Chapter 4After I Died, My Father Didn't Recognize My Body

"Please, find my child!" a woman cried out.

"How long have I searched for him?" another woman sobbed.

"Can we still find our children? Please, you have to find our children!" a woman pleaded.

The police station was surrounded by a group of people. These were the parents of abducted children. A middle-aged woman with graying hair looked at the photos, sobbing uncontrollably. Nothing stirred more emotion than the sight of hope.

Everyone's face was filled with excitement. Their choked voices overlapped as they spoke. I stood beside Dad, watching them clutch the police officers' sleeves. Their eyes were full of hope.

My heart was bitter. Even though I felt nothing, my mouth still tasted bitter.

All the parents love their children.

I glanced at Dad, and felt a small twinge of disappointment.

He was looking down at his phone. Lillian had sent him a picture. Dad looked at it carefully, replying with focus. His face was full of gentleness.

Dad hadn't found Mom, nor did he realize that the body was mine.

It had been ten days since I died.

My body was a mystery. No one reported me missing, and there was no DNA match.

As the investigation continued, new discoveries were made in the courtyard that was cordoned off.

After multiple searches, the police found fragments of bone in the back of the courtyard.

Upon examination, they were confirmed to be human bones.

Every inch of the courtyard was dug up. The body had been buried for a long time, and the bones were shattered. They had to be collected bit by bit.

They sifted through the dirt, using tweezers to pick through it. The mud was washed away, revealing the shattered human bones inside.

Those were Mom's...

The day the bones were discovered, Dad unusually took a leave of absence.

"I really can't help it. I promised my daughter I'd go to her competition.

"She'll be disappointed if I don't go. Let someone else take over my work for now. I'll be back in a few days," he said.

After working diligently for so long, Dad firmly insisted on taking leave. He didn't want to break his promise to Lillian.

As he hurriedly walked out, I sighed inwardly.

"Dad, do you know that those are Mom's bones?

She never betrayed you.

She died in that courtyard on the third day after leaving home."

...

While Dad was giving Lillian flowers to celebrate, the police found steel pins in Mom's bones. They were from a surgery she had before, and they had serial numbers that could be used to identify her.

The discovery of a new body made some people anxious and others worried.

After learning that the remains didn't belong to a child, the parents of the abducted children collectively sighed in relief.

Mom's remains were close to mine. I only remembered her being killed, but I didn't know that she was dismembered so brutally after death.

Over the years, every inch of the courtyard had been mixed with Mom's blood and flesh.

Dad returned to work.

He still seemed to be riding the joy of seeing Lillian. When he walked in, he was still on the phone with her.

"I've been busy lately. Take good care of yourself out there.

"You did well in the competition this time. When you're on break, I will take some time off to go on a trip with you.

"I knew it. Lillian is the best!" he said.

His favoritism for Lillian was undisguised. Mentioning her, Dad's face was full of pride and fatherly love.

When passing by Mom's remains, Dad just glanced at them casually, without the slightest pause.

After hanging up, he became the cold-faced forensic doctor again. He put on his gloves and examined the broken bones, occasionally asking the assistant to record information.

"Age between thirty-five and forty. The body was dismembered after death. The bones are too fragmented. The pins inside the body have been sent for testing.

"The identity of the deceased should be confirmed in a few days," he said.

Dad nodded and continued working.

Watching Dad, I felt a bit lost.

If he knew that Mom and I were dead, would he be happy?