Chapter 2

Stanley followed Xavier back to the police station to give his statement. Just then, the forensic pathologist arrived with the autopsy report.

"It's fine. Stanley is one of us. Go ahead and report," Xavier said.

The forensic pathologist pinned the report and crime scene photos to the board, looking at Stanley with admiration. "Dr. Norman, you're really something. Our report matches your conclusions almost exactly.

"The only difference is, when we dissected the victim's heart, we found a stent inside."

Stanley frowned, "So the victim had heart stent surgery while she was alive."

Xavier couldn't help but curse. "This was a targeted killing. The murderer deliberately picked someone who'd had heart stent surgery and cut out her heart."

"Hold on." Stanley's keen instincts kicked in, and he quickly caught the crucial detail. "Like I said earlier, the only reason for the killer to do this is revenge.

"He killed someone with a heart stent and even took the risk of delivering the heart to the hospital to taunt the doctors. The killer most likely had a personal vendetta against the victim.

"Every proper heart stent comes with a serial number. If we had that, we could check the hospital records and figure out who the victim was."

The forensic pathologist looked disappointed. "We've already looked, but there's no serial number on this stent."

Stanley's brows knit together as he stared at the photo of the heart stent. His gaze was icy.

I could tell he was recalling something from the past.

Back when I was teaching in a remote school, I had a sudden heart attack and desperately needed a stent.

Stanley contacted a cardiologist at the nearest hospital and coordinated the entire procedure remotely.

The stents used in those rural hospitals didn't have any serial numbers.

But Stanley quickly shook his head, dismissing his own theory. "Even if there's no serial number, there must be surgical records. I suggest you guys split up and search through the hospital files.

"There aren't many young women with a history of heart disease. You should be able to identify her pretty fast."

I found it funny that Stanley ignored his guess.

I had called him, told him that I was dying, but he never believed me. Once again, he let me down.

Xavier brought Stanley in as an outside expert for the case, and naturally, Stanley was put in charge of investigating the cardiology department at the hospital where he worked.

By the time Stanley got back to the hospital, it was already 11 PM.

The night nurse looked worried when she saw him. "Dr. Norman, things have been pretty tense in the department these days.

"Maybe you should ask Zora not to bring you dinner anymore. I'm worried about her safety."

Stanley's expression darkened. "She came by again?"

Ever since we got married, I'd brought him dinner every single night he was on duty. I never missed a night.

But then Wynter came back to the country for treatment, and Stanley and I had a huge fight. He moved out, and for the next few months, I stopped bringing him dinner.

But tonight, I was back.

The truth was that I was dead. There was no way that I could bring Stanley dinner. I knew the kill was after Stanley.

I watched Stanley anxiously, worried he might be in danger if he opened the lunchbox, but also hoping he'd find a clue inside.

"Just throw this stuff away from now on," Stanley said, grabbing the lunchbox and tossing it straight into the trash without a second thought.

Just then, a girl in a white nightgown stepped out of the ward. Her beauty, softened by exhaustion, made her look delicate and fragile.

Wynter greeted Stanley with a gentle smile. "You came."

Stanley rushed over, worry written all over his face as he steadied Wynter by the arm. "You're still in recovery. You shouldn't be out of bed so much. Come on. I'll walk you back to your room."

In the ten years I'd known Stanley, I'd rarely ever seen him worry about a patient's health.

Whenever I tried to get a little extra attention from him during my own recovery, he'd switch to his professional voice and tell me, "That's not a typical post-op reaction."

Wynter was supposed to be a gastro patient, and yet Stanley used his connections to transfer her to the cardiology ward so he could personally look after her.

It was not that he didn't know how to love. He just didn't love me. All these years together, and it turned out they couldn't compare to a single phone call from Wynter.