My Husband Regretted Only After My Death
Chapter 1
I managed to sneak a call to my husband, Mark Johnson, while being tortured by my kidnappers. I tried twelve times; he hung up twelve times.
On the thirteenth call, while he was celebrating Jessica Miller’s birthday, he impatiently threw out a sentence before hanging up.
“Don’t you know tonight is Jessica’s birthday? It’s really important to her.”
The thugs discovered me.
A cruel smile spread across his face as he taunted, “Is this really Mark Johnson’s wife I’ve kidnapped?”
I was disemboweled and tortured to death.
At the crime scene, the police officers stared at the gruesome sight, their brows furrowed, gasping in shock.
Mark, a forensic pathologist, shook his head upon seeing my body.
“What kind of hatred?”
“Could drive someone to commit such a horrific crime?”
Due to the extensive damage to the body,
Mark didn’t recognize the body as his wife.
1
The crime scene was by the river in the suburbs.
An elderly woman, Mrs. Davis, discovered the body. She was squatting by the river, vomiting uncontrollably, her trembling hands dialing 911.
The homicide prompted a high-level response from the local police.
The Criminal Investigation Division arrived immediately. Mark, drunk at Jessica’s birthday party, rushed to the scene after receiving the call.
Under the dim sky, police tape cordoned off the area.
“It’s terrible!”
Forensic experts and trace evidence professors whispered amongst themselves, speculating on the killer’s motive, looking at the severely mutilated corpse.
“The victim suffered inhuman torture. The wounds indicate the killer planned this for a long time.”
“It wasn’t an impromptu act; the tools used would have to be gathered beforehand. The victim has blunt force trauma and sharp force injuries with spatter patterns.”
“Several weapons were clearly used!”
They had seen many gruesome crime scenes in their decades of service.
But nothing this brutal.
The detective captain kept calling Mark, a gifted young man who had become a seasoned forensic pathologist.
He was often invited by state police departments to assist in investigations.
I often heard him say, “The greatest power of a forensic pathologist is to let the dead speak, to uphold their last dignity.”
Mark, reeking of alcohol, arrived at the scene carrying a cup of coffee.
He frowned at the horrifying sight, placing his coffee on the hood of his car.
He clearly had lost his appetite.
“An elderly woman found the body by the river.”
“But my colleagues confirmed this is a secondary crime scene, where the body was dumped. The primary scene is still under investigation.”
“The first thing is to identify the victim.”
“Then we’ll proceed methodically; using conventional methods, investigate the victim’s relationships and gather clues.”
The detective captain looked at Mark with dissatisfaction.
He was spacing out.
“Mark, what are you thinking about?”
“Did you drink?”
Mark apologized, “It was Jessica’s birthday, I had a bit too much to drink. I feel guilty about her.”
The captain sighed, “Mark, don’t forget, you have a wife and a lovely daughter.”
“Jessica is your past. She studied abroad years ago; you two are fated to be apart. Let the past be the past.”
“You don’t know how envious we are of you.”
“Your wife, Clara, is gentle, kind, beautiful, and takes care of the house perfectly. She gives you massages when you’re tired; she knows you work late, so she keeps your dinner warm until you come home.”
“She never fights back; she’s very patient.”
“You have a bad stomach, and every day, rain or shine, she makes chicken soup and yam stew for you. She doesn’t drive, to save money, she walks several miles to bring you your lunch.”
“She wears the same clothes from years ago to save money.”
“For your sake, you slapped her in front of your colleagues; and she just laughed and said, ‘A beating and scolding is a sign of love.’”
Mark impatiently waved his hand, interrupting the captain.
“Okay!”
“When will you be like her, rambling on and on?”
Mark walked past the police tape.
He knelt before my body, observing it carefully.
“The face is severely damaged; the killer tortured the victim deliberately.”
“The fingers show blunt force trauma; the finger bones are crushed. The fingernails were removed, so the killer didn’t want to leave skin tissue.”
“There are spatter wounds on the chest.”
“It seems that murder wasn’t the killer’s main goal; it was torture. It was definitely a revenge killing.”
“In robberies or assaults, death is usually accidental.”
The gruesome sight made Mark, still slightly drunk, want to vomit several times.
He shook his head, “This poor girl.”
“I can’t imagine what kind of torture she went through.”
“Whose mother, wife, daughter was she?”
The detective captain said, “Okay, let’s transport the body back. Take a break, then examine it thoroughly.”
“The trace evidence team will investigate the scene.”
“So you won’t vomit and ruin the evidence.”
Mark nodded and stepped out of the police tape.
He answered his phone; Jessica’s voice came through, “Mark, what happened?”
Mark said gravely, “Revenge killing. The scene was horrifying. Things aren’t safe these days; try not to go out at night.”
Jessica paused, then smiled softly, “Thank you, Mark, I’ll never forget last night’s birthday.”
“I saw you had a dozen missed calls.”
“From your wife, Clara.”
“Answer her, she might be upset.”
Mark snorted, “Don’t worry about her.”
“Your birthday is more important.”
“She always asks if I’ve eaten, if I’m cold, if my stomach hurts? What’s the use of being pretty, if she doesn’t dress up, it gets boring after a while.”
“Compared to you, she has no fun.”
“She threatened divorce last time; I told her to go ahead, and she immediately shut up.”
“I’ll just appease her when I get home.”
Since our marriage,
I understood the nature of Mark’s work.
Sometimes he wouldn’t eat all day.
To help Mark run the household, I did all the chores.
When Lily was a baby, she would cry at night, and I lost a lot of hair. I broke down countless times in the middle of the night.
After soothing Lily, I’d go to the market to buy fresh vegetables before dawn. Sleeping three or four hours a night was normal.
I would make him different soups, clean the house, take Lily to the doctor, and take care of his parents.
I was always busy; I didn’t have time to dress up.
I didn’t drive.
To save money, I walked for miles every day.
After marriage, I forgot what it felt like to wear high heels and pretty dresses, and go out dancing all night.
I became the pillar of the family.
I couldn’t fall.
But to Mark, I was uninteresting.
Mark got back in his car.
He called me, once, twice, three times…
All calls went unanswered.
Mark thought I was angry.
He texted me: ‘Clara, get up and make soup. I drank all night; my stomach hurts.’
‘I have an autopsy later, hurry up.’
‘By the way, my dad wasn’t feeling well the other day; take him to the doctor for a checkup today.’
‘My mom’s stomach ache is back; buy some medicine. The yam stew you made was good; buy some more.’
‘What’s wrong with you? Lily’s teacher called me; go to Lily’s kindergarten this afternoon.’
No matter the call or the text,
I didn’t respond.
Mark slapped the steering wheel and muttered, “Such a grown-up, always sleeping late.”
“It’s past five, still not up?”
He greeted the detective captain and drove home.
On the way, perhaps feeling guilty,
He bought my favorite necklace and picked up my favorite breakfast from a stall.
But as soon as he opened the door, he heard Lily’s cries.
She had been alone all night.
“Mommy, Mommy, where are you?”
“I’m hungry; I want chicken nuggets!”
Lily had been crying for a long time;
Her voice was hoarse.
Mark opened the door and saw Lily curled up on the sofa, shivering.
“Daddy!”
Lily rushed into his arms.
Mark felt heartbroken.
He comforted Lily; seeing that I had left her alone.
He roared, “Clara, what are you doing?”
“How are you taking care of Lily?”
“You didn’t answer my calls, you have to take it out on Lily?”
He threw the breakfast on the floor.
The necklace landed in the trash.
After a moment, he picked the necklace back up.
Mark held Lily and opened the bedroom door forcefully.
Due to work stress, he initially only yelled. After Lily was born, if she cried,
He would slap me.
He would yell at me to control my daughter or throw her out.
The dark bedroom was empty.
Mark lifted the covers and froze, finding the bed empty.
He left a voicemail:
“It’s just Jessica’s birthday!”
“She has no family, can’t you understand?”
“Wherever you are, be back in an hour, make breakfast, and take Lily to school.”
Lily hugged Mark, “Mommy said to wait at home, she went to bring you ginseng chicken soup. When she comes back, she will give me a chicken nugget.”
“Mommy still hasn’t come back.”
Mark was surprised.
He sneered, “Probably out drinking with her friends.”
“I knew those friends weren’t good.”
He muttered sarcastically.
Finally, he quietly placed the necklace on the coffee table in a prominent place.
Mark couldn’t cook.
He was a good forensic pathologist, but in the kitchen, he fumbled around.
Lily brought a stool and warmed up the food I had made.
Mark ate silently with a sullen expression.
“This woman, more and more demanding.”
“I just spent time with Jessica, what’s wrong with that!”
“She didn’t answer my calls, that’s it?”
Mark muttered as he put down his chopsticks.
He told Lily, “If you don’t like the necklace, throw it away.”
“Daddy has to go to work.”
The investigation into my identity was in full swing.
Several departments were involved in the case.
Several villages were near the dumping site, and residents were terrified.
“What’s strange is,”
“The village heads went door-to-door, but haven’t received any missing person reports.”
“Weird.”
Mark asked, “Wasn’t there anything on the victim to identify her?”
The captain said, “Only an amulet. My colleagues identified it as an amulet from the Chang’an Temple!”
“It’s said to bring good luck and ward off evil.”
“It’s expensive, over a thousand dollars.”
“Many people go to Chang’an Temple to get these amulets.”
“I’ve sent people to investigate; we’ll have results soon.”
Mark looked at the amulet in the evidence bag.
It was stained with blood; the dried blood was almost glaring under the light.
Mark entered the autopsy room.
He was going to thoroughly analyze my cause of death and look for evidence.
My body was too badly damaged; even Mark couldn’t recognize me.
He was extremely meticulous at work.
He wouldn’t miss any detail.
Today, perhaps from drinking last night, or something else,
He seemed restless.
His assistant stood beside him and asked softly, “Sir, do you need a break?”
Mark shook his head, with a hint of worry, “I wonder if Clara is home yet?”
The assistant smiled, “Sir, you’re a softy. When she comes back, apologize to her.”
Mark sneered, “Me, apologizing? She’s dreaming!”
His phone rang.
It was Jessica.
The assistant answered and handed him the phone.
Mark’s voice instantly softened, “Jessica, I’m fine, I’ll see you tonight.”
“She likes to be jealous, let her be.”
“I know her; she’ll come back after she calms down.”
“By the way, I heard the Chang’an Temple amulets are famous; I’ll get one for you. Take care of yourself; I’ll worry otherwise.”
Mark reserved all his tenderness for Jessica.
He vented his frustration and impatience on me.
After hanging up,
The assistant looked at me and whispered, “I’ve never seen anything this brutal?”
“How much suffering did the victim endure?”
“What kind of hatred could do this?”
During the autopsy,
Someone knocked.
“Mark,”
“The captain wants to see you.”
Mark said impatiently, “Can’t you see I’m working? Tell him I’ll be there later.”
The person was still outside.
He paused and said, “The captain said another pathologist will take over.”
“You’re off this case.”
Mark frowned, “I said I’m sober. Tell Lee I won’t make mistakes.”
The person hesitated.
Mark raised his voice, “What are you trying to say?”
After a long silence,
The person finally spoke:
“The victim’s identity has been confirmed!”
