Chapter 2

"A woman like Vivian Hall has blood all over her hands. You think she's worth framing Jessica for?"

Sean's voice was ice-cold.

He pulled out a handkerchief and calmly wiped the glass shards from his bleeding knuckles.

Ghost, chained to the interrogation chair, burst into a hysterical laugh. His handcuffs rattled loudly against the metal table.

"You really think that little Mafia princess ran away with your money, Detective?"

Ghost spat out a mouthful of bloody phlegm.

"Your lovely wife paid me two million dollars to drag Vivian to Warehouse 3. When I choked the life out of her with a wire, she was still carrying your kid in her belly!"

Sean didn't stop wiping his hands. He didn't even blink.

A mocking sneer played on his lips.

"Vivian Hall? She's a mob boss's daughter. Criminality is in her blood."

"Three years ago, she stole thirty million, betrayed my partner Marcus, and fled. That's exactly who she is."

"If you're going to make up a story, at least make it believable."

"Meanwhile, Jessica is an honors graduate from the Police Academy. Clean record, bright future."

"One belongs in the gutter; the other lives in the light."

"You think the wild rants of a junkie like you can twist the truth? You think you can drag a cop's wife into the mud?"

He tossed the blood-stained handkerchief onto the table.

"Keep interrogating him. Don't stop until he tells the actual truth."

Sean pushed open the heavy iron door and walked out.

I floated in the air right above the hallway, following him.

He walked into the restroom, turned on the faucet, and washed his hands over and over again.

The mirror reflected his sharp, handsome face. He looked completely unbothered.

He said Jessica lived in the light and I belonged in the gutter.

But he was once the man who held my hands and told me he loved my rebellious soul. He had said he would gladly step into the gutter just to be with me.

When Marcus's undercover identity was exposed, he was brutally murdered on the street.

Sean held his cold body and sat in a pool of blood for an entire night.

That was when Jessica appeared. Crying, she handed him a few blurry photos and heavily edited audio recordings.

Every single piece of "evidence" pointed to me.

Faced with his brother's blood, Sean's love for me shattered instantly.

After that, his eyes held nothing but hatred for me.

He didn't arrest me, nor did he ask for a divorce. Instead, he systematically destroyed my life to prove his loyalty to the badge.

He took down my father's business piece by piece, tearing our family empire apart.

My younger brother, Jayden, was blinded by rivals while trying to protect Sean.

Yet, Sean dismissed Jayden's sacrifice as a cheap, manipulative trick to win his sympathy.

Later, Jayden was cornered by enemies again, hovering between life and death.

I ran to the precinct to beg Sean. I knelt in the pouring rain for an entire night.

When dawn broke, he finally walked out.

He held a black umbrella, shielding Jessica from the storm.

The rain beat down mercilessly on my face.

He looked at me, his eyes filled with a disgust I had never seen before.

"Vivian, this is what your family owes Marcus."

That was the last time I ever saw him alive.

A few days later, I was dragged to Warehouse 3.

Sean had walked into the breakroom now.

Jessica was sitting on the bench, holding a warm cup of milk.

Seeing him enter, she stood up immediately.

"Sean, what happened to your hand?"

She took his hand, her eyes turning red with worry.

Sean held her hand back and gently guided her back to the seat.

"It's nothing. Just dropped a glass."

"Did Ghost confess?" Jessica asked tentatively.

Sean let out a cold laugh.

"He's just a junkie trying to get a plea deal. He's pointing fingers at everyone."

He reached out and gently tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

"He actually claimed you hired him to kill Vivian."

Jessica's body froze for a fraction of a second. But very quickly, tears began to stream down her face.

"Sean... how could I ever do something like that? I know Vivian hurt Marcus, but I always thought she was just confused."

"When she took the money and left the country back then, I was honestly happy for her. I thought she was finally getting a fresh start."

Sean's eyes darkened.

"Don't even say her name. It dirties your mouth."

He pulled Jessica into his arms, gently stroking her back.

I hovered right above the vent, watching Sean protect Jessica's stomach so carefully.

I reached down and touched my own empty belly.

Before that cold wire tightened around my neck, there was a tearing pain in my lower body.

A tiny heartbeat, which had started before mine, disappeared from this world first.

Ghost's mocking laughter echoed in my memory.

He had told me Sean thought my baby was dirty.

I looked at Sean's hand as he wiped away Jessica's tears.

I remembered a rainy night in Brooklyn years ago when I was cornered in an alley by a rival gang.

It was this very hand---warm and firm---that pulled me into a dark alleyway behind some trash cans.

He had shielded me with his body, his grip so tight it almost crushed my wrist.

Mixed with the smell of blood and rain, he had whispered, "Don't fear."

That hand used to be my only sanctuary in a dark world.

Now, it was gently comforting my killer.

I reached up and touched the invisible scar on my neck.