If There Were An Afterlife, Would You Love Me?

The moment I was raped and hacked to pieces, Maxwell Turner, my husband, and his mistress were making love in bed.

He hung up my call for help, saying coldly, "Get away from me! Bitch, you make me sick! I won't look at you again even if you die!"

Ten days later, he personally dissected a female corpse that was put in a suitcase.

The victim was raped and dismembered by the murderer without mercy. It was a deliberate act of revenge.

However, Maxwell didn't notice that the victim was his wife, Lena Turner.

——

After killing me, the murderer put me in a suitcase and then threw me into the river.

Exactly ten days later, the suitcase containing my body drifted downstream. Then, it was blocked by a huge bridge pier and ran aground on the river beach.

Soon, the police formed a cordon around here.

At this time, my soul had already left my body and floated in the air. I was just looking at the 24inch suitcase covered in mud.

The body in the suitcase let out a terrible smell.

Until now, I realized that my body would look so disgusting after I was dead.

Among a group of policemen, my husband got out of a car carrying a toolbox. He walked through the crowd and entered the cordon.

Maxwell, the youngest and most promising forensic doctor in the city, had assisted the police in solving several major cases.

The judgment the forensic doctors made on the crime scene would affect the initial direction of the investigation.

So, he often analyzed the evidence on the spot.

He asked as he put on his gloves, "Did anyone else move the suitcase?"

A gust of wind blew over from the shore, and the smell in the air was revolting. Several policemen couldn't help retching and even didn't dare to look at my body.

After confirming that nobody had moved it, Maxwell bent down and waved his hand to drive the flies away.

Seeing the shabby blue coat, he paused for a while. Later, his brows furrowed.

I was afraid that he would recognize me.

After all, the coat was a birthday present he bought me last year.

Unfortunately, he just frowned, unzipped my clothes, and then put his hands on my abdomen.

"The intestines are filled with gas."

Judging by my dress, Maxwell roughly determined the time of my death.

"She has been dead for five to ten days."

Next, my body was carried on a stretcher, put into a black body bag, and sent back to the police station.

During this time, his phone rang.

Seeing the message, Maxwell smiled slightly and replied immediately.

Mia: [Darling, come back soon. I miss you so much!]

Maxwell: [Okay, wait for me.]

As he sent the voice message, it sounded very gentle.

When I was alive, he never sent me any voice messages.

He used to merely respond, "H'm."

All of a sudden, I felt a pang of sadness in my heart.

I wondered if Maxwell and the woman were in love during this time when I was away.

As soon as Maxwell returned to the police station, Bob White, the police captain, patted him on the shoulder.

"Maxwell, don't work overtime tonight. Spend more time with Lena at home. You two are a couple..."

When my name was mentioned, Maxwell was disgusted.

"Mr. White, don't mention her. I'm done with her. I've already sent her the divorce agreement."

Bob sighed, "Hey, man. Don't be so stubborn! How about talking with her more? Why do you have to get a divorce? Is it because of Mia..."

Maxwell frowned and interrupted right now, "It's none of her business. It is Lena who goes too much. I have given her a chance, but she... Well, as a normal man, I can't tolerate it."

Bob still insisted, "I don't think Lena will cheat on you. Is there any misunderstanding?"

At this time, a police officer delivered an express delivery.

To be precise, it was just a box with the sender and recipient handwritten on it.

The sender's name was exactly mine.

Maxwell was about to throw the box away with a look of utter disgust.

Yet, Bob had already opened the express package. Then, he could smell the blood. Seeing what was inside, he was shocked.

Inside the box was a bloody finger and a photo.

Maxwell picked the finger up with an evidence bag.

"The fingers are fake, and the blood is red paint."

As for the photo, it was taken by a film camera.

The picture showed a dark room covered with shining fluorescent lights.

It looked like a...

"Starry sky?" Bob took a look and felt confused. "What does it mean?"

Maxwell snorted, "Lena always likes playing this trick. What's wrong with her? It's really disgusting!"

Bob asked in confusion, "But what does this bloody finger mean? Could something have happened to Lena?"

"I don't buy it! She must try to attract my attention. She is just begging me not to divorce her and stay with her!" Maxwell was indifferent.

He then added, "She once knew Mia wanted to see the starry sky under the sea. So, maybe she threatens me that she will hurt Mia!

"She is a bitch. I feel sick just looking at her!

"The more you care about her, the more excited she is! I'd better do an autopsy and find out the truth as soon as quickly."

As a soul, I was floating in the air, feeling empty and sad.

He thought I was a bitch and felt disgusted just by looking at me.

Indeed, I also thought that I was repulsive.

Yet, he didn't know the reason, and I didn’t explain it.

I wondered if he really loved the woman called Mia.

Perhaps because he was afraid that I would really hurt his beloved one, he just threw the photo and the bloody finger into the trash can.

Later, he took out his cell phone and planned to send me a message, only to find that he had already blocked and deleted me earlier.

Thinking twice, he removed my phone number from the blacklist. After that, he called a few times, but no one answered.

He then sent me messages.

[Lena, if you dare to hurt her, I will make you pay for it!]

[Don't play these tricks anymore, you bitch! You disgust me! Even if you die, I won't even look at you!]

[Just sign the divorce agreement. She'll be jealous if I have anything to do with you!]

I felt a dull pain in my chest.

Maxwell was so caring towards me a few months ago. But now, he could utter these harsh words to me. How merciless he was!

I didn't cheat on him, and it was not my fault.

However, I was already dead, and the body in the suitcase was me.

Standing beside the dissecting table made of stainless steel, Maxwell bowed to me first.

He then picked up a silver scalpel and cut right down the middle of my neck.

"The first soft rib is not calcified."

Later, he cut open the chest in one stroke. "Not much fat, no stretch marks, no surgical scars."

He gently twisted the edge of my lung lobe, reporting, "There is some bruising. So, there is severe emphysema in the lungs."

"There are bleeding spots in the pericardium," he added.

"It is mechanical asphyxiation that causes death."

While checking the sensitive parts, he frowned.

It was because it looked terrible.

I doubted if he thought of that case.

It was a rape and dismemberment case he once participated in and solved. At that moment, it shocked everyone in the entire city.

The case also sent me to hell.

Maxwell was very serious and pious when he was working. There was strong light above his head, and he used the scalpel with great skill.

It was the first time I saw him work, but I didn’t expect that I would become the one lying on the dissecting table.

It took him several hours to complete the autopsy. He also carefully wrote the autopsy report and the crime scene analysis report.

He handed over the two reports to Bob and then participated in the meeting.

The whiteboard was covered with photos of my body from various angles.

As the forensic doctor who performed the autopsy, Maxwell made a detailed analysis and summary.

"The deceased is a female, aged 2025 years old. Based on the digestion of the stomach contents and the state of decomposition of the body, she died approximately 10 days ago.

"There are no stretch marks on her abdomen, but there is a history of pregnancy, so she should have had a miscarriage just before her death."

He paused for a while and frowned.

I wanted to ask Maxwell if he still remembered we once had a child...

Back to reality, he continued to report, "The wounds on the limbs were in a disorderly manner, indicating that the murderer had no experience and patience.

"He was excited and anxious perhaps because it was his first time killing someone. Or perhaps he was intentionally torturing the victim. In any case, the means of offense was cruel.

"Severe emphysema was found in the lungs. Poisoning was ruled out. It confirmed that she died from suffocation.

"The murderer is extremely cruel. It is suspected that he had a deep hatred for the deceased or the deceased's family...

"He killed and dismembered the woman just to vent his anger and seek revenge!"

At this time, everyone present was silent.

Bob said in a deep voice, "It's so similar."

Others knew which case he was talking about.

That case was something that few people could forget.

"So, there is another possibility. Someone who knew about the case provoked the police deliberately and retaliated against them!"

Everyone present agreed with Bob.

"But... there are no missing police officers. Their family members are not missed."

A police officer was curious.

"If there is someone who has been missing for such a long time, why didn't anyone report it?"

Maxwell stared at the photo of the body. "The DNA of the deceased has been urgently identified, and there is no match yet."

Bob rubbed his brows. "No matter what, we should first determine the source of the corpse. After confirming the identity of the deceased, we can identify the murderer more quickly.

"There was only a torso in this suitcase. Perhaps because the limbs have special marks that could identify the deceased, the murderer deliberately hid this part to delay the identification of the deceased.

"Or perhaps because the 24inch suitcase can't hold an adult's body, it was dumped in two containers.

"If it is the second case, then the second location where the body was dumped would not be far away from the first one."

Hearing this, Maxwell frowned again. He was a little stunned when he heard these words.

I unconsciously touched the back of my left hand, where there was a large scar.

Last year when I was trying to learn how to cook a dish he liked, I accidentally knocked over the pot. The boiling oil burned my hands, and blisters formed instantly.

He felt very guilty about leaving it on my hand. After that, he applied medicine to me personally every day.

I wondered if he could recognize me after seeing that left arm.

Another person asked, "Since the murderer damaged the victim's private part cruelly, did it mean that he hated the woman so much? For example, he thought the woman was a slut, or he was betrayed by women like her, or his relatives were insulted in this way. Otherwise, he didn’t take revenge in the same way, right?"

Maxwell's eyebrows twitched suddenly, as if he thought of something.

Then, a look of disgust appeared on his face.

It might remind him of me. In his view, I was a slut.

Bob subconsciously glanced at Maxwell and asked in a low voice, "Did Lena reply to your message?"

If the murderer was really retaliating against the police, then the most likely revenge target was Maxwell, who had issued the autopsy report in the last case.

The person once threatened to make Maxwell regret it.

Maxwell held the phone tightly. He had blocked me after sending the message, so it was impossible for her to receive my message.

He frowned and said coldly, "Except for talking about divorce, I will ignore any news from her."

Bob didn't know what to say, so he continued to discuss the case with others.

Finally, Bob led a team in person to the river beach where the body was found. In the place, they tested the water speed to estimate the location upstream where the body was dumped. Besides, they searched the surrounding area to see if other body parts and my head could be found.

Some of them went to visit and investigate, trying to look for the recent missing persons information.

"In places like hospitals and clinics where the deceased had a miscarriage before her death, we may be able to find her information," Maxwell added.

I looked at the photos in the trash can and gave a bitter smile.

They could find clues from the socalled starry sky in the picture. But unluckily, Maxwell felt disgusted with anything related to me and never cared about it.

What a pity! He missed this clue again.

"Just go back and have a rest. It's almost ten o'clock."

Noticing Maxwell's exhausted face, Bob tried to persuade him.

Maxwell checked his phone and saw Mia's voice message.

[Darling, come back soon. I'm so scared of being alone.]

He then smiled gently and put down the file he had not finished reading.

[Alright!]

I felt heartache instantly.

As a workaholic, Maxwell was busy working. He used to rest in the office without returning home for several days. Besides, I never dared to disturb him.

But now, he would put down his work and go back to accompany her.

In his view, I didn't deserve it, while Mia, pure and flawless, was different from me.

I followed him back home.

It turned out he hid that woman here.

Using our joint property, Maxwell rented the expensive luxury apartment for Mia.

It was because he feared that I would hurt her.

He actually believed that I might cruelly harm his beloved one, Mia.

During the three months when he didn't come home, he was here making love with her, just like when I died.

The house was brightly lit. Mia was wearing a white dress and nested herself into the sofa, looking adorable.

Seeing Maxwell coming back, she was near tears and then threw herself into his arms.

"Why... Why did you come back just now? I was so scared..."

Maxwell took her into his arms and kissed her forehead with affection.

"Don't be afraid. I will protect you, and I won't let her hurt you again."

The person in his arms nodded obediently, but he didn't notice her smirk.

After hugging each other for a while, she pulled Maxwell to the balcony, where there was a professional astronomical telescope.

"Look, what a beautiful starry sky!"

Hearing her words, Maxwell seemed to have thought of something and paused for a while.

"Mia, do you know that starry sky looking like fluorescent lights?"

Mia was very curious. "Fluorescent starry sky? It should be very beautiful, right? Have you seen it? I really want to see it! I love the starry sky the most! Can you take me to see it?"

Maxwell scratched her nose lovingly and promised, "Okay, I will find it for you to see."

Seeing those two being so affectionate with each other, I felt a dull pain in my chest.

I had no idea why Maxwell didn't notice something wrong just now.

The starry sky in that photo was completely different from the real one.

It is because he couldn't guess what those fluorescent dots of light were. Or because he just didn't want to consider something related to me.

"Why do you come back so late? Did you encounter any difficult cases?"

"Well, we found a female corpse. Yet, there is only the torso. The head and limbs were cut off. It must be a revengeful murder."

"Oh, such a tragic death! Did you find any clues?"

"Some discoveries have been made. We should be able to identify the deceased and find the murderer soon. Don't go out recently. I fear that woman will hurt you like crazy."

Mia was in his arms, and her eyes were full of pride.

"Darling, won't Lena be unhappy if you stay with me every day?"

Hearing my name, Maxwell's face darkened.

"Why should she be unhappy? She is so dirty and disgusting, not as good as you."

His words made me feel sad.

I wanted to remind him that the one he was holding in his hands was a wicked woman.

The next day at noon, Maxwell was still busy in the autopsy room when Bob rushed in with a photo.

"Maxwell! Have you contacted Lena? I called her several times but she didn't answer!"

Maxwell didn't even raise his head. "Why should I contact her?"

Bob was so anxious that he was sweating profusely. He then slapped the photo in his hand in front of Maxwell.

"We found the place where the body was dumped! It's in the west of the city, only a dozen kilometers away from here! We searched for the whole morning and looked for someone who had seen the woman in blue. We checked the monitor. Although there is only a profile, it looks very much like Lena!"

He continued to say, "Most importantly, the place where the body was dumped is very close to your home!"

Maxwell stopped moving.

"There are many people in blue in the world, not to mention girls wearing blue clothes. It's just a coincidence.

"A person kills Lena? It's impossible! There isn't a person who is more vicious than her.

"She cheated on me. Thus, even if she dies, I won't care about it!

"If what you said is true, I'll finally feel relieved."

I floated over to take a look and was startled to realize the person in the picture was indeed me.

The photo seemed to be a screenshot of a video, so it wasn't clear. If someone was unfamiliar with me, it would be difficult to recognize me based on the blurry profile.

Yet, the scar on my left arm was relatively clear.

Another police officer rushed in anxiously. "Mr. White, we have a clue!"

If Maxwell just looked up, he would find that the person in the picture was me and that female corpse also belonged to me.

I wondered if Maxwell would feel happy after knowing that I was dead.

The policeman brought a letter with a few words written in blood: [Guess who I am? The hint is the starry sky.]

Everyone gathered around the blood letter and made guesses.

"Starry sky? Does it refer to the photo of the starry sky yesterday? What does it mean?"

With a disgusted expression on his face, Maxwell took out his cell phone and sent me messages.

[Lena, enough! Do you think I will change my mind as you play such a trick? Let me tell you. I will never be with someone as dirty and vicious as you!]

[If you're not dead, please sign the divorce agreement immediately. I regret that I marry you.]

Bob looked serious, "Maxwell, how about we investigate first? Lena doesn't seem like someone who would joke like this."

Maxwell disagreed, "That woman is crazy, so there's no need to pay attention to her."

After saying that, he was engrossed in his work again.

Bob thought something was wrong, so he took a few people to the garbage station. They searched for several hours and finally found the photo.

A group of people gathered around the photo and analyzed it for a long time.

"These stars are so strange. Looking at the background of the photo, it is in a room. How can there be stars in a room?"

"The color of the stars is also strange. It seems like..."

Bob's expression changed suddenly, and fear caused his hair to rise.

"It is... luminol."

He realized something instantly and rushed to the autopsy room.

"Oh no, Maxwell, something bad happened to Lena!"

Maxwell held the scalpel with his hands and didn't raise his head.

"Even if she died, it has nothing to do with me."

Bob's voice trembled as he said anxiously, "The photo! It's not stars but blood! The photo shows a murder scene!"