments, Wyatt frowned even deeper.

He shouted angrily.

"What are you yelling about! You are disrupting public affairs, do you understand?"

The neighbors suddenly fell silent, quietly stretching their necks, trying to see some other excitement.

I almost laughed out loud. I had to dig my fingernails into my palm to stop myself.

The next moment, Wyatt strode up to me.

He stared intently at me, his expression solemn.

"Catherine, I've been a criminal police officer for twenty-two years."

"I've never had such a strong intuition before. You're the first one."

"When I saw you, I knew you killed them."

Tears welled up in my eyes as I looked up.

"Captain Colson, do you only rely on intuition to solve cases without evidence?"

"If you keep slandering me like this, I'll file a complaint."

Wyatt remained silent, then waved his hand, ordering his men to take me back to the police station.

In the dim room, a bright and dazzling light shone on my face.

It was their usual method, which could simply and directly defeat the psychological defense of the suspect.

I was blinded by the light.

All I could hear was the sound of Wyatt tossing a stack of photos onto the table.

He laid out the thirteen pictures of the victims one by one.

His voice was hoarse.

"After our investigation, these thirteen victims were of different ages, both men and women, doing different jobs."

"The only thing they have in common is that they have had contact with you before."

"Catherine, you are now the only suspect in this serial murder case. "

I narrowed my eyes and looked at the thirteen photos carefully.

I looked at them again and again and then laughed out loud.

"Captain Colson, I have no impression of these people at all."

"How can you say I am a suspect?"

Wyatt did not answer me. As a veteran criminal detective, he would not be led by the suspect's words.

Instead, he took out the photo of the fourteenth victim, my husband, Yannick Watson.

When I saw the photo of my husband, I couldn't help but shed tears.

Wyatt stared at me like a wolf that smelled blood.

He spoke solemnly, "Catherine, how is your relationship with your husband?"

I spread my hands, a helpless look on my face.

"You heard what the neighbors just said."

"We were childhood sweethearts, married for ten years. Our relationship was always harmonious. I had absolutely no reason to kill him."

Wyatt's face darkened and he slammed the table.

Bang!

"Catherine, this is the police station! You better tell me the truth!"

"Five years ago, you clearly called the police, reporting that your husband, Yannick Watson, was abusing you!"

"Although we couldn't file a case back then because you were a married couple, we did mediate and there's a record of it!

I was startled and the water in my hand spilled.

Still, I didn't rush to wipe it, but raised my eyes calmly and looked at him.

"You said it yourself, we were a married couple."

"Isn't it normal for a young couple to argue and make a fuss?"

I watched Wyatt's lips move, as if he wanted to speak.

I cut him off before he could, my eyes full of mockery.

"Besides, isn't it all clearly recorded in your files?"

"He beat me half to death, then gave my family two hundred thousand. Later, they signed the waiver of prosecution in a heartbeat."

"Once I got the money, I forgave him."

"It's normal for young couples to have their ups and downs. I went back to living a good life with him. Why would I kill him?"

Wyatt looked at me in silence, as if trying to tell how much truth there was in my words.

I met his probing gaze openly.

After all, everything I said was the truth.

Since I gave birth to Yannick's child, he has been a completely different person.

Shedding the mask of a gentle husband, Yannick became a demon.

His favorite thing was grabbing my hair and slamming my head against the wall.

Again and again, until my head was bleeding and I was so weak I couldn't stand up anymore.

At that time, Yannick looked at me with a sinister look on his face.

"Once you've had the baby, you stay home and look after it! Don't go running around causing trouble!"

"What's so good about your crappy job? I provide you with food and clothes at home. What are you not satisfied with?"

"Bitch, you should be taught a lesson before you behave yourself."

Crimson blood mixed with tears flowed into my mouth. It tasted salty.

The door opened and my mother-in-law, Georgia, came back in.

When she saw this scene, she frowned.

Using every last bit of strength I had, I struggled to crawl towards the person who had once said she would treat me like her own daughter, my voice trembling as I pleaded for help.

But she kicked me to the ground fiercely.

She looked at Yannick, clearly displeased.

"Yannick, look at the mess you've made at home."

"If a woman doesn't listen, starve her for three days and nights and she'll behave. You hit her and even hurt your own hand!"

Georgia didn't even have the heart to blame Yannick.

Instead, she stepped on my head and ground it to death.

"Why are you so disobedient? You've married into our family, but you're still thinking about running away every day!"

"I don't know how your family raised your daughter. You deserve to be beaten to death."

She scolded me for wanting to go out to work and said that I deserved to be beaten to death for bleeding all over the floor.

They beat me unconscious several times, only for me to be woken by the gnawing pangs of hunger and then beaten unconscious again.

Several times, I even felt utter despair, convinced I was going to be beaten to death right there in that house.

Luckily, they became less vigilant when they saw me pass out.

Taking advantage of their midday nap, I rushed to the police station.

Perhaps the sight of my bloodied face was too pitiful, because the record of this incident in the files was unusually detailed.

Not long after, Yannick and Georgia hurried over.

In front of the police, Yannick knelt down with a face full of regret and begged me for forgiveness.

"Catherine, I just lost my temper for a moment. I couldn't control myself. Please forgive me just this once. I promise I'll treat you properly from now on!"

"I'll give you all my money, I just beg you to forgive me."

Georgia also feigned concern. "That's right, Catherine. What couple doesn't have their occasional squabbles when living together?"

She immediately pushed a bank card towards me. There were five hundred thousand in it.

"As long as you can forgive Yannick, I'm willing to give another five hundred thousand to your parents as a small compensation."

Even the police officers there tried to persuade me, saying that Yannick and I were married and they couldn't interfere too much. At most, they could only mediate.

On the other hand, my parents had always been timid and afraid of conflict.

When I told them I had been a victim of domestic violence, all they would say was.

"Forget it, Yannick is still young and hot-headed. He'll mellow out with age."

"Whose family doesn't have some conflicts? We all go through this. It will be fine when the child grows up. Just bear with it."

Now, looking at the bank card Georgia offered and the helpless police officers.

They had no choice but to relent. Bowing obsequiously, they took the card.

"Hurry home with Yannick, you still have a child to consider. The kid's so young, how will you manage if you get divorced?"

They eagerly signed the waiver of prosecution for me.

Then I took the money home and arranged to buy a house for my brother to marry a wife.

Yannick looked at me with a mocking gaze. "Honey, shall we go home?" I felt so utterly hopeless that I almost wanted to kill myself right there.

After returning home, what awaited me was definitely a more brutal beating.

After having ten teeth knocked out, three fingers broken and both legs fractured twice, I finally learned my lesson.