"Are you planning a surprise for me?"
I froze.
She giggled and reached up to tap my nose.
"I saw the new necklace you bought!"
"You’re always trying to hide things, but you forget—I can see right through you. You’re like glass to me, you know that?"
She leaned in again, her voice turning gentle.
"It’s almost your parents’ death anniversary. Let’s go burn paper together. Tell them the good news about our marriage, alright? We’ll hold a family dinner. Doreen hasn’t come home in so long."
I smiled faintly but said nothing.
She twirled in my arms, laughing.
For the past five years, she had been arranging these so-called reunions—telling me they were to help mend things between me and Doreen.
I used to believe it was love.
Now I know better.
It was all a cover.
An excuse to see Karl again.
This five-year deception—it ends now.
As soon as she stepped out, I left home.
I went to the law firm and had the divorce papers printed.
I canceled all my documents.
The case file had already been taken away by Caroline.
If I called the police now, without evidence, I wouldn’t stand a chance.
Leaving was my only option.
When I arrived at her workplace with the agreement in hand, I overheard her colleagues whispering in the hallway.
“Isn’t that Captain Carol’s husband? He looks familiar… Oh right, the Crow Family tragedy five years ago!”
“Shh, do you want to be punished during training? Don’t talk nonsense. Captain Carol has said time and again he wasn’t the killer. Don’t bring it up unless you want her to blow up. She even argued with the director over that case.”
“That suit looks custom—worth millions, I bet. I heard he had just come back from abroad. Someone like that wouldn’t need to kill anyone, right? And the way Captain Carol looks at him… If he really was the murderer, she’d have arrested him herself.”
My nails dug into my palm, the pain sharp but grounding.
I stood outside her office. Through the slightly ajar door, I heard voices—too familiar to mistake.
“Has she been treating you well these past years?” Caroline asked, her voice soft and strained, heavy with emotion.
Karl laughed lightly. “Don’t you know your sister? When she found out I was coming back, she bought me a private jet. No matter how I tried to talk her out of it, she wouldn’t listen. She’s still the same—so naive, even after five years of marriage.”
Caroline’s voice trembled slightly. “That’s good… Then I can rest easy.”