Marry A Dead Man

In our village, there was a peculiar custom. Kids who were engaged to each other while still in the womb had to tie the knot, regardless of whether they were alive or deceased later.

I never imagined my mother would use her own life to force me into submission to this outdated custom and marry a dead person.

...

My mother and I argued daily about the engagement. The fights were so intense that her cancer cells spread, leaving her critically ill.

When I returned home, I found the courtyard filled with funeral items.

My father stood at the door, his face dark and grim. "Go inside and take a look, " he said.

My heart sank as I stepped into the house, each step heavier than the last.

The bed was empty. The small room, barely big enough to turn around in, was bare.

I had a feeling something wasn't right.

Suddenly, the door behind me slammed shut.

I rushed to pull it open, but it was already locked.

"Dad! Allen! What's going on? Where's Mom?"

My brother Allen Jordan's voice came from the other side of the door. "Mom's fine. If we didn't use this method, we couldn't have tricked you into coming back."

I was stunned. "Tricked me? What for?"

My mother's voice rang out clearly, full of energy. "Of course, to get you married. Everything's ready. We've just been waiting for you."

She was perfectly fine. Her voice was strong and steady, with no trace of someone on the brink of death.

Married...

My head buzzed.

In our village, pre-arranged marriages were common. I wasn't spared either.

The engagement was decided before I was even born. Maxwell Barnes from the east side of the village had saved my grandfather's life, so the two families agreed to marry me to their family.

The groom? Maxwell's only grandson, Sebastian Barnes. But Sebastian was a chubby boy and wasn't handsome at all, even a bit ugly.

He was also a poor student with an unpleasant personality.

I despised him. As a child, whenever someone teased us about being engaged, I would storm off in anger.

When I grew older, I studied hard and got into a university in Briarwood. After graduation, I refused to return home, determined to break off the engagement.

But no matter how many times I screamed and pleaded to cancel the engagement, my mother would look at me and say, "Even if you die, you're supposed to die in the Barnes family. Nancy, this is your fate."

My face turned pale, and I nearly collapsed to the floor.

Outside the door, my brother coughed. "Nancy, the chosen time for the ceremony is set for eleven tonight. Get ready. Don't worry. We won't harm you."

...

Time ticked by. At nine o'clock, I heard the sound of the lock turning.

In the dim candlelight, a group of middle-aged women entered the room, two of whom were from the village.

They carried trays and boxes, their faces beaming with joy.

The two leading women, both strong and sturdy, pressed me down onto a stool in front of the dressing table.

"Nancy, tonight's your wedding. You must look your best."

They layered thick cream on my face, followed by powder, heavy black eyeliner, and bright red lipstick... I kept my lips tightly shut, letting them smear the makeup on me like I was a lifeless doll.

In the mirror, I looked like I was wearing a grotesque mask.

I stayed silent and compliant, which made those women lower their guard. When it came time to change clothes, I asked them to step outside.

The two leading women nodded, and the group filed out, leaving only the two villagers behind.

I pulled out a prepared stash of cash and a bank card and said to the two village, "Please, let me go. There's over six thousand dollars here. It's all yours."

They stared at me, expressionless.

I begged, "If it's not enough, I'll write a written promise to pay. The moment I'm back in Briarwood, I'll transfer the money to you."

Still, they didn't react.

"Ms. Kinsman, Ms. Greer, you both watched me grow up. I'm begging you..."

Patricia Kinsman looked down at me coldly. "We've lived here for decades. If we let you go, do you think others will let us off? Just accept your fate."

"Exactly, Nancy," Jessica Greer added. "Besides, it's just a ceremony. Just grin and bear it for a couple of days, okay?"

Just a ceremony... Just grin and bear it for a couple of days...

Those were Jessica's words, and also my brother's.

I broke down in tears.

In the end, I couldn't escape. They forced me into a white wedding dress. Inside and outside the house, people kept a close watch on me until eleven o'clock. When the time reached, they finally open the door and stepped in.

My mother was dressed impeccably, her hair neatly pinned.

She walked over and gently stroked my head. "Don't blame your father and me. Our Jordan family must keep our promises, right?"

I turned my face away, refusing to look at her, my heart filled with resentment.

Outside, an old woman's sharp, excited voice called out, "Time to fetch the bride!"

My mother's hand trembled. She lowered her voice and said, "Nancy, don't be afraid. Just endure for seven days, and I'll send you back to Briarwood."

...

The car swayed as it set off.

The music playing in the car wasn't festive at all. Instead, it had a desolate and mournful tone, with faint sobs mixed in. Sitting inside, I felt a chill deep in my bones. The white flowers tied to the front of the car were way beyond my understanding.

Half an hour later, they dragged me out of the car, forced me into the Maxwell family's main hall. There, my father was waiting for me. He then led me into the center of the hall.

I'd met Sebastian's parents before when they visited our home. His dad Ambrose Barnes was a man of few words, and his mom Laurel Barnes had a gloomy demeanor and spoke harshly. Coupled with the engagement, I had no fondness for them whatsoever.

I struggled fiercely, but my father held me tightly. In the end, Patricia and Jessica came to help, forcing me arrive at the center of the hall.

Sebastian's mother Laurel sat in the audience's area, looking at me with a wicked smile, as if saying, "From today on, you're part of the Barnes family."

They dragged me to the center of the hall and forced me to face my future husband.

That was when I saw Sebastian.

He was clad in a black suit and was being supported by two burly men as they prepared to slip the wedding ring on my finger.

Sebastian's head lolled to one side, his limbs limp, his feet hovering slightly above the floor.

His eyes were shut, and a foul odor emanated from him.

Sebastian was a dead man now.

After the ceremony, they sent me into the bridal chamber, where Sebastian's corpse lay on the wedding bed.

I had barely spoken ten sentences to him in my life. He was a sinister man who always lurked in the shadows, watching me.

He used to tell others I was his wife.

But now, his corpse was rotting. The stench was nauseating.

I noticed the gray-green patches of decay on his arms and neck, resembling moss.

Two days ago, I was working in an office in Briarwood. But now, I was trapped here with this horrifying corpse.

I couldn't stop trembling. My stomach churned, and I dry-heaved against the wall, vomiting only yellow bile.

When I looked up, the shadow of his corpse on the wall suddenly moved.

Sebastian had come back to life?

I stumbled back, staring at him in terror, only to realize it was the wind flickering the ceiling light.

My mind was wandering, and the seconds ticked by like that. Suddenly, the lights in the room went out.

...

In the darkness, my fear multiplied. Then, I heard faint rustling near the corpse.

It sounded like a cat scratching at a door or fabric brushing against the door. Soon, I saw a shadow outside the window.

I guessed it was someone from the Barnes family watching me, so I pretended to be asleep, slumping over the table without moving.

The shadow stood at the window, peering in for a long time.

After about ten minutes, a familiar female voice spoke. "Ambrose, it looks like Sebastian's bride has fallen asleep."

"Really?" Ambrose asked.

"Yes, she hasn't moved for a long time. It's time to act."

Ambrose hesitated. "Do we really have to kill her?"

"Of course. Only in death can she fulfill her duty as Sebastian's wife in the afterlife. Otherwise, wouldn't the three hundred thousand you spent on this wedding just go down the drain?"

Hearing this, my heart pounded wildly, faster than ever before.

Outside, the trees swayed in the wind, their shadows trembling.

I knew they would come to kill me any moment.

In just a few minutes, my bloodied corpse would lie beside Sebastian's.

I heard the footsteps approached, slow and deliberate, like a death knell.

Soon, the door creaked open, and two dark figures stepped inside.

Ambrose called out, "Nancy?"

I clenched my jaw, staying silent.

He called again, then walked to the table and threw a rope over me.

I sprang to my feet and bolted out of the open door as fast as I could.

Behind me, a woman's shrill scream pierced the air, "Wrong! Wrong! That little wretch escaped! Quick, shut the courtyard gate!"

...

They had indeed grabbed the wrong person. Just moments ago, I had used every bit of strength I could muster, as if wrestling with wild beasts, to drag Sebastian's corpse to the table.

Ambrose, in a moment of distraction, began tying up his own deceased son without realizing it.

I sprinted all the way, weaving through the lush grass.

Just when I thought I was safe, a figure emerged from the gaps between the leaves ahead!

I nearly stumbled, clutching a blade of grass beside me tightly, and cold sweat broke out all over me.

It was Sebastian!

How could this be? How was it him?

In the moonlight, he stood stiffly, glaring at me with unblinking eyes.

The grass rustled as it blew, and I was frantically counting down in my mind.

Three.

Two.

One!

I turned and sprinted.

The frantic rustling behind me resumed. That man was chasing me again.

I didn't dare look back. I knew he was close, too close. If I hesitated for even a second, I'd be done for.

I had never been this terrified in my entire life.

Ahead of me was a slope. If I could make it down, I would reach the river at the edge of the village.

The sound behind me suddenly stopped. I hadn't heard footsteps for a while.

Summoning my courage, I glanced back. Nothing but silence. In the moonlight, the grass swayed gently, as if what had just happened was nothing more than a hallucination.

I let out a shaky breath, realizing for the first time how drenched I was in sweat. My clothes clung to me, sticky and uncomfortable.

The sound of the river ahead was soothing, almost inviting.

Step by step, I approached the water, crouched down, and splashed my face with the cool liquid.

As I washed, a sudden gust of wind blew strands of hair across my face, tickling me.

I reached up to brush them away, but my hand froze mid-air.

Because in the reflection of the water, there were two figures.

One was me. The other was Sebastian.

His blood-red eyes glared at me from the reflection.

...

A cold draft brushed the back of my neck, eerily resembling the breath of someone unseen.

I let out a scream, my entire body trembling.

In the reflection, his meaty face twisted with excitement as he stared at me.

Suddenly, his hand clamped down on my shoulder.

I turned around, my skin crawling.

"Hi... found you..."

When he was speaking, the mole at the corner of his mouth was very noticeable.

Oh! It wasn't Sebastian.

It was Rory Barnes, Sebastian's younger brother. The two of them looked so alike that it was hard to tell them apart at first glance.

Rory was slow-witted, born with cerebral palsy after a difficult birth.

Despite his mental state, Rory was incredibly strong. He'd do whatever you told him, no questions asked.

"My brother told me to bring you back... My brother told me to bring you back..." He stared at me blankly, repeating the same words twice.

I nodded. "Alright."

I didn't plan to resist. He was built like an ox, and I knew I couldn't overpower him.

We walked toward the Barnes family's home, one after the other. Every now and then, he would glance back at me, mumbling something under his breath.

When we passed the village's community center, I suddenly pointed at the entrance and shouted, "Hey, isn't that your brother?"

Rory flinched and turned to look. "Where?"

Seizing the moment, I took off running.

The farther I ran, the colder I felt, as if an invisible hand was tightening around my throat, making it hard to breathe.

By the time I was completely exhausted, I could see the faint lights of the neighboring village.

I thought of Lillian Mitchell.

Lillian had been my best friend growing up. We sat next to each other in class all through elementary and middle school.

Though we had lost touch as adults, I knew she would help me.

I had no idea how long I'd been walking. I'd trekked over mountains and across valleys for a long time on the mountain path, but finally, I arrived at Lillian's house.

Disheveled and battered, I stood beneath her window and called her name softly.

After a few calls, Lillian poked her head out. "What happened to you?"

Under the light, I saw how ragged I looked. My wedding dress was in tatters, my shoes were gone, and my body was covered in cuts and blood.

She quickly let me inside.

Once I stepped into Lillian's room, the tension I had been holding onto finally released.

I fainted.

...

I woke with a start.

It took me a moment to realize I wasn't at home.

Lillian was sitting at her vanity, her back to me, brushing her hair.

In my memory, Lillian had thin, yellowish hair. But right now, it was jet-black and shiny.

Hearing that I had woken up, her hand froze. "You can't stand staying at home either, can you?"

"You know what happened to me?"

Lillian sighed. "You should leave. If you wait any longer, it'll be too late."

I felt a pang of frustration. I had come all this way to seek her help, and now she was telling me to leave?

I stood up, ready to argue, but after taking two steps, I caught sight of her face in the mirror.

Her complexion was ghostly pale, her face sunken and skeletal, and her eyes were locked onto mine in the reflection.

Then, without moving her body, she twisted her head to face me, her gaze chilling.

"Go... now..."

Panic surged through me. As I stumbled backward, my hand accidentally caught her hair. I barely tugged, but with a sickening thud, her head fell off!

I froze, my eyes wide with horror. Her severed head grinned at me, blood dripping from the corners of her mouth.

Her hand pointed toward the bed.

That was when I noticed she was wearing the white wedding dress that I had taken off earlier.

I let out a scream and jolted awake, finding myself still in bed.

The room was pitch black, and I was alone.

What was going on?

My heart pounded in my chest.

I hadn't gotten married yet?

It was just a dream...

But why had it felt so real?

The white wedding dress... A sudden thought struck me, and I turned on the bedside lamp, rummaging through the room.

Moments later, my face went pale. The dress I had thrown into the trash before bed was gone.

I searched the entire room, from the wardrobe to the vanity.

Finally, under the bed, I found something.

It was a gray diary, tightly glued to the underside of the bed frame.

I yanked it free and opened it to the first page.

...

January 20, 2020, Cloudy

Today, my mom confiscated my phone. She said it was because I stared at it all day long that I'd end up getting lung cancer. I was furious. I knew she just didn't want me to contact anyone.

She had been so angry lately, especially after my arranged marriage fell through, and she called me a loser.

February 24, 2020, Sunny

The pain was unbearable. I begged them again to take me to the hospital today. My dad said all the money had gone into building the house and saving for my brother's wedding. How could they afford my treatment?

I cried and asked if I could borrow money from a friend. My dad still refused.

Was I even their real daughter? I just wanted to go to the hospital. Whether it was to get some painkillers or do whatever else, I simply didn't want to die like this, without any dignity.

March 9, 2020, Sunny

It turned out that what the doctor had said about being in the advanced stage and having a life expectancy of no more than three months was true.

The pain was getting worse. I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep. The pain was so intense that I banged my head against the wall hard. I really wanted to end it all, but I didn't even have the strength for that.

March 27, 2020, Cloudy

Tonight, as I lay in bed half-conscious, I heard a visitor arrive. It was a fashionable middle-aged woman. She even glanced at me through the window.

I had a bad feeling about this woman. Forcing myself up, I crept downstairs.

In the stairwell, I overheard her conversation with my parents. She said a young woman's corpse could fetch a good price, and with that money, my brother's wedding expenses would be covered.

I was stunned. I wasn't even dead yet, and they were already planning to sell my corpse?

My dad stayed silent, and my mom hung her head.

Just when I thought they might refuse, my dad looked up and nodded. "Alright, Hattie, you handle it."

My mom wiped her tears. "I can't bear to part with Lillian, but the doctor said there was no chance of survival since it was in the late stage. If she marries, she won't have to be alone in the afterlife, don't you think?"

I collapsed onto the stairs, my legs giving out.

I wasn't even dead yet, and they were already making these plans?

So this was why they wouldn't take me to the hospital or let me contact anyone.

Overcome with rage and despair, I dragged myself into the living room and shouted, "I won't agree to this! Get this woman out of my house!"

I thought I had used every ounce of strength I had, but the result was barely a whisper, as if my breath were hanging by a thread. After saying just a few words, my vision went black, and I fainted.

When I woke up again, I was locked in the bedroom. There was no way out.

April 1, 2020, Sunny

I had no strength left in my body, and my vision was so blurry I could barely see. This might be the last time I write in my diary. I wonder if anyone would ever find it?

If someone did, please, I beg you! Report this to the police!

If there was a next life, I would live for myself.

I would go to college, fall in love with someone, and have two children.

I would never return to this place I once called home.

---

I held the diary in my trembling hands. It was Lillian's diary, written during the days after she returned home and went missing.

So she had died two months ago, from late-stage lung cancer.

Before she even passed, her parents had already contacted Hattie Brown, a matchmaker for ghost marriages, to find a buyer.

How could there be parents like this? Did they have even a shred of humanity?

Tears streamed down my face as I stroked the diary over and over.

The final part of the diary was scribbled down in a hurry, with breaks and stops here and there. It was clear that Lillian had been on the verge of death when she wrote it.

I couldn't imagine how she had managed to drag her frail, sick body to hide the diary under the bed.

Did she come to me in a dream on purpose?

Thankfully, I saw it. I would report this to the police, for Lillian, and for myself.

I carefully tucked the diary into my chest and reached for the door. Luckily, the door opened with a single pull.

The sky was just beginning to lighten as I tiptoed downstairs. I had barely reached the first floor when I heard the screech of car brakes outside the door.

...

The person who arrived was all too familiar. It was the woman who had plotted to kill me in the Barnes family's house.

Her name was Hattie Brown, and she was the most carefree woman in our village.

She never worked a day in her life, always flaunting her gold and silver while going around arranging matches.

Now I understood that she was a matchmaker for ghost marriages-a custom where deceased individuals were married posthumously.

Behind her stood a brutish man with a menacing look. He was Patton Cruz, a petty thug in our village.

Lillian's father, Richard Mitchell and Lillian's mother, Pamela Mitchell greeted them with smiles on their faces.

Hattie said, "Richard, it's all settled. The match is with someone from the city, an engineer."

Pamela coughed lightly. "Sounds decent enough. What about the price? How much are they offering?"

"The usual. Fifty thousand."

Richard froze for a few seconds before waving his hand. "No way. Fifty thousand is too little. At least a hundred thousand!"

Hattie's expression darkened. "You can't just raise the price like that. An ordinary preserved corpse goes for twenty thousand, while a younger one fetches fifty thousand. That's the market rate!"

Pamela began to wail. "I can't shortchange my daughter. If it's less than a hundred thousand, our Lillian would rather stay lonely forever."

The atmosphere grew tense.

Patton lit a cigarette impatiently, while Hattie looked troubled.

Richard coughed and pointed upstairs. "Hattie, the woman you mentioned in the group yesterday is upstairs."

"Nancy?" Hattie's eyes lit up. "Is she tied up? That woman is so slippery!"

"Don't worry, she's still asleep. Adding her to the deal, ten thousand isn't too much, right?" Richard asked.

Hattie hesitated for a moment before agreeing. "Fine. Then we'll dig up the corpse tonight. The groom's brother is waiting. As for Nancy, let Barnes family members come and get her now."

Pamela brightened. "Alright, I'll go upstairs and lock the door."

Of course, she couldn't lock me in. I had already hidden myself and managed to steal the phone they'd left in the living room.

After Hattie and Mitchell family members left, I quickly called the police and quietly followed them.

It was a risky move, but for Lillian, I had no choice.

Half an hour later, I followed them to the back mountain and saw them from a distance. They were already digging up the grave.

Richard and Pamela, who had been wailing and sobbing earlier, were now digging with enthusiasm.

In the corner, a young man wearing a baseball cap was holding an urn. He must have been the buyer of Lillian's corpse.

Lillian's image from my dream flashed through my mind, and I couldn't hold back any longer. I rushed forward.

Hattie's eyes immediately locked onto me. "You! Why are you here?"

I couldn't suppress the anger that had been building inside me. "If I hadn't come, I wouldn't have seen the depths of your depravity."

The buyer walked over and sneered. "Don't people in your village all have this kind of custom?"

His words really stung me.

It was true. Our village was riddled with countless vile customs. Ghost marriages, exorbitant wedding cost, and the preference for sons over daughters had driven so many people to despair.

Take my own marriage to Sebastian, for example. My family received a bride price of three hundred thousand dollars.

I hated the ignorance of the villagers. Over the years, I had tried countless times to persuade them to change, but no one ever listened.

Eventually, as a college graduate, I became an oddball in the village, a reckless and foolish creature in their eyes.

"You'll pay for this someday, " I said, glancing down the mountain and calculating how long it would take for the police to arrive.

Hattie grabbed my arm. "Come back to the Barnes family with me."

I slapped her hand away. "Get lost."

Hattie cursed, "You think you can escape? You little brat!"

As I was trying to figure out how to deal with her, the buyer of Lillian's corpse stepped in. "Hattie, stop wasting time. We have more important things to do."

"But the Barnes family..."

"If you delay my business any longer, you can go ask the Barnes family for money tomorrow, " he said impatiently.

Hattie immediately let go of me. "What nonsense are you saying? Fine. No need to get upset."

With no one stopping me, I ran as fast as I could. In my pocket, there was an extra square-shaped object. It was Hattie's phone that I'd just gotten.

I knew it contained all the evidence of her crimes.

...

On my way down the mountain, the police called to say they had arrived at the village entrance and told me to protect myself.

But what I didn't expect was that Barnes family members had acted even faster. They were waiting at the foot of the mountain, a group of more than ten people.

I cursed Hattie a thousand times over in my heart. At the same time, I felt a twinge of regret. If I hadn't followed them here, I might have already escaped.

But as soon as that thought crossed my mind, I thought of Lillian's face.

She had been my classmate. I couldn't help her while she was alive, but I had to protect her after her death. So, following them was worth it.

I glared at the Barnes family members. If my glare could kill, these people would have died a thousand deaths.

Ambrose lowered his voice. "Take her back."

I wasn't too worried. Going back to the Barnes family's house was fine. The police would find me soon enough.

Half an hour later, I was thrown into the Barnes family's storage shed. I pulled out the phone, but there was no signal here.

I tried to recall how Hattie had turned it on at the Mitchell family's house. After fiddling with it a few times, I managed to unlock her phone.

The photo album was filled with pictures of men and women, each with notes underneath-age, birth chart, cause of death.

Lillian was also among them.

I opened Hattie's Whatsapp and found dozens of chat threads. As I read through them one by one, the contents made my skin crawl.

Hattie was in the business of selling the dead. To find suitable matches for ghost marriages, she frequented crematoriums, hospitals, and shelters.

Her thug, Patton, had stolen countless corpses for her.

Freshly cremated ashes were swapped with lime and bone fragments by Patton almost immediately.

But that wasn't the worst of it. To make more money, they had even targeted the living.

Last month, they abducted a homeless woman and killed her on the spot. Her fresh corpse sold for eighty thousand dollars.

The photos of these women's corpse in Hattie and Patton's chats were treated like ordinary merchandise.

Not in good condition, needs cleaning... Too much decay, use a filter before showing the client... This kind of words made my scalp tingle.

They had done this more than once. Patton had even bragged, "Killing someone? It's just a matter of taking some pills."

I couldn't bear to read any further. As I scrolled down, I saw Ambrose's profile picture. The last message he had sent was, "We've caught her and locked her up. I'll kill her now."

I was still reeling from the shock when the storage shed door creaked open.

Through the crack, I saw Ambrose's shadowed face. In his hand was a sharp axe.

Just minutes ago, I hadn't been afraid. The police were on their way, and I was sure they would find me.

But now, I wasn't so sure I would live to see the police.

The door creaked open wider as Ambrose stepped closer, the axe blade gleaming with a chilling light under the moon.

"Nancy..." he rasped.

Then, without warning, he swung the axe at me.

I instinctively dodged, the blade missing me by mere millimeters. I felt the whoosh of air and the sharp, metallic tang of the axe.

I was not particularly agile, but the overwhelming desire to survive pushed my body to its limits. I dodged several sudden attacks in succession, and in the chaos of the last one, I managed to escape the shed.

Under the moonlight, I ran ahead while Ambrose chased after me with an axe in hand. It was like a scene straight out of a horror movie.

...

When I reached the gate, I heard my mom's voice from outside. "Is anyone home? Has Nancy come back?"

I yanked the gate open with all my strength. My dad, my mom, and my brother were all standing there in a neat row.

I darted behind them for protection. When I looked back into the courtyard, the axe in Ambrose's hand had disappeared.

His face returned to its usual quiet and gentle demeanor, as though the terrifying chase just now had been nothing more than an illusion.

"You're here, Mr. Jordan? Nancy is doing just fine," Ambrose said calmly.

My dad's face turned dark.

He stormed over and slapped me hard across the face. "How dare you run away from the wedding? Do you know how much shame you've brought to our family?"

There was no time to waste. I had to tell them about the Barnes family's sinister plans immediately.

I shouted, "The Zhou family wants me and Sebastian to be buried together in seven days! Do you even know that?"

My mom rushed over and grabbed me. "Nancy, stop spreading lies!"

My brother Allen also roared, "Stop putting on a show!"

How foolish and money-hungry they were!

I was both furious and exasperated. "The Barnes family members and Hattie have been colluding for a long time! The Barnes family members carried out the murder, and Hattie performs the ceremony!"

Ambrose's face turned grim as he stepped closer to me, one deliberate step at a time. "Nancy, you'd better have evidence for what you're saying. Who told you all this?"

My family's faces were filled with disbelief, and Ambrose wore a righteous façade. My brother even lunged forward, trying to grab me.

I clenched the phone in my pocket tightly. As they closed in, I pulled it out. "This is Hattie's phone. Everything is written in here!"

Ambrose's composure cracked. He lunged at me, trying to snatch the phone. I jumped back to avoid him, but my brother rushed forward as well. But my brother came to help Ambrose.

The scene descended into chaos. The Barnes family members also rushed out, while my parents stood frozen, unsure of whom to help.

Just as my brother grabbed me and Ambrose snatched the phone from my hand, the sound of police sirens echoed from outside the courtyard.

Everyone froze. Ambrose, quick as lightning, hurled the phone into the nearby well.

My dad, who had been hesitating moments ago, suddenly snapped to attention. "Nancy was telling the truth? You really wanted to kill my daughter?"

"I won't let you get away with this!" my mom screamed as she charged forward.

The Barnes family members, seeing Ambrose at a disadvantage, also joined the fray, and the courtyard erupted into a full-blown brawl.

Three police cars arrived, fully armed officers spilling out to take control of the situation. Cries and shouts filled the air.

I stood silently, my gaze fixed on the last police car. Through the window, I saw Hattie sitting inside, with the buyer of Lillian.

When I looked over, the buyer turned his gaze toward me as well. He even curled his lips into a chilling smile that sent shivers down my spine.

He was smiling? How could he possibly smile? I turned away, refusing to look at him any longer.

Soon, all of us were taken to the county police station.

We were separated for questioning. In the interrogation room, I recounted everything that had happened.

The police asked me, "Where's the phone?"

I admitted, "The phone is in the shed."

...

Right, Ambrose had thrown the phone I had stolen earlier from the Mitchell family's house. I knew Hattie's phone was a crucial clue, so when I heard the door open, I quickly hid it.

How could I possibly let such crucial evidence be exposed?

This phone implicated many people, including many dangerous people. I had to be extremely cautious.

After a brief interrogation, I was sent home. By then, only my parents were left at home.

It turned out that my brother was also in the loop. He owed gambling debts and had conspired with the Barnes family to deceive my parents, planning to trade my life for money.

My brother said he hated me. We were only a year apart, and we had gone to school together. In our senior year of high school, I was the one who got into college, not him.

Because of that, I got to go to Briarwood for university, while he stayed behind in our small hometown, working as a temp in a factory. He resented me for it.

My brother and the Barnes family members were all sentenced to prison. Sebastian's body was taken to the crematorium for cremation at a later date.

It was deeply ironic. The Barnes family members had been so desperate to secure a lineage for their son in the afterlife, yet now even a proper burial was out of the question.

As for Hattie and her accomplices Patton, under the weight of overwhelming evidence, they were convicted. I heard the police had taken them to identify crime scenes one by one, exposing the entire underground network of ghost marriages.

The chain involved crematorium and hospital staff, among others.

The case caused a national uproar, with victims and families stepping forward to demand justice.

Their crimes were laid bare for all to see, and everyone awaited the final verdict.

When my parents heard everything, they clung to me, sobbing uncontrollably, regretting they had nearly cost me my life.

Half a month later, the verdict was announced. Hattie and her accomplice Patton were sentenced to death for murder, theft, and desecration of corpses. They were also permanently barred from holding any public or political office.

Other participants received sentences ranging from three to ten years, depending on the severity of their involvement. My brother was sentenced to three years.

In the midst of my parents' grief, I said goodbye to them and left my hometown.

My emotions were a tangled mess. I couldn't bring myself to forgive them yet. All I wanted was to escape this superstitious and old-fashioned village as quickly as possible.

To my surprise, on the plane, I ran into the buyer of Lillian. He was on the same flight back to Briarwood as me.

In his arms, he held a square, compact urn. I frowned at the sight, feeling a wave of bitter irony. What right did he have to walk away unscathed?

He was really out of line. He tried to switch seats with someone else and sit next to me.

"Nancy, nice to meet you again, " he said.

"What a twisted fate, " I replied coldly. "As the buyer, shouldn't you be punished too?"

He held the urn in his hands, silent for a long time before he finally spoke. "Do you know whose ashes these are?"

I froze for a moment, only then noticing that the urn was a deep crimson, distinctly different from the one I had seen that day.

"Nancy, these are my sister's."

Quinn's POV:

My name was Quinn Morris. After graduating from college, I stayed in Briarwood to work as a journalist.

The opportunity to attend college was something my sister sacrificed herself to give me.

My family comes from a remote rural village in Yarlington. Our parents struggled to support both my sister and me through high school. It was already a heavy burden for them.

My sister was two years older than me and excelled academically. But during her college entrance exams, she underperformed and didn't even make it into a good university.

Our parents wanted her to either attend the exams the following year, but she refused. She said she had long since lost interest in studying.

By July, she had joined some women from our village and headed to the city to find work. She left me a heartfelt letter, pleading with me to study hard and never end up like her.

I was heartbroken, but I couldn't stop her. All I could do was throw myself into my studies with everything I had.

The following year, I was admitted to a prestigious university in Briarwood. The tuition and living expenses were steep, but my sister told me not to worry. She said she was doing well at work, had been promoted to a supervisor, and was earning a good income.

Thanks to her, I completed my college education. In my senior year, I interned at a well-known media outlet. Due to my outstanding performance, they hired me before I even graduated.

I threw myself into my work, eagerly taking on the toughest, most grueling assignments and volunteering for interviews everyone else avoided.

I wanted to make money, lots of money, so I could buy a house in Briarwood and bring my parents and sister to live with me.

But three years later, just as my career was taking off and I had become one of the top reporters in our news department, tragedy struck my sister.

She went missing while working. All that was left at the scene was a blood-stained dress.

I rushed to the local police station, where surveillance footage from a nearby camera showed two men dragging her away.

The police said the footage was too blurry, and since the area was surrounded by wilderness, the investigation would take time.

I was frantic. Days had already passed. If they didn't find any leads soon, my sister would surely be lost forever.

Eventually, through the police's efforts, it was discovered that a corpse suspected to be hers had been taken to a village named Hillside Hollow...

Yes, her corpse. By the time they found her, her skin was ashen, and she was completely lifeless.

The investigation faced constant obstacles. The residents of Hillside Hollow and the surrounding villages were extremely wary. Whether it was the police or local government officials, they all claimed ignorance, shaking their heads and refusing to cooperate.

They repeatedly insisted that no outsiders had ever come to their village.

So the police came up with a plan-to send someone undercover to investigate the village's secrets and uncover my sister's whereabouts.

I volunteered. I had an accent that marked me as an outsider, and no one there knew me.

I managed to track down Hattie. At first, she was highly suspicious of me. It wasn't until I showed her the photo of my late "brother" on my phone that she started to let her guard down.

Of course, the photos had been prepared in advance. If I was going to act, I had to play the part convincingly.

In addition to the photos, I handed her fifty thousand dollars in cash. Seeing the thick stacks of money, Hattie's face lit up, and she immediately agreed to take me there.

Everything went smoothly. Along the way, I asked Hattie many questions about ghost marriages, and the microphone hidden in the button of my shirt transmitted all our conversations to the police.

But while we were on the mountain, a strange young girl rushed up and started yelling at us.

Her bravery caught me off guard, but Hattie wasn't someone who could be easily deceived.

To help the young girl escape, I used the urgency of the situation as an excuse to stall Hattie.

After that, things progressed quickly. The police arrived at the scene, and with solid evidence in hand, Hattie had no way to escape justice.

It was only later that I learned that young woman's name was Nancy. She had been tricked by her brother into marrying a dead man from the Barnes family. The Barnes family members had no intention of letting her leave alive.

At the same time, I finally found out what had happened to my sister.

My sister was just the "female beggar" Hattie and the others had mentioned.

To pay for my education, my sister worked tirelessly in one grueling factory job after another, enduring the harshest conditions.

To save money for my tuition and to care for our aging, ailing parents, she had been ruthlessly frugal with herself. She hadn't bought new clothes in years.

Her death was brutal. Her body bore countless scars and unmistakable evidence of horrific abuse.

In her tiny rented room, I found a meticulously framed college acceptance letter. It was from a famous university in Briarwood.

She had given up her chance to attend college for me.

At the grave where she was buried alongside others, I broke down and wept. I hated myself for not caring enough about her, for taking her sacrifices for granted.

My carefree, cheerful sister had given everything for me, even her life.

The ignorant and shameless villagers there, consumed by their selfish desires, had ruined countless lives and caused untold suffering.

These dark, hidden atrocities were utterly despicable.

After my sister's corpse was cremated, I brought her ashes back to Briarwood.

Because her diary once revealed her dream. She didn't want to go back to our hometown, instead, she longed to see Briarwood.

I said to Nancy, "I'm sorry, Nancy, for taking so long to tell you the truth."

She shook her head. "I should be the one apologizing. I've misunderstood you all this time."

We exchanged a smile. She asked me, "What are your plans now? Will you keep working as a journalist?"

I looked at her. "Yes, I want to be a journalist who speaks the truth and does meaningful work."

Nancy nodded firmly. "Good. Don't let darkness and lies blind the world. We can't let tragedies like ours happen again."

I glanced down at the urn in my arms, holding my sister's ashes. Nancy's voice echoed in my ears once more, "I can go with you. Let's take your sister to see Briarwood. Would you like that?"

I looked up at Nancy and smiled.

By then, the plane had already taken off, and the brilliant sunlight bathed us in warmth.

For the first time in days, I felt a glimmer of warmth and comfort.